What is Invisalign?

Introduced in 1999, Invisalign is a modern method for straightening teeth without metal brackets or wires. Instead, it uses clear, BPA-free plastic aligners in a specific computer-designed sequence. You will wear each aligner for 1-2 weeks to move your teeth a small amount, then switch to the next one in the sequence. When you finish the sequence of aligners, your teeth will be straight.

Invisalign-Logo

Benefits of Invisalign

More than 17 million people, including nearly 5 million teens, have had Invisalign since its introduction. Invisalign has become so popular because it offers many benefits.

Nearly Invisible Teeth Straightening

The clear plastic aligners are so discreet that people might not notice you’re wearing them, even if you’re having a close, face-to-face conversation. 

Removable Aligners

Invisalign aligners are also removable–you can take them out whenever you need to. This means removing them for eating and cleaning your teeth. You don’t have to give up any food, nor will you have to clean around metal brackets and wires. Plus, you can remove them whenever it’s convenient. Have a photo op or press event and are afraid the high-powered lights will make them show? Remove your aligners for the event. Or take them out when playing sports so you can wear your mouthguard. Just ensure you wear aligners 20-22 hours a day to keep your treatment on track.

A woman smiling showing the difference between Invisalign and braces

More Comfortable Treatment

Invisalign is more comfortable than traditional braces. It doesn’t have wires to poke you or brackets to scrape your cheeks. Plus, each time you move to a new aligner, you’ll experience less discomfort than from a tightening appointment with traditional braces. By dividing the movements into more steps, Invisalign uses less force at each step (more below). Less force means less soreness. 

Less Time at the Dentist

Invisalign isn’t just convenient because it’s removable–it’s convenient because you’ll spend less time at the dentist. First, you’ll make fewer visits to our dental office because you can go from one set of aligners to the next at home when it’s time. The visit will be shorter when you visit our office because we aren’t changing elastics or wires. We just give you a quick checkup and, if all looks good, your next few sets of aligners. 

Whiten Teeth While Straightening

With traditional braces, many people experience tooth staining. This can be because it’s hard to clean around braces. Sometimes, the place where the brackets bond can experience demineralization, leading to unattractive white spots on the teeth. 

However, with Invisalign, you won’t have to worry about problems related to brackets and wires. Instead, you can use your aligners as teeth-whitening trays to get a bright smile while straightening your teeth. 

Fast Treatment

Finally, Invisalign can be faster than traditional braces for some people. In most cases, Invisalign works about as quickly as conventional braces. However, if your teeth are responding well to the treatment, you can cut down your aligner wear from two weeks to one week–cutting your treatment time almost in half!

What is Invisalign?

Invisalign logoIntroduced in 1999, Invisalign is a modern method for straightening teeth without metal brackets or wires. Instead, it uses clear, BPA-free plastic aligners in a specific computer-designed sequence. You will wear each aligner for 1-2 weeks to move your teeth a small amount, then switch to the next one in the sequence. When you finish the sequence of aligners, your teeth will be straight.

Benefits of Invisalign

More than 17 million people, including nearly 5 million teens, have had Invisalign since its introduction. Invisalign has become so popular because it offers many benefits.

Nearly Invisible Teeth Straightening

The clear plastic aligners are so discreet that people might not notice you’re wearing them, even if you’re having a close, face-to-face conversation. 

Removable Aligners

Invisalign aligners are also removable–you can take them out whenever you need to. This means removing them for eating and cleaning your teeth. You don’t have to give up any food, nor will you have to clean around metal brackets and wires. Plus, you can remove them whenever it’s convenient. Have a photo op or press event and are afraid the high-powered lights will make them show? Remove your aligners for the event. Or take them out when playing sports so you can wear your mouthguard. Just ensure you wear aligners 20-22 hours a day to keep your treatment on track.

A woman smiling showing the difference between Invisalign and braces

More Comfortable Treatment

Invisalign is more comfortable than traditional braces. It doesn’t have wires to poke you or brackets to scrape your cheeks. Plus, each time you move to a new aligner, you’ll experience less discomfort than from a tightening appointment with traditional braces. By dividing the movements into more steps, Invisalign uses less force at each step (more below). Less force means less soreness. 

Less Time at the Dentist

Invisalign isn’t just convenient because it’s removable–it’s convenient because you’ll spend less time at the dentist. First, you’ll make fewer visits to our dental office because you can go from one set of aligners to the next at home when it’s time. The visit will be shorter when you visit our office because we aren’t changing elastics or wires. We just give you a quick checkup and, if all looks good, your next few sets of aligners. 

Whiten Teeth While Straightening

With traditional braces, many people experience tooth staining. This can be because it’s hard to clean around braces. Sometimes, the place where the brackets bond can experience demineralization, leading to unattractive white spots on the teeth. 

However, with Invisalign, you won’t have to worry about problems related to brackets and wires. Instead, you can use your aligners as teeth-whitening trays to get a bright smile while straightening your teeth. 

Fast Treatment

Finally, Invisalign can be faster than traditional braces for some people. In most cases, Invisalign works about as quickly as conventional braces. However, if your teeth are responding well to the treatment, you can cut down your aligner wear from two weeks to one week–cutting your treatment time almost in half!

How Do Clear Braces Work?

Invisalign straightens your teeth using the same principles as traditional braces. Your body is constantly breaking down and rebuilding your bones. By applying consistent forces, orthodontics encourages the body to break down bone more on one side of the tooth and build it up on another, which allows the tooth to move, tilt, or rotate. 

The only difference is that traditional braces use brackets and wires to apply this force. Invisalign uses clear plastic aligners. Each aligner is slightly different, designed to move your teeth just a little bit at a time.

How Much Does Invisalign Cost?

The cost of Invisalign depends on the complexity of your case. More complex cases require more aligners and accessories, which makes them more expensive. When we design your treatment, you’ll get a comprehensive cost estimate to decide whether Invisalign is right for you. 

In general, Invisalign is comparable to other orthodontic treatments. Because it’s a different approach, some cases are easier to accomplish with Invisalign, which makes them less expensive than traditional braces. In other instances, Invisalign might be more costly than traditional braces. 

The Invisalign Process

At Excellence in Dentistry, we start the procedure by getting a 3D scan of your teeth. After this, we use special software to preview your teeth’ final position, allowing us to design a custom and comprehensive Invisalign treatment plan specific to you. We will then share a 3D model of how your teeth will look once the treatment is completed before you start treatment. Patients love to see a glimpse of their future smile!

After the designing phase, we will send the approved design to the lab, where they will create your aligners. How long Invisalign takes depends on the total number of aligners you require, which relates to the complexity of your case. These aligners will be changed out every one or two weeks for the entire duration of your treatment. However, you will only need to visit us approximately every six weeks so we can monitor your alignment changes and stay updated on your progress.

Once you complete your Invisalign treatment, you will wear a retainer to maintain your results. At first, you’ll wear your retainers as much as you wore your aligners. Over time, you will switch to wearing it just at night, then just some nights.

Get Invisalign in Anchorage Today

A hassle-free, nearly invisible, and removable orthodontic treatment option should put a smile on your face! So, why the wait? Call us at (907) 349-0022 and reserve some time at the Anchorage dental office of Excellence in Dentistry today!