For millions of people, a healthy and beautiful smile starts with taking care of crooked teeth. There is no surprise that a healthy and attractive smile makes people feel and look their best.
Did you know that the benefits of having straight and properly aligned teeth go far beyond a confident smile? According to the American Dental Association, straightening your teeth can actually significantly affect your overall dental health. When teeth are properly aligned, it helps the gums fit more securely around the teeth, allowing for the strongest and healthiest defense against potential periodontal gums problems like gingivitis and periodontitis.
Our 5 reasons why, as of 2016, over 5 million people worldwide have chosen to be treated with Invisalign over braces comes from numerous patient interviews and researching the Invisalign market. And despite tough economic times, the number of Invisalign treatment keeps growing daily for the same 5 reasons listed below.
There are definitely other good options for straightening patient teeth, but no one seems to offer the level of comfort and convenience that Invisalign provides.
REASON 1. Invisalign is made to fit different lifestyles.
The good news is the Invisalign system does not require the patient to change his or her busy lifestyle. Invisalign aligners are removable. With the comfort and convenience of customized clear plastic aligners, Invisalign would not hold patients back with a high number of visits to the dentist like conventional orthodontic braces typically do.
Unlike with braces, a patient under Invisalign treatment has the flexibility to remove the aligners to eat and drink what he or she wants during treatment without any limitation. One of the biggest challenges of having braces is removing all the food that gets trapped in the brackets and wires. This often leads to dental plaque buildup and decalcification of teeth. In the majority of patients wearing braces, this plaque buildup may eventually lead to tooth decay and bleeding gums. So, how convenient can Invisalign be? Invisalign allows the patients to enjoy their favorite food without any restriction. The Invisalign aligner can also be easily removed to brush and floss as they normally would, for fresh breath and good oral hygiene.
In addition, it does not matter what type of sport the patient enjoys, Invisalign aligners would not get in the way.
With Invisalign, the patient can be as active as he or she would like to be. The patient can remove the Invisalign aligner for special events, business meetings or social gathering.
REASON 2. Invisalign treatment is a metal-free choice.
There are no metal brackets or wires that could cause irritation to a patient’s mouth, a major advantage over traditional braces. Since dental office visits during Invisalign treatment don’t involve metal or wire adjustments, the patient will likely spend much less time in the dentist’s chair.
Invisalign straightens crooked teeth right before patients’ eyes. If a patient is a candidate for Invisalign treatment, his or her teeth will move, little by little, toward a new smile with straighter and healthier teeth. In fact, Invisalign aligners are smooth and comfortable.
Once a trained and certified Invisalign dentist have determined that the patient is a candidate for Invisalign, he can correct imperfections in a wide range of smiles, including Overly crowded teeth, widely spaced teeth, overbites, underbites, and crossbites. Patients who their teeth have shifted since wearing braces are also the good candidate for Invisalign.
REASON 3. The main benefit of Invisalign is that it is virtually invisible.
Invisalign are clear aligners that allow patients to look their best while they smile with confidence during and after their Invisalign treatment. In addition, most people would not even notice that there are wearing Invisalign aligners.
Most Invisalign patients interviewed love the fact that Invisalign aligners are unnoticeable to family members, friends, and co-workers. No one may even notice that they are wearing them. Invisalign also allows the patients to view their virtual results and treatment plan before they start so they can see how their straightened teeth will look when their treatment is complete. Instead of imagining how much better it can be, they are able to see it for themselves on a computer screen.
REASON 4.The process of getting started with Invisalign is easy and painless.
The path to an Invisalign treatment begins at a dental office of an Invisalign certified provider. Here are the five steps patients have to go through to achieve straight teeth with Invisalign.
- Step 1: Initial Invisalign®Visit During the initialInvisalign®examthe dentist will evaluate, assess and discuss the course and cost of treatment with the patient. The dental office would then take teeth bite impressions, photos of your teeth and send them to Invisalign for processing.
About Invisalign cost: In the U.S., the cost of Invisalign treatment ranges from $4,000 to $7,000, with the national average at about $5,000. Some dental insurance plans cover on average $1,000 towards Invisalign treatment cost just as they would with other orthodontic treatments like braces. But of course, an Invisalign dentist will be able to fully determine the cost, which is based on the specifics of a patient individual needs. These factors can include the complexity of a patient case and how long the Invisalign treatment will take. Either your Invisalign dentist provider or your insurance carrier can help you to determine the exact coverage for your treatment. If your insurance does not cover part of your Invisalign treatment costs or if cost is a concern for you, talk to your Invisalign dentist provider about payment options – many Invisalign dentists offer flexible and affordable monthly payment plans, many with no down payment and no interest. About one-third of Invisalign patients use financing options to spread their treatment costs over time like care credit.
- Step 2: Invisalign makes your aligners
Invisalign uses advanced 3-D computer imaging technology to transform the patient teeth bite impressions into a custom-made series of clear and removable aligners. This technology will also simulate the patient complete Invisalign treatment plan from the initial position to the final position of the patient’s teeth.
- Step 3: You receive your clear aligners in a few weeks.
During the next visit to the dental office, the patient will receive his or her first set of clear Invisalign aligners.
- Step 4: You wear your Invisalign aligners.
The patient will wear his or her first Invisalign aligner day and night for two weeks. Then it is replaced by the next aligner in the series until the final desired teeth position is achieved. Invisalign aligners can be removed when eating, brushing and flossing. Each case is a little different. However on the average Invisalign treatment last about a year. The patient will visit the dental office about 8 weeks for the progress check.
- Step 5: You’ve finished Invisalign treatment!
When the patient is finished wearing each Invisalign aligner in the series, his or her Invisalign treatment will be complete and he or she will be required to wear an upper and lower orthodontic retainers of his or her choice. The patient can choose from a fixed or clear removable retainer.
REASON 5. Invisalign has been proven effective worldwide.
The Invisalign system has been proven effective through scientific orthodontics research and in clinical dental practices worldwide. Dentists have been using invisible orthodontics to straighten crooked teeth for decades. And as of 2016 million of patients have been successfully treated with Invisalign technology. About nine out of ten patients are “very satisfied” with their Invisalign. Invisalign scientific publications on Invisalign treatments are dated as far as the year 2000.