Hi, this is
Dr. Ryan Francis, DDS from Grove Health Dental.
Today,
I will discuss Invisalign and address the most pressing questions related to
Invisalign that I receive from my patients.
What is Invisalign?
Invisalign
is a thermoplastic material made of medical-grade polyurethane resin. More
simply put, it is a clear, plastic brace.
Are you an Invisalign candidate?
As
we approach the year 2015, I would say most people are Invisalign candidates. This
was not the case almost seven years ago when I started, but Invisalign
technology has made continued advances in terms of the material, plastic, and
type of attachments that assist in the movements, as well as (decreased)
treatment time.
Does Invisalign work?
I
would be willing to bet that most Invisalign-treating dentists would agree with
me that it works…that is, if you wear them. Wearing Invisalign for at least 20
hours a day is what you should aim for. You need to decrease those pockets of
time when you forget to put it in, like before you go to school or the office.
The worst thing is when you forget to wear it for a whole day. If you do any of
these, there would be delays in treatment time.
Oddly
enough, I have had most success with teenagers who used Invisalign. The idea of
decreased treatment time is very appealing to them.
In
general, the ones that are most challenging are those patients who do not wear Invisalign
extensively or those who regularly forget to wear it. Other challenging situations
would involve treatment that was started before the latest Invisalign
technologies have been available, but we can update those now and achieve the
necessary treatment goals.
How long does treatment time take?
There
is a significant time range. My average treatment time is a year or a year and
a half. In certain cases, like deep bites which is what I am currently fixing,
it may take two years or more. Others would take only six months. Treatment
time with Invisalign’s latest technology is shorter compared to a few years
ago.
Does it hurt?
Invisalign
does not hurt as metal conventional braces would. The reason for this is, with
Invisalign, you will not be torquing the teeth to the same force as you would
with metal braces. From time to time, depending on certain tooth movements, it
would be sore to chew on, but not to the extent of regular metal braces.
If
you have further questions about Invisalign, I would be more than happy to
discuss it with you. We do offer free consultations. Invisalign treatment is a
great service that we provide in our clinic that has yielded increasing
success.
Grove Health
Dental
763-416-0011
9907 Maple Grove
Parkway
Maple Grove, MN 55369
Maple Grove, MN 55369
www.GroveHealthDental.com