Dentists Use Invisalign as the New Braces

Remember Ugly Betty with her braces? Sure at the end when the braces came off she kind of stopped being "Ugly Betty" but with today's new braces it isn't really necessary for anyone to go through an ugly stage to get to the beauty at the end. Dentists use Invisalign as a clear alternative to braces so your braces won't be the first thing that people see when you smile. It is custom fitted to your teeth to gradually give you those straight pearly whites. Every few weeks your dentists or orthodontists will put new one in place moving your teeth further into the desired positional goal. In all, depending on your mouth, it takes an average of twelve months for your teeth to be corrected with this procedure.

Dentists are likely to tell you that there are a variety of ways your mouth can be less than cosmetically perfect, but that some of these defects can actually affect your health as well as your winning smile. Over-crowded teeth for example can cause gum disease and dental decay since teeth that are pushing and overlapping can be hard to clean properly. Widely spaced teeth can present their own problems since teeth can shift to move to empty spaces they don't belong, and periodontal disease is also a concern. Even a cross bite, over bite, or under bite can lead to dental concerns such as gum problems or improperly worn teeth.

So as much as the driving reason may be to have a good-looking smile, there are plenty of legitimate health reasons to ensure your teeth are straight. Invisalign is a good choice for adults as well as teens because it's never too late to address your health issues.

And unlike braces that weren't always conducive to an active lifestyle, Invisalign can be taken out whenever you eat or drink so your diet isn't limited like it is with traditional braces. As dentists will advise, your only real limitations are to not smoke or chew gum with it because these products are not compatible with the brace material and can cause damage to your braces.

Just like traditional braces work by creating a controlled force on your teeth to move them into the appropriate place, so does Invisalign. However unlike using traditional braces that move all of your teeth at once, the invisible braces will only work on certain teeth at a time as part of the long-range dental plan that your dentists will go over with you as you begin the process. The controlled force will cause some initial discomfort and may cause you to have a lisp for the first few days as you adjust to the mouthpiece but it goes away quickly as you adapt to the change.

Invisalign has been around since 1997 so it isn't exactly a secret, but when you have a winning smile and no "Ugly Betty" moments, you may feel like you discovered the secret to youth, beauty and good health all in one moment.