Invisalign is a valuable orthodontic treatment using clear, plastic aligners to correct dental problems.
Invisalign is a highly satisfactory treatment option for many patients, especially those with minor to moderate orthodontic issues. It offers the advantage of being nearly invisible and can be more comfortable than traditional dental braces.
Why Straighten Your Teeth with Invisalign at SHDC?
A beautiful smile is often the prime motivation for those considering Invisalign clear braces.
At Sydney Holistic Dental Centre, we help you achieve a beautiful smile and address important health problems that narrow jaws and crowded teeth can cause. These are:
- Obstructed Breathing – Narrow jaws and crowded teeth reduce the amount of space in your nasal passages, sinuses and your tongue’s space in your mouth. This inhibits your ability to breathe well, particularly while asleep.
- Poor Oral Hygiene – Teeth crowded within narrow jaws are far more likely to accumulate plaque and calculus as they are much harder to keep clean.
Benefits of Good Teeth Alignment
There are many reasons to align your teeth.
At Sydney Holistic Dental Centre, we feel that having a wide jaw is important so there’s enough room for your tongue, and so you can breathe better at night.
Another reason to align your teeth is to make sure they are straight, so they’re easy to clean, and you have less chance of getting gum disease, which is important for your general health.
The third reason is to support you to have a healthy, wide smile.
The Holistic Approach with Invisalign
Invisalign clear aligners provide a multifaceted solution. As holistic dentists, we focus on the person attached to the teeth, their overall wellness, and, importantly, the quality of their sleep.
Straightening teeth with Invisalign invisible braces:
- Creates enough space for all of your teeth, improving your airway for optimal breathing
- Allows easier cleaning, better oral hygiene and fewer gum problems and possibly cavities
- Also results in a beautiful smile without the need for metal braces
Invisalign Treatment Can Support the Following Symptoms
Below provides a summary of the signs and symptoms that people experience before deciding to undertake clear aligner treatment with an Invisalign. Included here are the focus and benefits that you can experience by straightening your teeth:
| Sign/Symptom | Our Focus at SDHC | Holistic Benefits |
|---|---|---|
| Narrow arches | Expanded dental arches | Improved airway and breathing. |
| Underdeveloped lower jaw | More space in lower jaw | More room for the tongue to sit without falling back and blocking the airway. |
| Problems with tongue posture and lip seal | Correcting tongue and lip posture | Called myofunctional therapy, this addresses the core reason for teeth becoming crowded. |
| Mouth breathing habits | Nasal breathing encouraged | Breathing through the nose instead of the mouth gives many health benefits such as better filtration, better oxygen retainment and reduction in snoring. |
| Crowded or crooked teeth which are more difficult to clean | Well-aligned teeth | Much easier to keep clean to avoid cavities in the future. |
| Teeth staining | Teeth Whitening | A straight smile is further enhanced by gentle whitening processes, increasing attractiveness and confidence. |
| Dissatisfaction with appearance and smile | A beautiful smile | A healthy smile is a beautiful smile. |
Outcomes of Invisalign Treatment
The connection between your teeth, airway and posture is often overlooked.
In this example, you can clearly see that with a wide jaw, aligned teeth, there is more room for the tongue.
How Invisalign Can Contribute to Good Health and Wellbeing
Invisalign straightens your teeth with a series of clear, virtually invisible, custom-moulded removable aligners, allowing you to remove them for eating and cleaning while giving you the smile you’ve always wanted – without the hassle, appearance and discomfort of braces.
| Feature of Invisalign | Benefit |
|---|---|
| Custom-moulded aligners, changed regularly | Clear aligners eliminate pain and soft tissue irritation often associated with metal braces. A gentle, step-by-step way to straighten teeth. |
| Removable aligners | You can eat, brush, and floss normally to maintain and improve oral hygiene. |
| Clear, virtually invisible aligners | Comfortable and attractive while your teeth are being straightened. |
Wearing Invisalign aligners can be hardly noticeable
FAQs
How Long Does Invisalign Treatment Take?
The duration of Invisalign treatment can vary widely, from as little as three months to 18 months or more, depending on the case’s complexity. An average Invisalign clear aligner treatment takes about 9-18 months.
Minor dental issues can be corrected quickly, while more complex bite conditions may require longer treatment times.
You’ll see us every 8-10 weeks for adjustments and to check progress. You’ll receive a new set of custom-moulded clear aligners at regular intervals to continue the straightening process. The total number of clear aligners is specific to you.
Patient compliance, such as wearing the aligners consistently, is crucial for keeping treatment time as short as possible.
Does the Invisalign Treatment Hurt?
Invisible braces can create sensitivity for a short period. This usually only lasts 1-2 days. Although some patients may experience some discomfort, such as food packing between teeth or temporary pain, these issues are not significant enough to overshadow the overall positive experience. It is important to keep in touch with your dentist to answer any questions and ensure you benefit from the Invisalign treatment.
How Often Do I Wear the Invisalign Clear Aligners?
The clear aligners are worn at all times and taken out only for consuming food and beverages other than water.
Is it Normal to Have Teeth Removed?
It is common for there to be insufficient space for all 32 teeth – 16 on the top jaw and 16 on the bottom jaw. Although it has become “normal” to have third molars (wisdom teeth) removed, there should be enough room in the jaw for these molars to grow and be functional. As such, our focus is on the cause, not the symptoms. We address the core issue of a narrow jaw to make room for the natural number of teeth. We never extract teeth to make room for others to become aligned.
Why Do Teeth Overcrowd?
There are two reasons why teeth crowd.
First, the nutrition we receive from conception right through pregnancy and into the early years of our lives affects the shape of our jaw.
The second reason is that when we are born, the balance between our tongue, lip and cheek muscles affects the shape of the arch of the top and bottom teeth.
Why is the Tongue so Important?
Ideally, the tongue should sit on the roof of the mouth most of the time, allowing optimal breathing through the nose. As nature’s best orthodontic appliance, if the tongue is in the right position and you are breathing correctly, then the shape of your jaw will not be crowded.
How Does Invisalign Compare To Traditional Braces?
Invisalign may not be suitable for more complex orthodontic cases where braces could be more effective. Trdtitonal braces have more force to move teeth into the desired position, and they can be used to correct multiple dental and facial issues simultaneously. Invisalign is limited in how much teeth can be moved at a time and may require attachments to help the aligners grip and move teeth, which can make them look more like clear braces.
Can Invisalign be Effective for Different Age Groups?
Invisalign is effective for orthodontic patients of any age. However, teeth in younger patients, such as teenagers, may move faster than in adults because their mouths are still developing. Regardless of age, individual variation exists in how quickly teeth can be moved.
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