It is said that a smile can say a thousand words. If this is true, what does your smile say about you? When you look in the mirror, you may feel uncomfortable with the smile that is reflected back. Maybe you have misaligned teeth. Whether it’s a crossbite, an over or underbite, gapped teeth or crowded teeth, you may be fed up with feeling down about what you see. If your smile doesn’t reflect how you want to feel as a person, you may be considering visiting the dentist or you may be put off by the thought that a dentist will recommend you wearing fixed metal braces. Fortunately, there may be another way to achieve the smile you feel truly reflects your personality with Invisalign St John’s Wood – fabulous!
What is Invisalign?
Invisalign involves a series of clear plastic aligners that, when worn, apply gentle pressure to your teeth to move them into the desired position. You change your aligners on a weekly basis and have regular check-ups with your dentist every 6 weeks or so, but you shouldn’t need to see your dentist more frequently than that. The average treatment time is normally 9-12 months, so it is also fairly quick to get results as well – bonus!
The advantages of Invisalign
Invisalign aligners are virtually invisible, which means that nobody should really notice you are wearing them when you are. This should encourage patients to wear their aligners for the average of 22 hours a day without feeling self-conscious and anxious about what other people may think of them. For particularly sensitive teenagers this can also be a great boon and Invisalign offers an Invisalign Teen range.
Another benefit of wearing Invisalign is that the aligners should be comfortable to wear. They are made bespoke, to fit each individual patient’s mouth. An iTero scan is conducted of the mouth from which the measurements are taken for the aligners, to ensure they are made to fit the patient’s particular mouth shape and size. The aligners should fit snugly on the gum line. From the iTero scan, your dentist can also show you a 3D animation of what your teeth will look like after treatment has been completed, before you have even started! It can be a great motivating tool to encourage you to wear the aligners when you know what the result will look like and you can have that end goal in sight.
A further plus point to Invisalign is that the aligners are removable. This means that you don’t need to wear them when you are eating, drinking, brushing and flossing. This allows you to maintain excellent oral hygiene and you won’t have any mess to clean off your aligners. You can also remove the aligners for special occasions such as job interviews or meeting up with friends. Invisalign offers you flexibility and this can feel liberating when you choose to take them out for a couple of hours.
Unlike metal, fixed braces with brackets and wires, Invisalign aligners shouldn’t break easily either. This means that there should be less need to take time off work to visit the dentist for any emergency appointments. You can forget having a full diary and take a break instead!
What to do next
If you want to find out if Invisalign could work for you, book in with a dentist for a consultation. They will examine your mouth and may take X-rays to determine if this is the right treatment for your alignment issues.
If you want a smile that says you’re a go-getter, get started today by taking the steps you need to get the smile you deserve.