You’re Never Too Old for Straight Teeth

You look in the mirror and don’t like your smile. Your teeth look a bit crowded and crooked. You wish they were all nicely aligned and straight.

Well, regardless of your age, if you’ve always dreamed of a straighter smile, it’s not too late. It’s time to talk to your dhealth cosmetic dentist about Invisalign braces.

How Conventional Metal Braces Work

Many adults see braces as a dental treatment just for kids. Not only do they mistakenly assume adults are too old for braces, they cringe at the thought of having a mouth full of metal like Ugly Betty. Both assumptions are wrong. Today’s dhealth dentist offers Invisalign, the virtually invisible braces.

Conventional braces consist of metal brackets and arch wires. Your dentist bonds a metal bracket to the front of each tooth. A thin metal wire, called an arch wire, connects each bracket and realigns your teeth by placing pressure on them.

In addition, some conventional braces use a small elastic ligature called an o-ring (much like a small, round rubber band) stretched between the upper and lower brackets to aid in the realignment. Others, called self-ligating braces, work without the elastic ligatures.

How Invisalign Braces Work

Invisalign braces, on the other hand, differ from metal braces in a number of ways. Instead of brackets and arch wire, Invisalign braces adjust your teeth using a series of clear, custom-made, removable aligners. That means you can take them out when you eat as well as when you clean your teeth. Plus, the aligner trays are smooth, clear plastic, making them virtually invisible to others.

Here’s how it works. You receive a set of Invisalign aligner trays. You wear them in succession, each for approximately two weeks. Wearing the aligners gently shifts your teeth into alignment according to a preplanned design by your dhealth cosmetic dentist.

A visit to your dentist every six weeks will ensure the aligners are working as expected. While the specific amount of time required to straighten teeth varies according to each dental patient’s specific circumstances, it usually takes 9 to 15 months and 18 to 30 sets of aligner trays for the complete Invisalign treatment.

There’s no reason to feel self-conscious about your smile. Invisalign braces allow you to feel good about your smile both during and after the process, and only you will know why.

If you want the benefits of straight teeth without the unsightly look of conventional metal braces, talk to your dhealth dentist about Invisalign braces today.