Does it seem too good to be true? That you could finally achieve your goal of getting straighter teeth quickly, comfortably and discreetly with invisible aligners that you can remove to eat, brush and floss? Don’t pinch yourself. It’s all true. If you’re a good candidate for orthodontic treatment with Invisalign — something that your dentist will confirm — you don’t need to settle for the discomfort, inconvenience, and stigma of wearing traditional wire and metal braces. How does Invisalign work? Here’s an introduction to the five steps of Invisalign treatment.
Consulting and making a plan
This consultation step consists of a conversation and some investigations. The goal of the conversation will be to answer all your questions and to explain what to expect during treatment with Invisalign’s clear aligners near you. The investigation stage of the consultation is when we gather all the information needed to confirm you’re a good candidate for Invisalign in Grande Prairie and to develop a treatment plan. Your dentist in Grande Prairie will capture images of your teeth to help us understand your current condition and to simulate your progress. They’ll also take digital impressions of your teeth that will be provided to Invisalign’s laboratory electronically.
Creating your Invisalign aligners
The image scans and digital impressions taken at our first appointment will be sent to Invisalign where technicians will prepare a draft treatment plan for your dentist to review. Before any aligners are manufactured, the dentist will review that treatment plan and make any modifications deemed appropriate based on your needs and goals. Once any modifications have been made, the dentist will authorize Invisalign’s professional technicians to make your set of aligners. Approximately three weeks later, that set of aligners will be sent to your dentist.
Providing your Invisalign aligners
The third step is an appointment with a dentist near you once your aligners are in hand. The appointment will end with you walking out the door with your first aligners, but there are a couple of other preparatory steps that need to be taken. First, many Invisalign treatment plans require the placement of attachment buttons on your teeth. Your aligners will connect to those buttons to attach to your teeth tighter and to produce pressure where required to achieve your goals.
In rare cases, the second step taken at this stage is Interproximal Reduction. That rather intimidating phrase simply describes the process of gently and painlessly sanding the sides of your teeth to make sure your aligners will fit smoothly and comfortably between them.
Wearing your aligners for 22 hours daily
This is probably the part you’re anticipating the most when you imagine Invisalign treatment with a dentist near you — wearing your aligners. Your treatment plan will be based on wearing your aligners for 22 hours daily and removing them only to eat, drink anything other than cool water, brush and floss. Every couple of weeks or so, you’ll switch to the next aligner in sequence. Every few weeks, you’ll return to your dentist in Grande Prairie for a follow-up appointment to confirm all is going as expected.
Refining your results
Once you’ve completed your treatment plan, your dentist will review the position of your teeth. In some cases, your dentist will recommend some refinements and, if necessary, will requisition refiner trays from Invisalign near you. If not, or once the refinements are completed, your dentist will remove your attachment and recommend that you wear a retainer at night on an ongoing basis. Wearing a retainer will prevent your teeth from shifting out of their new positions. After all, you’ve worked hard for your new smile and will want to keep it.
If you have questions that haven’t been addressed here, get in touch with a dentist near you to get all the information you need to decide if Invisalign treatment may be right for you.
Address: 10014 102 Ave Unit 201, Grande Prairie, AB T8V 0Z7, Canada