What is Invisalign?
Invisalign clear aligners are a series of clear, custom-made aligners that straighten your teeth without the use of traditional metal and wires. They are designed to be a discrete option for straightening your smile.
As you wear each set of aligners, generally for about two weeks each, they will make tiny adjustments to your teeth.
The length of your treatment plan will depend on your specific needs and can be determined by your dentist.
During your treatment, you can remove your custom aligners for eating, drinking, brushing, and flossing.
Before Treatment
Before you start your treatment, you may have crooked, misaligned, or gapped teeth. Invisalign can help treat any one of these issues or a combination of them.
After attending a consultation with your dentist, they will provide you with a custom treatment plan.
Your dentist can also use accurate digital scans and the Invisalign Outcome Simulator to show you how you can expect your teeth to look at the end of your treatment.
No matter the issue being treated, it's imperative that you follow the plan prescribed by your dentist.
After Treatment
Your results after Invisalign will depend on your individual treatment plan, but overall you can expect to see straighter teeth.
You may also see an improved bite or a reduction in the gaps between your teeth.
What To Expect Long Term
Once you stop wearing Invisalign, you need to wear orthodontic retainers so your teeth are held in place while new bone is deposited. It takes about 9 to 12 months for your body to build up enough bone to stabilize the teeth.
Once 12 months have passed, you should have enough new bone around your teeth to keep them in place. For this reason, you won’t have to wear your orthodontic retainers as often to maintain your straight smile. Our dentists may recommend only wearing your retainers 3 to 5 times a week.
While your teeth won’t move as dramatically once the jawbone regains bone tissue, they may move forward and inward as you get older. This change isn’t something you notice overnight, but rather something that gradually happens over decades. This is just another reason it's important to visit your dentist regularly for an exam!
What Happens If You Lose Your Retainer
If you lose your retainer, make sure to contact our Burnaby dental office to schedule an appointment. Whether you accidentally threw out your retainer on your lunch tray, the dog ate it, or it broke, we can get you fitted for a new retainer as soon as possible so you don’t lose the progress you made with orthodontic treatment. During your appointment, we’ll take impressions of your teeth to create a new retainer.