22 Jul Tooth Straightening with Invisalign®

We have all seen images of celebrities having perfectly white straight teeth that actually look a little fake. This is usually done by adding a porcelain veneer to the front of the tooth often damaging the teeth in the process.

An alternative and more conservative way is to straighten the teeth and then whiten them.

In the not so distant past, straightening teeth has involved unsightly orthodontic braces and long treatment times to the extent that most adults declined such treatments.

Now, however, with the advent of cosmetic teeth straightening and even the use of invisible aligners, teeth straightening treatments have become far more accessible and acceptable for our patients.

At Thackeray Dental Care in Mansfield our preferred choice of invisible aligners is Invisalign®.

What is the process for teeth straightening with Invisalign®?

• First we check you are suitable for the treatment, this will involve an orthodontic assessment to analyse how your teeth fit together, how crowded they are, and how misaligned they are. You will probably also have X-Rays at this appointment to check the underlying health of all your teeth.
• If teeth straightening with Invisalign® is suitable for you we will then take impressions of your teeth. These are then sent to Invisalign® for further assessment.
• Invisalign® look at the models of your teeth, uploading them for digital analysis and they then apply some very clever formulas to show how your teeth will look once straightened. At this stage they will send you a video of what to expect at the end of your treatment which always creates quite a lot of excitement!
• From the models, Invisalign® construct custom made aligner trays for you. The aligner trays are made of smooth, comfortable and virtually invisible plastic that you wear over your teeth, usually changing aligners every 2 weeks

• Once Invisalign® deliver all your aligners to the practice we start the process for you, checking the fit of the first scheduled aligner and giving you full instructions.

• Each aligner is worn for around 2 weeks before it is changed for the next one in the sequence, gradually and gently shifting your teeth into the correct positions.

• Aligners do need to be worn as much as possible and we do recommend at least 20 hours a day, the more you wear the aligners the quicker the results.

• Treatment times vary in length depending on the severity of your misalignment from a few months to 15 months. We will guide you and let you know an estimate of your treatment times.

• At the end of the treatment there will be a period of retention to hold your teeth in place and stop them from rebounding back into their old position. This will involve wearing the last aligner as a retainer fro several months at night time only.

This treatment is proving very popular because it is comfortable and very discreet with almost invisible retainers most people would not notice you had them in place.

If you are interested in seeing if this treatment is suitable for you our Principal Dentist Dr Simon Thackeray is offering a reduced consultation at £45 so do contact the practice by phone on 01623 629359 or email via our contact page. You can also visit our Facebook page and message there.

We look forward to hearing from you and helping you achieve the smile you have always wanted.