Talking to your dental practitioner about cosmetic dentistry .Cosmetic dentistry – how your dental practitioner can help
Have you always dreamed of a beautiful new smile, but not known what options are out there these days? Maybe you’ve always thought that your teeth could look better if they were straighter, but shied away from having metal braces or cosmetic veneers? Well, now, thanks to unique technology available from your dental practitioner, you can achieve your dream and smile with confidence. Invisalign is a new cosmetic dental treatment which offers a virtually invisible and natural way to straighten teeth, in as little as 9 to 18 months (depending on the condition of your teeth).
What tooth straightening options are out there?
Most of us wish we could improve our teeth to give us the confidence to put our best grin forward. There are various cosmetic dental treatments out there, but none has been comfortable and discreet enough to give us a carefree smile, until now. Unlike the extreme and highly invasive option of veneers or the more traditional option of metal braces (sometimes known as ‘train tracks’), which are bonded to the teeth, Invisalign is a virtually invisible brace technique, offering a discreet way to straighten teeth, without the need for metal brackets and wires. The Invisalign technique uses a series of custom made clear plastic removable aligners that gradually reposition your teeth into a smile you’ll be proud of.
Why are Invisalign clear braces different?
The convenience and ease of use of the Invisalign technique have made it the choice of over half a million people. Unlike traditional dental braces, Invisalign:
• Is clear: almost no one will be able to tell that you are wearing braces
• Is removable: unlike traditional braces, you can eat and drink what you want during treatment. You can also brush and floss your teeth more easily to maintain better oral hygiene
• Is comfortable: unlike traditional braces, there are no metal brackets, wires or sharp edges to cause mouth irritation. This also means less time spent in your dental practitioner’s chair getting adjustments.
• And best of all, because the Invisalign aligners are virtually invisible, most people won’t even realise that you’re straightening your teeth during treatment
What does the Invisalign cosmetic dental treatment involve?
Invisalign clear braces can treat a variety of alignment problems such as spaces between teeth (‘gappy teeth’), crooked or overlapping teeth, crooked teeth and protruding teeth (‘buck teeth’). The Invisalign treatment starts with a visit to an Invisalign-certified dental practitioner, who will take x-rays, photographs and moulded dental impressions of your teeth and send these to the Invisalign laboratories with a ‘treatment plan’. Using your personal dental profile, the unique Invisalign software, will generate a 3-D movie to show you how your teeth will move during your treatment. From this, a series of custom made clear plastic ‘aligners’ are made. Each set of aligners is worn for about 14 days. As each aligner is replaced with the next in the series, teeth are moved gradually over time, until they have reached the desired position prescribed by your dental practitioner.