What is Invisalign?
Invisalign is a teeth-straightening system that doesn’t use painful, visible metal brackets and wires to improve your tooth alignment and smile. Instead, Invisalign fixes your smile more quickly and beautifully than traditional braces by gently nudging your teeth into their proper positions with a series of clear, comfortable, custom-molded trays. Cottage Dental was even named a premier Invisalign provider for all of the happy smiles they’ve created.
How does Invisalign work?
Your new smile begins with a consultation and fitting at Cottage Dental, where your dentist uses a digital camera to capture the current position of your teeth. They then send that information to the Invisalign lab along with a plan to reposition your teeth.
You can use Invisalign to correct alignment and tooth-position issues such as:
- Overbite
- Underbite
- Open bite
- Crossed teeth
- Gapped teeth
- Crowded teeth
- Teeth of unequal lengths
Even if you have complex alignment issues —such as twisted teeth or teeth that haven’t fully descended — your dentist can fix them by combining the Invisalign trays with SmartForce® attachments.
They cement tooth-colored SmartForce to your teeth to give your Invisalign “handles” that help your teeth make more dramatic changes.
You wear the Invisalign trays for 20-22 hours per day, taking them out for meals and special occasions. You clean them at the same time you brush your teeth at night, using a quick-soaking solution that removes all stains.
You change to a new tray — which has slightly new positions for your teeth — every week or two. By the time you get to your last tray, your teeth are in healthy and attractive alignment.
What are the advantages of Invisalign over braces?
The Invisalign aligner trays slip over your teeth and are easily removed between meals. They’re made of a crystal clear, comfortable patented material called SmartTrack® that won’t injure or irritate your tongue, cheek, or other oral tissues the way traditional metal or plastic orthodontics can.
The Invisalign system also works more quickly than bracket-and-wire orthodontics. The average treatment time is just 18 months.
What if my teen doesn’t remember to switch trays?
If your teenager needs help keeping track of time, Cottage Dental recommends Invisalign Teen®. Invisalign Teen features compliance dots on the aligner trays that turn blue when it’s time to switch to a new tray.
You can also switch from Invisalign Teen to regular orthodontics within six months for no extra charge. To set up an Invisalign consultation and fitting, contact Cottage Dental and Kid's Corner Dental by phone or online form today.
