Invisalign
Vancouver, WA
Invisalign provided by Joseph Kim, DDS
in Vancouver, WA at Riverstone Family Dentistry
 Whether you have crooked teeth, a misaligned jaw, TMJ/TMD, or simply want to improve your face and smile's aesthetics it may be recommended that you try braces. However, Riverstone Family Dentistry wants to take that a step further and suggest that you try Invisalign instead. Of course, before you do so, there are some things you should know.
What Invisalign Is
Invisalign is a type of clear-aligner treatment (a.k.a. clear aligners) that offers a transparent way to adjust your teeth. They're similar to braces but made of clear plastic. This treatment is very useful for aesthetics and simple dental issues, but unfortunately, it isn't as good as braces which can fix any of the more complex issues a person may experience with their teeth. Invisalign also takes longer to work than braces when you need to close gaps or align teeth.
How Long You'll be Wearing Invisalign
Wearing Invisalign is a process. Throughout your treatment, you'll need to make an appointment to have the trays switched out every two weeks (this depends on how fast your teeth shift). This requires you to wear your Invisalign product for 20-22 hours a day.
While some people will tell you that this is "impossible," it's an important commitment to make before you start treatment because each of these trays are responsible for encouraging your teeth to move a small amount, so it's quite possible that you won't see any results for 4-6 weeks and any noticeable results won't occur until after 6-10 weeks of treatment. The actual length of treatment will depend on how severe your issue is, which is something we'd need to see your mouth to determine. However, most adults will wear Invisalign for 12 months.
What to Expect When Wearing Invisalign
You must commit to wearing your Invisalign properly if you want your teeth straightened. Of course, you can and should remove them when you're eating a meal - even a snack. This is important because you don't want to expose your aligners to the strong force of chewing. Doing so will damage or crack them, and even if it doesn't, your aligners will be difficult to clean.
Throughout the time when you're wearing your Invisalign, you'll experience some pain. However, the amount of pain you experience is significantly less than what you'd experience while wearing traditional metal braces. While pain is unpleasant, you should remember that it'll subside when your teeth adjust to your new aligners. Keeping these two things in mind should make it so that you can endure the pain. If you're still experiencing pain, though, simply pick up some over the counter pain medication from your local pharmacy. This will make the pain much more tolerable for you throughout your treatment process.
Now that you have a better understanding of what Invisalign is all about, if you think it might be right for you, give Riverstone Family Dentistry a call at (360) 326-1443. We'd love to set up an appointment and discuss this treatment option with you soon. |
Hours
(360) 326-1443 
Joseph Kim, DDS