Invisalign is the modern and currently most popular method that dental clinics use to correct misaligned and crooked teeth. This braces solution seems heaven sent to many, especially those who love the discreetness that Invisalign offers. However, its pros should not be a cause for you to overlook some of the complications that they feature.
Like with other pieces of technology, it takes time to get used to and achieve the desired and advertised results. This article shall go through all you need to know about Invisalign, so you can decide from an informed standpoint.
How Do They Work?
With Invisalign, you would have to wear a series of plastic and clear trays that are custom made. These will be on your teeth for about 22 hours daily. This leaves a window of about 2 hours for oral hygiene and eating. Each custom tray is designed to exert pressure on the teeth to cause a rearrangement in the teeth position with time. As the teeth get aligned with time, the trays are replaced with tighter ones. These replacements occur every 2-3 weeks in a professional dental clinic until the treatment is complete.
Cleaning
Having Invisalign braces on does not mean that you should neglect your oral health. On the contrary, now more than ever you need to be watchful of the condition of your teeth. While cleaning your teeth and maintaining excellent oral health might be tricky with Invisalign, it is imperative that you do so. This will help prevent staining, development of plaque and increase in bacteria that leads to foul breath.
The trays need to be cleaned regularly too. Dirty trays could easily lead to bleeding and sore gums, bad breath, tooth decay and tooth stains. You will be advised on how to go about the cleaning at the dental clinic.
Cavities
In all honesty, if you found avoiding the development of cavities to be a tedious process in the past, with Invisalign in Surrey, the process will get all the more complicated. How so? Well, saliva, which naturally helps in cleansing your teeth will not be in direct contact with your teeth as they will be covered by the trays all day long.
Tooth decay is one major drawback of using Invisalign in Surrey. You need to be extra vigilant to keep tooth cavities at bay, as you work towards getting straight and aligned teeth – that perfect celebrity smile.
Eating
Before you eat, you have to remove your trays and replace them every time. While there is an upside to this (you are confined to only three meals a day which reduces snacking and improves your general health), it is a major adjustment for many people. Changing the number of times you have your meals could very well lead to unwarranted weight loss. As such, for every meal, you need to consider the number of calories you have to maintain your current weight or even gain weight.
What about drinking? Some individuals (non-professional Invisalign wearers) claim that you can drink any liquids without having to remove and replace your braces. However, this is not true. Only regular drinking water is safe. All other beverages contain acids and sugars that will break down the enamel during the treatment period, thus resulting in tooth decay. The clear braces can also get stained which can prove
to be unsightly and will defeat the whole purpose of having discrete braces.
We could go on and on about the intricacies involved with wearing Invisalign in Surrey. These are not meant to discourage you from the treatment, but to equip you with the information and knowledge to make a better decision and ensure the success of the treatment over time.