Invisalign Insights Blog

FAQ’s

What is Invisalign treatment?Invisalign treatment is the process of wearing a series of clear, removable aligners that gradually straighten your teeth. No brackets and wires, and none of the restrictions that come with metal braces.
What are Invisalign clear aligners made of and what do they look like?Invisalign clear aligners are made of flexible plastic — specifically, a patented thermoplastic material called SmartTrack^® created exclusively for Invisalign treatment.Invisalign clear aligners are FDA-approved and contain no BPA, BPS, latex, or gluten. They are thin, clear, and fit snugly over your teeth, making them virtually invisible.

Patent infringement

Align Technology, a manufacturer of 3D digital scanners and founder of the orthodontic brand Invisalign, has filed a patent infringement suit against rival company 3Shape.

I was 38 years old when I decided to get Invisalign. The reason I waited so long was because my parents didn’t have money when I was growing up and I was never able to afford traditional braces. As I went into my young adulthood, I didn’t want to wear metal braces, so I suffered and rarely smiled. I spent many decades like this and decided it was FINALLY time to fix my teeth.

My first stop on my journey was to my regular dentist, who did a little dental work on me (filled in cavities) to prep me for my Invisalign treatment. My dentist is also who referred me to Dr. H, who was my orthodontist.

When I arrived at Dr. H’s office for my first appointment, I felt a bit odd sitting in a waiting room with children who were only a fraction of my age. Oh well I said to myself. Fortunately, I didn’t have to wait too long before I was called in.

Read more of this Zwivel article here…

Some pros and cons..

Many people have the embarrassing issue of crooked or crowded teeth. One of the most obvious solutions for the orthodontic problem is to get braces, but with more and more teens and even adults needing their teeth straightened, there is another option known as Invisalign. Invisalign is a clear set of hard plastic aligners that are fitted for your mouth. They must be checked and replaced over the course of the first couple of months while they work at aligning your teeth into proper position. Invisalign is a preferred choice for adults and teens because they are practically invisible due to being clear. However, as with all things, there are both pros and cons to using Invisalign. It’s important to know all the details before you decide to get fitted with the aligners at your dentist’s or orthodontist’s office.

Pros of Invisalign

There are several advantages to getting Invisalign instead of opting for traditional metallic braces. Here are some pros of the clear set of aligners:

• Comfort: Invisalign is much more physically comfortable to wear. Since there are no wires or brackets, you don’t have to worry about getting any painful nicks or cuts in your mouth. They are smooth and won’t irritate your mouth. The aligners are similar to a mouth guard and lack any sharp edges.

Sivan Ayla’s experience

About a year ago I had just launched my YouTube channel and was having a really hard time watching myself speak on camera. All I could focus on were my “dog teeth,” which I labeled them after a family member’s dog…I won’t mention who.BUT, I told myself that if YouTube was going to happen for me, which I really wanted it to, then I would get my teeth fixed with Invisalign. In all honesty, taking pictures for the blog is easy–you can edit a zit, you can fix a pesky hair, you can do / change just about anything with some decent Photoshop skills. In video, however, it’s not that easy. In fact, to my knowledge, it’s not even a possibility.

Paul completely disagreed with me. He thought (& still does) my teeth are fine and that I was just being crazy. While maybe some of you didn’t even notice, I did, which is ultimately what matters. It was dragging down my confidence on camera and preventing me from properly editing a video because I was so distracted by my damn dog teeth! The sad part is I actually had braces as a kid but my parents didn’t enforce my retainer, which is crucial. My teeth shifted instantly and only got worse.

The Crafty Teacher Lady’s experience

Essentially Invisalign straightens teeth through a series of clear plastic trays, each worn for two weeks at a time. Each set of trays is slightly different from the previous set, which slowly shifts your teeth. It is recommended that the trays are worn 20-22 hours a day. Basically they should only be taken out when eating. I initially went in for a consultation, then another appointment to discuss my treatment plan (they make a digital slideshow of how your teeth will change over the course of treatment). My third visit is where they poured this goopy material into molding trays and had me bite down so they could cast the molds for the trays.

Read more from the Crafty Teacher Lady here…

15 Things you should know

I started my Invisalign treatment in April 2017. I had a fairly noticeable gap between my front teeth that I always wanted to fix. I knew it was going to be expensive but I finally bit the bullet and saw an orthodontist. I’m only 5 months in and already I’m loving the results and my confidence has soared. I still have a ways to go but being able to notice a difference is so exciting!

Here are some tips and information that I’ve learned along the way!

1. IMPRESSIONS

Your orthodontist will take impressions of your teeth. For mine, they used a full metal arch with a putty-like material. You bite down into the putty and leave it there for 3-4 minutes to harden. The hygienist then has to pry it off of your teeth. Don’t be surprised if they have to repeat this process a few times – the impressions need to be perfect!

These impressions are what they sent to the Invisalign company. It takes a few weeks for them to make your actual trays. They will then ship your trays back to your orthodontist.

5 Tips to better your experience

Remember to use your Invisalign case to store your aligners. I occasionally place my Invisalign in my pockets, much to my chagrin a target receipt embedded into the groves of my aligners leading to a nasty surprise. It wasn’t fun to imagine how long the target receipt took to turn into pocket lint but it certainly tasted like a finely aged cheese.
Remove trays before strenuous cardio. As an avid runner, I tried to run in my Invisalign trays. This proved to be difficult because of dryness and spit. Somehow larger than life loogies would form after mile 3. It made subsequent miles difficult to dispel extra saliva. Not a pretty sight.
Brush after meals and snacks. Not only should you not eat and drink in your trays it is imperative that you brush after consuming snacks and meals. I didn’t do this religiously at the start and found my trays held the taste of coffee or the crumbs of crackers. It is just gross to see and taste the remnants of meals throughout the day.
Use chewies to seat clear aligners. Exercising into the trays 20mins a day, by chewing on soft plastic chewies not only helped the Invisalign trays hug my teeth, it also kept me from snacking throughout the day.
Delay the aligner change before a speaking event. It takes me a day to get used to the new tray and I prefer that day to be on a weekend so that the rest of the week is comfortable at work.