Invisalign In West Windsor

What Is Invisalign?

Invisalign is an alternative to traditional braces. Instead of using wires, rubber elastics, and brackets to shift the position of your teeth, Invisalign uses a series of “trays” or “aligners.” These look similar to an athletic mouthguard, or a night guard used to protect against teeth grinding.

The way it works is simple. After you’ve been approved for treatment at Smile Society General Dentistry, Dr. Singh and Dr. Sulaiman will work with Invisalign to create your treatment plan. In a few weeks, you’ll come back to pick up your aligners.

Then, you’ll wear your aligners as directed by the team at Smile Society General Dentistry. Each set is usually worn for about 2 weeks, for about 20-22 hours per day. Each set of aligners will reposition and move your teeth by gently pushing them toward the proper position. 

By switching through a series of aligners, your teeth will continually be moved toward a better alignment, correcting issues like crooked teeth, crowded teeth, gaps in your smile, rotated teeth, and more. You’ll come back every 4-6 weeks for an appointment with our team to track your progress. 

The entire treatment process usually takes about a year, but this may vary depending on the severity of your orthodontic issues. Treatment is different for each patient.

How Long Does It Take To See Results?

This depends on your mouth and the extent of your orthodontic issues. It’s easier to notice results for some issues than others. For example, if you have a large gap between your front teeth (diastema), you may notice that this gap is closing after just a few weeks of treatment. It all depends on your case and your treatment plan.

However, most patients will start to see noticeably straighter teeth within 10-12 weeks. You must be realistic about your treatment, however. Invisalign is a gradual treatment, and just because you are not noticing major changes in your tooth alignment does not mean that the treatment is not working. 

Dr. Sulaiman and Dr. Singh will review your progress at every appointment at Smile Society General Dentistry, and ensure your treatment is on track.

Do Clear Aligners Hurt?

Clear aligners can be somewhat painful and cause your teeth to be sore, especially when you switch to a new set of Invisalign aligners. This is normal, and any discomfort will fade within a few days.

To deal with this discomfort, we recommend that you wear your new set of aligners before you go to bed, eat soft foods for several days, and take a pain reliever like acetaminophen or ibuprofen.

What Can Invisalign Fix?

Invisalign can address an array of orthodontic problems, ranging from crooked teeth, gaps, overcrowding, and a misaligned bite. While Invisalign used to be thought of as an orthodontic treatment that was only suitable for very minor alignment issues, this is no longer true.

Thanks to the advent of Invisalign Attachments paired with elastics, Invisalign is now able to correct more severe malocclusions. The only thing Invisalign isn’t able to do is complex tooth movements such as significantly rotating a tooth past a certain degree and raising or lowering the rear molars in the gum line.

Who Is a Candidate for Invisalign?

If you are looking for an aesthetically pleasing, hygienic, and comfortable alternative to metal braces to correct crooked teeth or a misaligned bite, then Invisalign is the perfect choice for you.

Good candidates for Invisalign include those who are in good overall and oral health with sufficiently healthy gums. Adults are better candidates than children and teenagers because they are more likely to comply with the treatment.

Anyone who cannot abide by the 22-hour wear-time of the aligners will not get the results they are looking for. A good candidate will follow the instructions by wearing their aligners for at least 22 hours a day, removing the aligners before eating or consuming hot liquids, and keeping their teeth and aligners clean.

If you would like to use Invisalign aligners, you should not smoke. We do not recommend Invisalign to patients who have active TMJ or dental implants. It is best to undergo orthodontic treatment before replacing missing teeth.

What Are Invisalign Attachments?

Invisalign attachments are tools used to help assist your orthodontic treatment by anchoring your aligners and assisting them with exerting the necessary amount of pressure to move a tooth in a specific way.

These attachments are made of composite resin, match the shade of your teeth, and come in various shapes. Not all of your teeth will need attachments – you may never need attachments at all. Your dentist may create an attachment in the shape of a circle, square, rectangle, or triangle.

The designated shape will depend on how they are trying to move the tooth and in what direction. When a complex tooth movement is required to move a tooth into the correct alignment, that’s where attachments come in. They can also be paired with elastics to help shift your jaw to correct a misaligned bite.

In the past, bite problems meant you would not be a candidate for Invisalign and would instead have to opt for metal braces. However, by placing attachment buttons on your teeth, the aligner presses against the shape of the attachment and can perform more complex movements.

Don’t worry, these attachment buttons blend in with your natural teeth and are not very noticeable. Besides, you will be wearing your aligners for 22 hours a day, so no one will be able to see them. Once you’ve completed your treatment, we will file off the attachments and your teeth will be back to normal, except straighter!

Contact Us For An Invisalign Consultation Today!

At Smile Society, both Dr. Mandeep Singh and Dr. Munira Sulaiman have years of experience in dentistry. To schedule your appointment and see if Invisalign is right for you, just give us a call at (609) 779-2054, or stop by our office at 335 Princeton Hightstown Road, West Windsor, NJ 08550.