Invisalign – Colchester, VT
Crystal-Clear Custom Orthodontics
Have you ever wished you could have a perfectly straight smile without the inconveniences of traditional metal braces? Well, now you can, thanks to Invisalign clear aligners. Elevate Dental is proud to be a certified Invisalign provider, meaning we can help you achieve the straight smile you’ve always wanted. These sets of plastic clear aligners gently shift your teeth into a straighter position, taking significantly less time than braces do. If you’re interested, be sure to contact us to schedule a consultation to see if Invisalign from our Colchester, VT cosmetic dentist is right for you.
Why Choose Elevate Dental For Invisalign?
- #1 Patients of All Ages Welcome
- #2 State-of-the-Art Technology
- #3 Office Located Close to Burlington
How Invisalign Works
The road to a straight smile begins with a thorough examination at Elevate Dental. Using x-rays, photographs and molded impressions, our dentist work closely with the Invisalign lab to develop a treatment plan that is tailor-made for you.
Each set of aligners is designed to move you one step closer to the goal of a straight smile. All you have to do is wear each set for about 7-10 days and then move on to the next pair in the series. There are typically 20 pairs in a complete treatment package, so your time in treatment can typically range from 9 to 18 months.
While you’re wearing your Invisalign aligners, we’ll want to see you periodically to check on your progress. But there are never any brackets to adjust or wires to replace. Just wear your Invisalign clear braces according to doctor’s orders, and you’ll have the straight smile you’ve always wanted.
Indications for Invisalign
Invisalign is an excellent solution for most older teenagers and adults who want to discreetly address their dental alignment and bite concerns. Because Invisalign treatment relies on patients committing to wearing their aligners for approximately 22 hours every day, it is not always recommended for younger children who may be more prone to removing or even misplacing their aligners.
To find out if Invisalign treatment is right for you, contact our team at Elevate Dental to schedule an initial consultation with Dr. Mike. Invisalign can be used to correct a wide variety of mild to moderate orthodontic issues, including a range of bite misalignments. Read on to find out more about what Invisalign can address.
Crowded Teeth
Teeth that are too close together can be difficult to adequately brush and floss, meaning you have a higher risk of developing tooth decay and gum disease. Invisalign can more evenly space out your pearly whites to help keep them clean.
Gaps Between Teeth
Food particles can get caught in the gaps and cause bad breath, cavities, and gum disease. Invisalign can more evenly space out the teeth.
Overbite
Overbites, caused by misaligned or different-sized jaws, occur when the top row of teeth extend far beyond the bottom row. An overbite can sometimes make a person’s front teeth appear to be protruding or larger than usual.
Underbite
An underbite occurs when the lower row of teeth is not aligned with the top row of teeth. The opposite problem of an overbite, underbites can appear as though a person’s bottom jaw is jutting out in an unusual way.
Crossbite
A crossbite is when a person’s upper teeth fit inside of their lower teeth. This type of dental misalignment can affect a single tooth or groups of teeth and may reveal an underlying jaw problem that is best addressed at a young age.
Open Bite
Often caused by thumb sucking at a young age, an open bite occurs when the upper and lower teeth do not come together when the mouth is closed.
Dental Midlines
The dental midline is the line between a person’s two upper front teeth and two lower front teeth. Typically, dental midlines should align with the middle of a person’s face. A “deviated” midline can prevent the back bite from fitting properly.
Why Is Fixing My Bite Important?
The teeth are part of a larger complex structure of muscles and joints that involves the neck, head, and even other parts of the body. This means that bite problems do not just affect your teeth but can also lead to greater negative health impacts. Indeed, bite issues can lead to all of the following problems:
- Speech impediments
- Strain on the temporomandibular joints (the point where the lower jaw meets the upper skull), which can lead to severe pain
- Increased wear and tear on teeth caused by uneven pressure
- Difficulty cleaning teeth, leading to gum disease and other oral health problems
The Benefits of Invisalign
Aside from the obvious advantage of Invisalign — these braces are actually not obvious, but rather discrete instead — there are a few other pros to wearing these aligners. First of all, Invisalign aligners are removable. When it’s time for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or a snack, all you have to do is remove your aligners and eat whatever you like. People who wear traditional braces must be careful about what they eat. Foods such as popcorn, chewing gum, caramels, hard pretzels, and carrot sticks are typically off-limits. With Invisalign, you’ll be able to enjoy all of your favorite foods.
In addition, there are no changes to your at-home oral hygiene routine with Invisalign. With the aligners removed, you’ll brush and floss just as you normally do. In this way, your risk of tooth decay and gum disease is greatly reduced. We’ll also need to schedule regular dental cleanings and exams during your orthodontic treatment with Invisalign.
Invisalign Technology: The iTero Scanner
For Invisalign aligners to work properly, they need to fit just perfectly over your teeth. If they’re too loose, they may not have any noticeable effect on your smile, and if they’re too snug they could damage your pearly whites! That’s why it’s crucial that the impressions your aligners are created off of are precise. In the past, dental impressions had to be taken with a putty that was sticky and uncomfortable for most patients. Fortunately, we’re proud to use state-of-the-art dental technology like the iTero intraoral scanner to help make your Invisalign treatment as comfortable and accurate as possible.
How Does the iTero Scanner Work?
The iTero Scanner looks like a small, pen-like wand. We simply move it around a patient’s mouth without touching any of the surfaces. Within just a few minutes, this little piece of technology will capture thousands of intraoral images and assemble them into a 3D digital model of your smile.
This virtual representation provides an even more detailed account of your teeth than dental putty can manage, which is key for creating your aligners. The information captured by the iTero Scanner makes it easy to design Invisalign aligners that fit comfortably over your teeth and gently guide them to their ideal positions.
Benefits of Using the iTero Scanner with Invisalign
Using the iTero Scanner to plan your Invisalign treatment offers a variety of benefits, including:
- The touchless scanning doesn’t require patients to hold uncomfortable sticky dental putty in their mouths to take impressions.
- While manual impressions can potentially take 20-30 minutes (or longer) to create, iTero impressions are collected within 5 minutes in nearly all cases.
- iTero Scanner technology pairs well with Invisalign software, allowing dentists and patients alike the chance to see a virtual representation of the treatment outcome.
- The detailed images taken via the iTero Scanner can alert us to small or hidden issues that could potentially influence your treatment.
- If adjustments to your Invisalign plan are needed part-way through your treatment, the iTero Scanner helps make this process as easy and comfortable as possible.
Living with Invisalign Aligners
Since Invisalign is one of the most popular orthodontic treatments, you likely already know quite a bit about it, including that the aligners are clear and there aren’t any dietary restrictions. But what will your day-to-day life look like during your teeth-straightening journey? You’ll find the answer to this question below!
Wearing Your Trays
In order to stay on-track with your treatment plan, you need to wear your aligners for 20-22 hours a day. This might sound easy at first, but it takes dedication and commitment since you need to factor in three meals, snacks, and time to brush and floss your teeth. The best thing to do is use the tools you have to your advantage, like the stopwatch on your phone! That way, you can meet this goal each and every day.
Cleaning Your Aligners
Cleaning your Invisalign aligners is crucial. After all, the last thing you want is for them to get stained and smelly! Fortunately, removing saliva, plaque, and other debris from the surface will only take a few minutes of your time. In addition to rinsing your aligners with clean water when you take them off, use a soft-bristled toothbrush and cool water to clean them before putting them back on.
Eating & Drinking
We mentioned above that there aren’t any dietary restrictions with Invisalign. That’s true! You will, however, need to keep your consumption of foods and drinks with added sugar to a minimum in an effort to avoid tooth decay, gum disease, and other common oral health problems. It’s also important to steer clear of extremely crunchy foods, like hard pretzels, that could break one of your attachments.
Losing or Damaging a Tray
Adopting good habits, like putting your clear aligners in their case when you aren’t wearing them, dramatically reduces the chances of them getting lost or damaged. That said, accidents sometimes happen. If you find yourself in this situation, then call our Colchester dental team ASAP. We will let you know what to do next – whether that’s wearing your previous aligners or moving onto the next ones in the series.
Routine Check-Ins
To monitor the movement of your teeth, you’ll need to come to our office periodically throughout your teeth-straightening journey. Usually, these progress appointments are every six or eight weeks instead of every four, which is the case with traditional braces. They are also typically less than 20 minutes, which makes scheduling them easy even for the busiest teenagers and adults!
How Much Does Invisalign Cost?
When it comes to highly versatile and customizable treatments like Invisalign, no two patients are created equal. That means that no two payment plans are alike. The price you’ll pay will depend on several factors, such as your age and the severity of your dental misalignment. Of course, the best way to find out Invisalign cost in Colchester is to book a consultation with one of our dentists!
FACTORS THAT AFFECT THE COST OF INVISALIGN
When meeting with Dr. Mike about Invisalign treatment, he will perform a full exam of your oral cavity before providing an estimate you can review. There are several factors that can determine how much you can expect to pay for your new smile, including:
- The duration of your treatment. Depending on how long it will take for your teeth to move into the appropriate position, you may need more aligners, which can add to the total cost.
- How severe your case is and the complexity of moving your teeth. For example, the cost of treatment will be much higher if you have an improper bite that needs to be aligned versus closing a small gap between your upper front two teeth.
- Whether your top teeth need to be treated, your bottom teeth need to be treated, or both.
INVISALIGN VS. SMILE DIRECT CLUB™: WHICH COSTS MORE?
If you compare the cost of Invisalign in Colchester (between $3,000-$8,000) to that of a company like Smile Club Direct (less than $2,000), it’s no surprise that many people opt for the more affordable option. The unfortunate reality is that these do-it-yourself solutions may look easy and enticing in the beginning, but they can significantly damage your smile in the long run. Not only are you expected to take impressions of your own teeth, which may not be as precise as needed, but you may not follow the treatment plan like you should. Without a dentist who can guide you along the way, it could mean trouble for your smile.
However, by choosing to invest in Invisalign, you’ll have the opportunity to receive trusted orthodontic care from a professional, but you’ll watch your smile move into the proper position, leaving you with healthier, beautiful results that can last a lifetime.
DOES DENTAL INSURANCE COVER INVISALIGN?
When preparing to embark on your orthodontic journey, make sure you understand whether your insurance company plans to pay a portion of the overall cost. Many insurers do not provide orthodontic coverage, and if they do, Invisalign is typically not included. But that’s not always the case! It may be possible to have up to 50% of your treatment covered by insurance, but you’ll need to check and determine how much your out-of-pocket expenses will be before agreeing to start treatment. You might also consider using your FSA to pay for any remaining costs.
OPTIONS FOR MAKING INVISALIGN AFFORDABLE
Just because dental insurance will or will not pay for a portion of your treatment doesn’t mean there aren’t alternative ways to make Invisalign more affordable. In fact, the team at Elevate Dental is pleased to work closely with CareCredit to provide eligible patients with flexible financing options. By applying for a low or no interest payment plan, you can stay well within your budget and enjoy the many benefits provided by Invisalign.
If you’re ready to make a change and improve not only your oral health but also your aesthetics with Invisalign, our team at Elevate Dental is ready to help you take the next step. Schedule a consultation with one of our qualified dentists today!
Invisalign FAQs
Will I Need Invisalign Attachments?
Invisalign attachments are small bumps that can be placed on the teeth. Their main function is to act as handles for the aligners to grip onto, thus making it easier to reposition the teeth in a more precise way.
While attachments are certainly helpful for making specific orthodontic corrections, they aren’t necessary for every patient. In order to figure out whether attachments are needed, we will take a close look at your smile and determine exactly what kinds of misalignment issues you have and how severe they are.
It should be noted that in cases where attachments are required, the exact number used can vary. In fact, sometimes this number may have to be changed over the course of the treatment. If the teeth move in an unexpected way, it may be necessary to remove some of the attachments and place them on different teeth.
Can You Eat with Invisalign Aligners In?
It’s never a good idea to put food in your mouth without first taking out your Invisalign aligners. It can be all too easy to break them on accident due to the forces of biting and chewing. On top of that, you can end up putting an excessive amount of pressure on your teeth, and the clear plastic making up the aligners could become discolored.
The general rule of thumb is that you should remove your aligners whenever you eat or drink anything. The one exception is room-temperature water. Bear in mind that thanks to the removable nature of Invisalign, your orthodontic treatment won’t come with any of the dietary restrictions that are typically necessary for traditional braces.
What Should I Do If My Invisalign Aligner Broke?
Invisalign aligners are very durable, but it is possible for them to break. If this happens, you should not try to fix the aligner in question on your own; you especially shouldn’t attempt repairs with any potentially toxic materials such as superglue. Instead, it’s best to call our office right away to let us know what happened.
We’ll advise you on the best next steps to take based on your situation. If you were due to switch to a new aligner within the next three days, it might be okay to simply make the change early and continue the treatment process. In other cases, though, you may have to wear a previous aligner while you’re waiting for a replacement to be made.
Does Invisalign Give You a Lisp?
Invisalign can affect how you move your tongue while you’re speaking. This results in a change in the flow of air, which can cause some words to sound different when you say them. As such, it is not uncommon to develop a lisp when you first start wearing your aligners, although this doesn’t always happen for every patient.
If a lisp does occur, it will typically be temporary and should go away on its own after a few weeks. To speed up the process, you can simply give yourself more practice talking; this will give your tongue a chance to get used to accounting for the presence of your clear aligners.