Invisalign Portland

Crowded Teeth

Unfortunately, even relatively mild cases of overcrowding can have a negative impact on a patient’s self-esteem, chewing patterns, and oral health. The good news is that traditional braces are no longer the only solution! If we determine that you’re a good candidate for Invisalign during your consultation, then we can create a custom series of aligners to gently and gradually straighten your teeth.

Gaps Between Teeth

Is there a large gap between your two front teeth? Maybe there are several smaller spaces throughout your mouth. Either way, Invisalign may be the solution you’ve been looking for. After all, the clear aligners have proven to be effective at correcting mild to moderate cases. Plus, there aren’t any metal components, so no unwanted attention will be drawn to your smile during the teeth-straightening process.

Overbite

An overbite is where the upper front teeth extensively overlap the lower teeth. If you’re struggling with this orthodontic problem, then you know first-hand that it can make everything from smiling confidently to enunciating clearly difficult. You might also have an important question on your mind: Can Invisalign fix overbites? Fortunately, the answer is often “yes!” So, don’t just assume that your path to your dream smile involves metal.

Underbite

An underbite is the opposite problem: when the lower teeth are forward of the upper teeth. If that’s the case for you, then schedule a consultation with us. During your visit, your dentist will conduct an exam, review your dental history, and discuss your smile goals to decide whether Invisalign is right for you. If that’s the case, then a treatment plan will be developed to move your teeth and bite into their ideal places.

Crossbite

A crossbite happens when a few of the upper teeth sit behind the lower ones when biting down. The problem is that, even in relatively mild cases, there is an increased risk of dental damage. That’s why it’s so important to schedule a consultation sooner rather than later! If we determine that you’re a good candidate for Invisalign, then we will begin working on both your treatment plan and your custom series of aligners.  

Open Bite

Open bites often aren’t as talked about. In short, this is when there is a space between the upper and lower teeth when biting down. Like the other orthodontic problems listed here, it can negatively impact your chewing and speaking patterns as well as your oral health. So, it’s important that you come to our office to explore your treatment options, like Invisalign.

Basically Invisible Braces

Let’s begin with one of the most obvious benefits of Invisalign: the aligners are clear, making them virtually undetectable. The key to keeping yours under the radar is proper care, like rinsing them with clean, cool water when you take them off. With healthy habits like this in place, no unwanted attention will be drawn to your braces (or your smile) throughout your orthodontic treatment.

Improved Comfort

Although effective, traditional braces aren’t the most comfortable. If you had metal brackets and wires as a kid, you may remember this all too well! The good news is that Invisalign aligners are crafted from smooth plastic. Not only that, but they are custom-made for each patient to prevent soft tissue irritation. So, if you’re a good candidate, your journey to a straighter smile will be much smoother.

Hassle-Free Dental Care

Unlike Invisalign aligners, traditional braces are not removable. As a result, patients need to adopt a cumbersome oral hygiene regimen and purchase special dental care products to clean around the brackets and wires. With Invisalign, that’s not necessary. After you take the aligners off, rinse them with water, and store them properly, you can proceed with your usual dental hygiene routine.

No Dietary Restrictions

In an effort to prevent common orthodontic emergencies, like loose wires, patients with traditional braces are asked to eliminate certain foods from their diets (i.e., popcorn, tortilla chips, raw cashews). Don’t worry – Invisalign doesn’t come with strict dietary restrictions. In fact, you can continue to enjoy all of your favorite foods as long as you take your aligners off beforehand.

Less Time in the Treatment Chair

Whether you’re about to start college, you’re a busy parent, or your work schedule is unpredictable, you may not be able to commit to monthly, hour-long adjustment appointments. That’s okay – the progress visits with Invisalign are usually every 6-8 weeks instead. Plus, they are often less than 30 minutes each time, so you’ll spend less time in the treatment chair overall.

Shorter Average Treatment Timeline

Is your wedding coming up next year or the year after? Maybe you have another important event on the horizon, like a family or class reunion. Whatever the case may be, you’ll be happy to hear that the average treatment timeline with Invisalign is shorter than traditional braces. In fact, many patients achieve the results they desire in just 12-18 months!

Wearing Your Trays

Of course, the biggest change to your routine will be wearing the aligners. In order to stay on track with your treatment plan, you need to keep them on for a minimum of 20 hours a day. However, the closer you can get to the 22-hour mark, the better. If you’re not sure if you’re meeting the daily wear time, then use the stopwatch on your phone! From there, you can adjust your routine as needed.

Tip: Try multitasking where you can, like soaking your aligners in a dentist-approved cleaning solution while you complete your oral hygiene regimen in the morning.

Cleaning Your Aligners

Good news: you don’t need to purchase a long list of special cleaning products to keep your aligners stain and odor-free. Just rinse them with clean, cool water each time you take them off. Then, when you’re ready to put them back on, use a damp, soft-bristle toothbrush and mild dishwashing liquid to gently scrub the surface clean. If you want to clean them even further, you can soak them in a clear aligner cleanser for 15 minutes or so each day as well.

Eating & Drinking

Since Invisalign aligners are removable, they don’t come with the same dietary restrictions that traditional braces do. You do, however, need to take them off before eating or drinking anything other than water. It’s also important that we mention here that you should not place them on your plate or wrap them in a napkin while you eat since this dramatically increases the chances of them getting damaged or lost.

Losing or Damaging a Tray

Speaking of getting damaged or lost, if something happens to your aligners, it’s important that you call our team at Belmont Family Dentistry right away. Over the phone, a helpful member of our team can determine if it’s okay for you to move on to the next set in the series a bit early. If doing so could jeopardize your progress, then we will ask you to revert to the previous pair while a replacement is made.

Attending Progress Visits

Every 6-8 weeks, you’ll need to come to our Portland dental office. These periodic visits allow us to monitor the movement of your teeth. If they are progressing as anticipated, then we will provide you with the next batch of aligners in the series. If that’s not the case, then we will need to determine why that is as well as what steps need to be taken to avoid significant treatment plan delays.

Factors That Affect the Cost of Invisalign

Once we’ve reviewed your dental history, taken X-rays, and completed a visual exam, we can determine:

• If a tooth-colored filling or any other restorative treatments are needed
• How severe your case of misalignment is
• Whether single-arch treatment is possible
• How many aligners need to be made
• If additional orthodontic accessories are needed, like rubber bands
• The type of retainer that’s needed to preserve your results

It’s important to keep in mind that these are the factors that will impact the upfront cost. In other words, additional fees can arise if you fall off track with your treatment plan. The good news is that there are several steps you can take to help prevent that from happening, including switching to each new set of aligners in the series on the correct day.

Invisalign Vs. Mail-Order Aligners: Which Costs More?

Mail-order aligners almost always cost less. After all, they usually skip the initial exam, rely on DIY impressions, and don’t have licensed dental professionals overseeing the teeth-straightening process. While this does cut costs, it also increases the risk of something bad happening, like your teeth moving in the wrong direction. That’s why it’s always best to invest in a reliable and trusted orthodontic treatment, like Invisalign.

Does Dental Insurance Cover Invisalign?

Some dental insurance providers cover a portion of the cost of Invisalign. So, you shouldn’t hesitate to read through the fine print on your plan or call the helpline on your paperwork to get a better understanding of your benefits! We are also happy to assist with the process of understanding and utilizing your coverage, so don’t hesitate to provide us with your membership information when you call to schedule your consultation.

Options for Making Invisalign Affordable

What if you don’t have dental insurance? If that’s the case for you, then consider Invisalign financing in Portland! With trusted third-party financiers like CareCredit, you can break up the total cost into smaller, more manageable chunks over the course of several months. Not only is this considerably more convenient, but many of the payment plans that they offer have little-to-no interest attached. If you are interested in learning more, let us know! We’d be happy to answer any questions that you have.