INVISALIGN - Straightening Crooked Teeth The Clear Way - The Perfect Candidate

Dr Jim Sarji discuss the use of INVISALIGN at Advanced Gentle Dentistry of Park Slope

and how it’s unique application can benefit young patients as well as patients in their 20’s, 30’s or 40’s or older. Advanced Gentle Dentistry of Park Slope is a certified INVISALIGN provider and Dr Jim Sarji has been performing INVISALIGN procedures for over 10  years having performed hundreds of procedures.

Q. Dr Sarji  what exactly is Invisalign and what type of patient is a suitable candidate Invisalign

treatment?

Dr Sarji: Invisalign used CAD  (computer aided design technology) to create  aligners that are placed over your teeth and very hard to see due to the fact that they are transparent. They are calibrated to your exact requirements. These barely visible aligners apply pressure to your teeth and cause them to be gradually realigned. Every two weeks you will receive new aligners that will continually add pressure to your teeth and realign them in a way that will make them eventually look straight or less crowded. May patients choose INVISALIGN over regular orthodontics because they are discrete. INVISALIGN  is actually the most popular orthodontic treatment in the US today and we have performed hundreds of these procedures at Advanced Gentle Dentistry of Park Slope. The aligner will gently realign your teeth over time and it is normal and very easy for a patient to take them out during eating. Cleaning INVISALIGN  aligners is also a very easy process.  

The perfect candidate can be a patient in their late teens or early twenties all the way up to a patient in their 60’s or 70’s. They will probably have crooked, or slightly crowded teeth, there may be overcrowding, spaced teeth, or possibly overbites underbites or crossbites. We have seen virtually every instance of teeth in need of straightening. We don’t judge we just let the technology do it’s job and the results can be astounding and can be see in as little as 6 months. More difficult cases can take up to two years. Patients who request I are usually patients that are very conscious about their teeth. Many of them have lived with this problem for a while and have now decided it’s time to fix it. There are many issues that can present themselves when a patient has poorly aligned teeth or overcrowding. Teeth that don’t fit together properly become harder to clean and can cause a patient s jaw to be misaligned or crooked. This can inadvertently cause extra stress on the jaw muscles and it is not uncommon for this to cause headaches, shoulder pain and back pain.

Q.How often each day should a patient wear their I aligners? 

It is important that a patient wears them for around 22 hours a day. The process of applying continual pressure exterted by the aligners is necessary in order for it to be effective. They can be removed for eating and for general oral hygiene however once this is done it always best to put them back in. The continual pressure on your teeth is what causes them to be effective.

Q.Am I restricted in what I can eat while I am wearing INVISALIGN?

The great thing about Invisalign is that you can actually eat whatever you want. However you have to brush your teeth afterwards so that you can put your INVISALIGN aligners back in.

 

Q. Is it easy for apateint to talk with INVISALIGN aligners in their  mouth.

When you first start wearing INVISALIGN your mouth will go through a normal adjustment period whereby the patient will take time to get used to wearing the aligners. Gradually you will get used to them and speaking will be a lot easier and clearer. Most patients take about a week.

Q. How often will a patient be required to visit the dental office?

Awe schedule appointments for INVISALIGN every 5-6 weeks. It is important to visit the office when your appointments are scheduled and we will continually monitor the progress of the INVISALIGN treatment to make sure it is working correctly.

Q. What are retainers and is a patient required to wear these after treatment?

A. We always advise our patient to wear retainers at night for at least 16 weeks after the treatment. The retainers will ensure a healthy bite and will maintain the new position of your teeth.

Q. How long will the INVISALIGN treatment take?

A The average treatment time is around 22 months for INVISALIGN but some patients manage to finish their treatment in 18 months and in some very slight cases treatment can finished in as little as 6 months. It all depends on the amount of straightening the aligners need to do and this varies greatly for each patient.

Q. Is their a recent trend to use INVISALIGN on patients rather than traditional braces?

This trend has been created by the demand for clear invisible braces as patients are looking for an orthodontics procedure that allows it to be invisible from a distance and also allows the aligners to be taken out. This is not possible with traditional braces and many patients who have traditional metal braces have an issue where food particles continually become stuck in your mouth. This can cause bad breath and be embarrassing. With Inv the aligners can be taken out and the patient can follow a normal oral regimen.

Q. Dr Sarji, can you explain in detail the different types of cases that you see and how these can be solved using INVISALIGN?

The most common type of patient is one with overcrowded teeth. When there is insufficient space in a patients mouth along the jawbone it can create serious problems. If a patient lets this be untreated then you may get issues such as gum disease, bad breath, the development of plaque and possible tooth decay or the need for root canals. Invisalign can solve future problems by carefully aligning the teeth. It can also create beautiful smiles.

Spaced teeth can be an issue for a patient as it can also create a gum problem due to excess exposure and the risk of periodontal disease.

A patient may also have an underbite. This is a common dental issue where the upper and lower jaws are not aligned. This causes the lower tooth to protrude beyond the front teeth. They are generally three factors that cause this: the undergrowth of the upper jaw, the overgrowth of the lower jaw or the possibility of both of these conditions being present at the same time.

An overbite is the opposite of underbite where the upper front teeth protrude more than the lower front teeth.

Crossbite can be an unusual case where the lower and upper jaws are not aligned properly. This can happen when one or more of a patients upper teeth bite down they touch the inside of the lower teeth when the patient bites down. This causes chipping of the teeth and very often can result in a patients abnormal tooth wear and give rise to other serious  periodontal problems.

What are the steps involved in the INVISALIGN process?

Step 1: Consultation: At your first consultation and after careful examination I will determine if the patient is a suitable candidate to undertake the INVISALIGN  process?

◦Step 2: Planning: If the patient is suitable as a candidate for INVISALIGN  then a customized treatment plan will be set in place based on a comprehensive examination of the mouth.  This involves taking computer images, x-rays and then molds of a patients teeth.

Step 3: When the aligners are ready the patient will come to the office and they will then be instructed in detail how to place the aligners and how to remove them. The aligners are worn for 1 4 days and each patient will typically go through 18-30 sets of aligners, with the average treatment time being 12 months.

What would you say to a patient considering Invisalign?

The first step is to receive an evaluation for INVISALIGN  from a certified INVISALIGN  dentist.  Treatment plans vary for each patient as does the cost and the length of time for the treatment. However the process produces astounding results and is a technology that is being refined all the time.  We are always available for free appointment for INVISALIGN consultations.