Having misaligned teeth can affect your self-esteem and make you feel unhappy with your appearance. It can also lead to issues with keeping your teeth properly clean, discomfort and it can even hamper your ability to chew food – nobody wants to pass on a picnic hamper either! One of the misconceptions about misaligned teeth for adults is that it is too late to do anything about it, or at least some adults are not willing to have a mouth full of metal.
Thankfully, this does not have to be the case. Invisalign in Chelsea is a treatment that can discreetly realign teeth without other people realising you are wearing anything in your mouth.
What is Invisalign?
Invisalign is a brand name for clear plastic aligners that you wear in your mouth and sit snugly on the gumline (like a gum shield, but far more streamlined!) They apply gentle pressure to your teeth to gradually move them into the desired position. You change the aligners every couple of weeks at home and your dentist will provide you with sets of aligners, so you only have to go for a check-up every 6 weeks or so. Treatment time can last on average between 6 to 18 months depending on your individual needs. Invisalign is suitable for treating mild to moderate alignment issues such as crossbite, overbite, underbite, gapped teeth and overcrowding.
Why would I choose Invisalign?
One of the top reasons for choosing Invisalign is that you can wear them whatever age you are (as long as you have your adult teeth) and nobody will notice what you are wearing (unless they are staring and straining to spot your aligners, but who are those overzealous people? Be careful of the company you keep!) There is a special range of Invisalign Teen for teenagers as well. When young people are heading to school and have an image to uphold, nearly invisible treatments for realigning teeth can be a great confidence booster.
Other benefits of Invisalign are that you can remove them when you want to eat and drink, which means you do not have to follow a restricted diet. You can also continue to brush and floss as normal, and you have the flexibility to remove them when you want to play your favourite sport or go on a date! The aim is to wear them for 22 hours a day, on average, or as directed by your dentist. They should be comfortable to wear as they are custom-made to fit your mouth using iTero technology, which is a digital scan of your mouth (so you will not need messy impressions) and from that, a 3D animation can be produced of what your smile will look like after treatment before you have even started it! What more motivation do you need to get you wearing your aligners than knowing what the result will look like?!
Sounds great. What do I need to do next?
If you think that Invisalign could be the treatment for you, you simply need to find a dentist offering this treatment and contact them for an initial consultation. They will be able to examine your mouth and may take x-rays to determine if Invisalign could work for you. They will give you some straight talk about your options and you will be able to ask any questions you may have to ensure that you are fully informed about your options for getting an improved smile worth smiling about.