Invisalign – Cary, NC

How is Invisalign Teen Different?

Invisalign Teen is much like the original except that it’s tailored to fit the unique needs of growing teenagers. Teen aligners feature blue compliance indicators that fade with use to help track wear time. They’re also designed with growth in mind, offering more space to accommodate erupting teeth and changing jaws. This ensures an effective treatment for your child even through growth spurts and body changes.

Is Invisalign Right for Your Teen?

Invisalign Teen may be the right choice if your child is self-conscious about how traditional braces would look. This can be especially true if they’re highly active in extracurriculars like sports, theatre, or band.

However, the first step to achieving a straightened smile with Invisalign is a consultation with Dr. Singh. He’ll examine your child’s teeth and gums to decide if clear aligners are a good fit.

The Benefits of Invisalign Teen

There are many great benefits to choosing Invisalign Teen for your child’s orthodontic needs, including:

• Discreet Appearance: Clear aligners make it easy for your child to feel confident throughout their treatment.
• Comfort: No wires or brackets to cause irritation, and the aligners are custom-made for a perfect fit.
• Convenient: Removable aligners mean your teen can continue enjoying any foods they want without restrictions.
• Flexible for Active Lifestyles: Ideal for sports or playing instruments, Invisalign Teen offers a flexible option for teenagers on the move.
• Easy Maintenance: Invisalign Teen can be removed for easier brushing and flossing compared to traditional braces, promoting better oral hygiene.

Improved Comfort

Although traditional braces are undoubtedly reliable, they aren’t the most comfortable. Fortunately, Invisalign doesn’t use any metal brackets or wires. Instead, the aligners are custom-made from smooth plastic, which doesn’t irritate your gums and oral tissues like braces.

Note: It is normal to experience some soreness during your teeth-straightening journey – that means your trays are working! If that happens, sip on cool water, stick to soft foods, and take OTC pain medication as directed.

Discreet Trays

Arguably the most talked about benefit of Invisalign is that the aligners are see-through. As a result, they can’t be seen when worn; even those closest to you will have a hard time telling when you are wearing them! In other words, you can smile confidently all throughout your orthodontic treatment, not just at the end.

Easier Dental Hygiene

Pre-threaded floss and interproximal toothbrushes are just two oral hygiene tools that patients with traditional braces need to keep their teeth and braces clean. That doesn’t apply to patients with Invisalign because you can remove your aligners at any time. When you’re ready to brush and floss, simply take off your trays, rinse them with clean, cool water, and place them in their case. Then, complete your dental care routine as usual. It’s that simple!

Quick Follow-Ups

Not only are there fewer follow-up visits with Invisalign; the visits themselves are shorter! When you come in, we will check-in with you to see how your teeth-straightening journey is going and then take updated scans of your teeth to make sure they are moving as anticipated. If everything is going well and looks good, then the entire appointment may be only 15 or 20 minutes.

No Dietary Restrictions

With Invisalign, there are zero dietary restrictions. The only rule is that you have to remove your trays before you eat to make sure they don’t warp or break. As your dental team, we also encourage you to exercise caution with extremely hard and crunchy foods since they can result in a chipped tooth or broken attachment. Additionally, do your best not to overindulge on added sugar – we want your smile to stay healthy throughout your time with Invisalign!

Shorter Average Treatment Timeline

While traditional braces can take 24-36 months, the average treatment timeline with Invisalign is only 12-18. In fact, it’s possible for your teeth-straightening journey to be even shorter if your case of malocclusion is relatively minor! At your initial consultation, we will provide you with an estimate after creating your treatment plan.

Crowded Teeth

Overcrowded teeth don’t just negatively affect your appearance. They also impact the health and function of your smile. Here are some of the negative consequences that often come with crowded teeth:

• Tooth decay
• Gum disease
• Jaw discomfort
• Difficulty chewing

Invisalign is recommended to address the alignment of your teeth so you don’t run into these issues. By choosing Invisalign, your teeth will be gently shifted to be the ideal distance apart. This makes brushing and flossing much easier, allowing you to better care for your smile.

Gaps Between Teeth

Spaced-out teeth also pose a risk to your oral health. When there is too much space between the teeth, bacteria can easily become trapped, therefore increasing your risk of tooth decay and gum disease. Whether you have one large gap between your teeth or noticeable spaces between several teeth, don’t hesitate to give us a call to schedule a consultation. Invisalign may be right for you.

Overbite

An overbite is when the top teeth come out too far from the lower arch of the teeth. Overbites can result in jaw pain, speech issues, uneven dental wear, and difficulty opening and closing the mouth. This issue can also leave the top teeth more exposed, putting them at a higher risk of becoming injured and damaged. Invisalign is able to correct many overbites.

Underbite

An underbite describes alignment issues where the bottom teeth go slightly passed or match with the top row of teeth when you close your mouth. This can be caused by several different factors, including genetics, jaw injury, and non-nutritive habits – like thumb sucking and pacifier use after a certain age. Underbites can lead to many different problems if they aren’t addressed. This includes increased risk of sleep apnea, mouth breathing, and difficulty speaking and chewing. Typically, patients who have underbites require the use of rubber bands or other attachments to be used in combination with the Invisalign aligners. This helps to gradually address the bite and move the lower arch back into its proper position.

Crossbite

When the bottom teeth are slightly in front of the upper arch, this is called a crossbite. This is typically caused by genetics, poor oral habits, or premature loss of baby teeth. When left unaddressed, crossbites can lead to long-term issues, like increased risk of gum disease, tooth decay, speech difficulties, headaches, teeth grinding, and facial asymmetry. Invisalign can correct this issue in the majority of cases. However, if your crossbite is caused by issues involving jaw development, it might be necessary to accompany the aligners with elastics and other accessories.

Open Bite

An open bite is when the top and bottom front teeth aren’t able to overlap or touch when you close your mouth all the way. This is generally caused by poor bone development or non-nutritive habits, like prolonged thumb sucking and pacifier use. An open bite can lead to difficulty pronouncing certain words and sounds, as well as excessive enamel wear of the back teeth. Invisalign can help to bring the front top and bottom teeth together, correcting the bite pattern and reducing oral damage.

Factors that Affect the Cost of Invisalign

No two smiles are exactly the same. There are several unique factors that will influence the final cost of your Invisalign treatment, including:

• Case Complexity: As you may have suspected, the more severe your orthodontic issue, the more your treatment will cost. For instance, closing one or two small spaces between the teeth will be less expensive than fixing an entire arch of crowded teeth.
• Treatment Length: You’ll go through a series of aligners to straighten your smile. A longer treatment will require more aligners, which will increase the final cost.
• Your Compliance: You will be responsible for keeping your treatment on track by wearing your aligners for 20-22 hours every day and caring for them properly. If you don’t, you could potentially increase both the length and price of your treatment.

Invisalign VS Smile Direct Club™: Which Costs More?

If you’re looking for a quick and easy way to straighten your smile, there’s no better or safer option than Invisalign. However, there are mail-in aligners like Smile Direct Club™ that claim to offer even faster and more convenient treatment. While tempting, these DIY orthodontics could easily cost you more time and money, not to mention cause permanent damage for your smile!

Mail-in aligners have little to no oversight from a professional, which makes it all too easy for something to go wrong. From incorrect dental impressions, aligners that don’t quite fit, to missed oral health issues like cavities or gum disease, one little problem could cause a lot of complications for your teeth that need to be fixed by a professional later anyways. Meanwhile, when you visit Carey Dental Rejuvenation, Dr. Singh will be with you every step of the way to answer your questions and ensure your treatment goes exactly according to plan. If you want to feel confident in the success of your treatment, the price of visiting us for Invisalign is well-worth it!

Does Dental Insurance Cover Invisalign?

Only some dental insurance policies cover orthodontic treatment, and even among those who do, not all cover Invisalign specifically. We’ll be happy to review the details of your insurance plan with you to find out if any coverage is offered. Our team has years of experience navigating insurance claims and helping our patients maximize their insurance benefits to reach the lowest out-of-pocket expenses.

Options for Making Invisalign Affordable

Insurance isn’t your only option for making Invisalign affordable. For uninsured patients or patients who aren’t satisfied with their coverage, we’re also pleased to offer:

• Our In-Office Smile Savings Program: For a flat annual fee, you can skip the hassle and headache of dental insurance and enjoy benefits like 2 cleanings a year, 50% off fluoride, and 15% off other dental services, including Invisalign.
• Numerous Flexible Financing Options: Flexible financing options through CareCredit, Lending Tree, and Lending Point can help break up the cost of Invisalign into smaller, more easily managed chunks that fit into your monthly budget.
• Special Offers for Invisalign: Alongside your FREE Invisalign consultation, qualifying patients can pay as low as $79 a month for their treatment! Plus, with the help of our digital imaging virtual smile design technology, you can get a preview of your results before you decide to begin treatment.

Wearing Your Trays

With Invisalign, you don’t need to worry about dietary restrictions, complicated oral hygiene regimens, and frequent adjustment appointments. You do need to worry about meeting the 20-22 hour-a-day wear time each day, however. If you consistently miss the mark, then there’s a good chance that your teeth won’t track as anticipated, resulting in unwanted delays to your treatment plan.

Tip: If you’re having a hard time keeping track of your wear time, use the Invisalign app!

Cleaning Your Aligners

It’s of the utmost importance that you don’t use household cleaners, like bleach, since they contain toxins that shouldn’t be ingested. Instead, use a soft-bristled toothbrush and some clean, cool water. This combined with other good habits (like taking your aligners out before drinking coffee) will help prevent stubborn stains from surfacing.

If your trays do start to discolor, then use a packet of the cleaning crystals that came in your welcome kit!

Eating & Drinking

Eating and drinking with Invisalign will be pretty easy since there’s really only one rule: you need to remove your aligners first (with the exception of water, of course). As your Cary dental team, we also need to mention the importance of sticking to a well-balanced, nutrient-dense diet. This will help keep your teeth and gums healthy and prevent an oral health problem from bringing your treatment plan to a temporary stop.

Losing or Damaging a Tray

We mentioned previously the importance of wearing your aligners for 20-22 hours a day. So, it’s easy to see why losing or damaging a tray is an orthodontic emergency. In both cases, we recommend calling our Cary dental team ASAP. From there, we can let you know what to do next, whether that’s wearing your previous aligners until a replacement arrives or moving onto the next set in the series.

Routine Check-Ins

Every six weeks or so, you’ll come to our Cary dental office so we can take new scans of your teeth. If your teeth are moving as anticipated, then we will give you your next round of aligners and you’ll be all set. If your teeth aren’t moving as anticipated, then we will need to determine what changes need to be made, like increasing the amount of time you use your chewies.