No two smiles are identical and many people are unhappy with the fact that their bites are often imperfect. Many avoided having braces as teens to straighten their crooked teeth, but now understand the importance of a full and friendly smile, so a quarter of those seeking orthodontic treatment are adults.
There are Many Orthodontic Treatment Options
Dr. Song offers many treatment options to create a new and improved smile and Invisalign is one of the most popular, with six million happy patients. This is the revolutionary system of using nearly invisible plastic trays (aka aligners) to gently move your teeth into their ideal position, without anyone even noticing.
It has several other advantages over traditional braces, including a shorter treatment time (typically 6-18 months vs. 2-3 years for braces), the lack of wires and brackets that can injure your mouth, and no dietary restrictions (because you remove the aligners before you eat or drink), which also makes your teeth much easier to clean.
Invisalign can be the Answer
While Invisalign may not be for everyone, a highly-trained and experienced orthodontist can truly judge whether your case is too complex and one of the new braces alternatives is necessary. Too many general dentists claim they can straighten any smile and then get into big trouble with the complications, due to extreme overbites, underbites, or underlying jawbone issues. Dr. Song will use a 3-D digital scanner to determine whether Invisalign is the right solution for your unique bite and what schedule you need.
Tips to Improve Your Treatment Results
If you are a candidate, there are several important tips to follow for your personalized Invisalign treatment:
- You need to wear the aligners 22 hours a day–don’t think you can skip a day or two because you want to go out and have fun, drinking and eating with friends without bothering. One justification can lead to another and you will soon find yourself falling behind on the treatment schedule.
- Keep your aligners in their case when eating to avoid contamination with airborne bacteria. Then you need to brush your teeth and floss thoroughly and wash the trays before putting them back in and having food particles stick to the aligners.
- Be sure that at the end of the day, you brush and clean your teeth for two minutes and floss, as you did before treatment.
- Every night you should soak the trays for 20 minutes in the Invisalign cleaning solution, a mild denture cleaner, or an antibacterial liquid.
- Every 4-6 weeks, you should expect to come to the office so that Dr. Song can examine your progress and, in some cases, adjust the schedule for the next sets of your aligners.
- Expect to wear retainers after the treatment with aligners is finished for as long as Dr. Song recommends, to make sure your new smile remains intact.
If you wish to consider Invisalign on your journey to your perfect smile, call for an appointment today for a full dental exam and a discussion with Dr. Song about your best options. We serve the San Francisco Bay area, including San Pablo, Oakland, Richmond, and other cities.
