We’ve witnessed how invisible dental braces have changed orthodontic therapy for many of our North Miami patients at Specialty Smiles. In the past, metal braces were the only way to correct teeth. Invisible braces are a good choice for both teens and adults who wish to improve their smile without the obvious look of regular braces.
Clear aligners, which are also called invisible dental braces, employ a series of clear, removable trays to slowly move your teeth into the right position. These clear aligners are not as obvious while you wear them as regular metal braces with brackets and wires. This makes them quite popular with professionals, college students, and teens who would feel embarrassed about wearing regular braces in public or at work.
Our patients love that invisible dental braces give them freedom and flexibility. You can take the aligners out when you eat, drink anything other than water, brush, or floss. You won’t have to avoid popcorn, sticky candies, or crunchy items that could break brackets or wires anymore. You can still eat all of your favorite foods while straightening your teeth.
When people come to our North Miami clinic for a consultation for invisible braces, we first look at their teeth closely and talk about what they want their smile to look like. We can make a personalized treatment plan for you by using cutting-edge digital scanning technology to make a 3D model of your teeth. We can use this technology to give you a visual preview of how your teeth will move during treatment and how your smile might look when you’re done. A lot of patients find this picture very encouraging because they can see the eventual result before they even start treatment.
After we make a treatment plan for you, we make a set of aligners just for your teeth. Each set is a little different and is made to slowly shift your teeth into the best places. You’ll wear each pair for around one to two weeks before going on to the next set in the series. During this time, you’ll go to Specialty Smiles for check-ups every so often to make sure your treatment is going as planned. These appointments are usually short and easy, and they don’t take as long as adjustments for regular braces.
When people think about getting invisible dental braces, a lot of them ask us about comfort. Moving teeth around might be uncomfortable, but invisible braces are usually seen to be more comfortable than metal braces. The plastic is smooth and doesn’t have any pointed brackets or wires that could hurt the inside of your lips and cheeks. When you first convert to a new aligner, you might feel some pressure, but this is usually moderate and goes away in a few days as your teeth get used to their new positions.
Consistency is the most important thing for invisible braces to operate well. We suggest that you wear your aligners for 20 to 22 hours a day and only take them out to eat, drink, brush, and floss. This steady pressure is what makes your teeth move slowly and in a way that you can foresee. Patients who don’t follow the instructions for wearing their aligners often have to wait longer for their treatment to finish. The good news is that most patients find it easy to get used to wearing aligners after the first week or so.
It’s easy to take care of your invisible dental braces. We suggest that you rinse them out every time you take them out and then carefully clean them with a gentle toothbrush before putting them back in. Don’t use hot water, which might bend the plastic, and don’t eat or drink anything but water while wearing your aligners. To keep your aligners safe and sound, keep them in their case when you’re not wearing them. Taking care of your aligners not only keeps them clean and really invisible, but it also makes sure they stay in the right shape.
The length of time you need to wear invisible dental braces depends on your demands. Some cases are easy and can be finished in as little as six months, while others are more complicated and can take 18 months or more. Most therapies take between 12 and 18 months, on average. We can give you a more exact timeline based on your specific situation during your appointment. This timeline is based on the idea that you are wearing your aligners as instructed. The more consistent you are, the faster your treatment will work.
We offer invisible dental braces at Specialty Smiles for a number of orthodontic problems, such as teeth that are too close together, teeth that are too far apart, overbites, underbites, and crossbites. Invisible braces technology has come a long way in the past several years. It can now fix many complicated alignment problems that weren’t possible to fix with this type of therapy before. However, really severe orthodontic situations may still need traditional braces.
We also offer Braces for Kids and Invisalign for younger children who might need orthodontic help early on. Some parents are astonished to find out that orthodontic treatment usually starts earlier than they thought it would. The American Association of Orthodontists says that kids should get their first orthodontic checkup by the time they are seven years old. Sometimes, getting treatment early can save worse problems from happening and mean that you don’t require as much treatment later on.
You’ll need to wear retainers after your invisible dental braces treatment to keep your new smile. This is true for all kinds of orthodontic work, not just clear braces. Retainers keep your teeth from slowly moving back to where they were before. At first, you might wear your retainers all the time, just like you did with your aligners. But most patients eventually switch to wearing their retainers solely at night to keep their teeth in place.
We urge you to make an appointment with our staff at Specialty Smiles if you’re thinking about getting invisible dental braces. We’ll look at your needs and help you decide if clear braces are the best way to reach your smiling goals. Many patients are shocked to find out that the price of invisible braces is often identical to that of regular braces. Also, dental insurance plans that cover orthodontic treatment usually cover both types of braces in the same way.
Invisible dental braces aren’t simply for making your smile seem better, but that is a great benefit. Cleaning teeth that are properly aligned is easier, which can lead to greater oral health and fewer dental problems in the future. Alignment can also help your bite work better and stop your teeth from wearing down unevenly. When you get invisible braces, you’re making your smile look better and healthier at the same time.
We know that beginning orthodontic treatment is a big choice, and we’re here to help with any questions or worries you may have. At Specialty Smiles, we want to make your orthodontic journey as easy and stress-free as possible while still helping you get the beautiful, healthy smile you deserve. We can’t wait to have you come to our office in North Miami and show you how invisible dental braces can change your smile.