invisalign dentists

People have complicated feelings about their teeth.

78% of Americans perceive those with crooked teeth to be less successful than people with perfect teeth. Nearly 50% of young people will untag themselves in a social media post because they hate their smile.

Having perfect teeth is often a cosmetic hang-up, but it can also create various issues with oral health down the road. It’s in your best interest to have crooked teeth, which is why dental technology has come so far. One of the best developments in recent memory is Invisalign.

So, what is Invisalign?

Invisalign dentists create clear aligners from impressions taken from your mouth. These are then put into a computer program to generate a series of custom molds that correct your tooth alignment over time.

Although they achieve a similar effect to braces, Invisalign is designed to meet the needs of modern people. Unfortunately, there are a lot of myths around Invisalign that confuse and deter people. In this post, we’ll look at some of those myths and debunk them for you.

If you’re concerned about Invisalign treatment, keep reading, and we’ll clear it up for you.

1. All Clear Aligners Are Basically the Same

There are a number of Invisalign copycats out there purporting to do the same job. Not all of these clear aligners have been around for as long as Invisalign, nor do they utilize the same technological advancements as Invisalign.

What puts Invisalign in a category of its own is 20 years of research and development and millions of happy patients over that time. With the SmartTrack Aligner technology, an Invisalign dentist will create trays that best fit your teeth precisely.

No other clear aligner brand has done the studies or had the resounding success that Invisalign has. Don’t buy this common myth because you’ll end up with an inferior product that won’t help to straighten your teeth.

2. Invisalign Can’t Fix Serious Dental Issues

One of the most prevalent Invisalign myths is that they can’t take care of serious alignment issues. Among the biggest aligner brands, Invisalign is the only one that can treat simple, moderate, and complex alignment issues.

Beyond malocclusions, Invisalign can treat other dental issues, like crowding, missing teeth, tooth gaps, and jaw problems. Using special elastics in addition to the invisible trays, Invisalign can treat almost any dental issue you can think up while still remaining undetectable to others.

That’s not to say that Invisalign can treat every dental problem, however. Things like worn down or short teeth, cases with several missing teeth, having multiple teeth buried in the gums, or extremely displaced teeth aren’t yet suitable for Invisalign.

When you have a consultation with your dentist, they’ll give you Invisalign advice and walk you through the process. During this, they should be able to help determine if you’re a good candidate for it and break down your Invisalign cost, among other things.

3. Invisalign Is Only for Adults

There’s a misconception out there that Invisalign is meant solely for adult teeth, not for children or even teenagers. This couldn’t be more false, which is borne out by thousands of successful treatments on younger people.

Of course, treatments are a bit more complex when it comes to growing children’s teeth. As kids and teens grow, their mouths grow in more drastic ways, but that’s all accounted for with Invisalign First treatments.

Invisalign First for children and adolescents is designed to account for baby teeth, missing teeth, and even tooth eruption. Invisalign Teen is meant for teenage patients that suffer from mild and moderate malocclusions.

What should be noted is that children and teens are more likely to forget to put their Invisalign trays in every day. If they forget to do it on a regular basis, the treatment isn’t going to work, as subsequent trays are dependent on the prior tray doing its job.

To rectify this, Invisalign First and Invisalign Teen come with indicators that help parents remind their children to wear their aligners.

4. Invisalign Dentists Are a Dime a Dozen

There’s no reason why any dentist wouldn’t be able to perform Invisalign treatment, but they need the proper training. You should never let an inexperienced dentist opt for Invisalign to deal with any moderate to severe dental problems.

An understanding of Invisalign requires a deep understanding of complicated dental issues and tooth movement in general. Since Invisalign requires a lot of treatment planning, you need someone who has years of experience working with it.

At Wardlaw Orthodontics, our experience makes all the difference. We’ve completed all of the necessary Invisalign courses and offer treatments for people ages 7 and up. If you want to learn more about the Invisalign process, visit our site for a thorough rundown.

5. Invisalign Requires Less Oral Hygiene Than Braces

There are many perks of choosing Invisalign over traditional braces. One of them is that you can enjoy all of your favorite foods. Food tends to get caught in braces, but since you remove Invisalign before eating, there’s no food off the table.

Another important perk is better oral hygiene. Again, being able to remove your aligners gives you the chance to clean and floss your teeth, as well as clean the aligners themselves.

A myth surrounding this, however, is that having Invisalign requires less oral hygiene than braces. It’s important to stick to a regimen of brushing, cleaning, and flossing so that you don’t get plaque buildup or stains on the aligners.

The treatment doesn’t replace your oral hygiene practice. With proper aligner use and good hygiene, you can drastically improve the state of your oral health.

Find the Best Invisalign Dentists In Little Rock and Conway

Now that we’ve debunked some common myths and given some helpful Invisalign tips, it’s time to look into treatment. If you want your Invisalign treatments to work, you have to find the best Invisalign dentists around.

For those in Little Rock and Conway, Wardlaw Orthodontics is the obvious choice. We’ll individually design a treatment for your mouth so that it’s as fast and easy as possible. Our results speak for themselves, so contact us today and get a free consultation with Dr. David and the staff at Wardlaw Ortho.