Is Invisalign right for you? A guide from our dentist Sheffield

Are you looking for an easy way to straighten your teeth without a brace?

If so, you may have heard of Invisalign aligners and you may be curious about whether or not you are suitable for them.

Luckily, our team at Dee Kay Dental has expertise in the area of adult and teenage orthodontic care, so our dentist Sheffield will be more than happy to see you for an assessment to see if you are suitable for this aligner.

Much like braces, however, in order to be suitable for Invisalign you have to meet specific criteria. So, according to our dentist Sheffield, Invisalign might be right for you in certain circumstances such as those below.

You have a mild to moderate misalignment

Our dentist Sheffield will first need to determine whether or not you have a mild to moderate misalignment before you start treatment with Invisalign.

This varies on a case-to-case basis, but if you have a few crooked teeth, a slight over or underbite, or even some teeth that are a bit widely spaced, this may be deemed mild or moderate.

However, if you have bite issues, protruding teeth, problems with your molars, or you need to have a tooth or teeth rotated, then this would usually count as a complex or severe case of misalignment.

You really need to want straighter teeth

You may think that because this aligner is not fitted, it would make the treatment easy. However, it will actually require you to be more dedicated to the cause of having your teeth straightened.

This is because you will need to be committed to wearing the aligners for 22 hours (minimum) each day, and you will need to send our team updates each week via the Invisalign app.

So, if you genuinely want straighter teeth, and can commit to what our team puts forward, then you may be a suitable candidate.

You have good oral hygiene

Much like wearing a brace, when you wear an aligner, you will need to up the ante on your dental hygiene. This is because this aligner is going to be pressed against your teeth. So, any plaque or debris that is on your teeth is going to be pushed against the enamel, heightening the risk of cavities.

So, for our team to give you the thumbs up for aligners, we will need to be happy that your teeth are free from cavities and gum disease, and we will also need to be sure that you can maintain good oral health.

You are over 14 years of age

It is a sad fact that, as of yet, there is no removable orthodontic appliance for children.

The primary reason for this is that it is believed that children will not be able to adhere to the requirements of wearing an aligner enough for the tool to be effective.

So, there are aligners in the Invisalign range for both adults and teenagers.

You want a discreet option

As you will have heard, Invisalign aligners are made from transparent plastic and are custom-fitted to your teeth. This means that, compared to most orthodontic tools, they are incredibly discreet. This is ideal if you have a job that requires you to talk a lot or if you simply don’t want to have a visible brace!