25 NEW CHARDON STREET • BOSTON, MA • 02114

Invisalign – Boston, MA

Straighten Your Teeth — Without Visible Braces

Most adults who want straighter teeth shy away from wearing uncomfortable and noticeable metal braces. But how do you achieve a more attractive smile, quickly and without enduring a mouth lined with metal? Clear braces like Invisalign in Boston are a wonderful option for many patients — keep reading to learn more about how this treatment works, and whether or not you may be a good candidate for Invisalign.

How Invisalign Works

Invisalign uses a series of clear plastic aligners that are customized to fit your teeth at each stage of the treatment, as they progressively become more straight.

To begin the process, your dentist in Boston will take a 3D image of your smile and plan your case. Then an Invisalign lab will create your custom series of aligners specifically for your unique needs. Regular progress checks and a new set of aligners every two weeks will keep you on the path to a fantastic new smile!

Indications for Invisalign

Most patients who are candidates for traditional braces can benefit from Invisalign as an alternative. Read the indications for this clear braces treatment listed below to get a better idea if you can, too. Then, to find out for sure whether or not you are eligible for Invisalign, please contact our office to schedule a consultation.

Crowded Teeth

Crowded teeth easily trap food and can be difficult to clean, increasing your risk of developing gum disease and tooth decay as a result. Invisalign can help to straighten out crooked teeth, ensuring that each tooth lines up perfectly beside its neighbor. While not always necessary, if you have extra teeth that are contributing to the crowding, we may recommend tooth extraction before treatment.

Learn More

Spaces Between Teeth

Gaps between teeth take away from the beauty of your smile and can also trap food or make it difficult to speak clearly. Invisalign can help by placing controlled pressure on specific areas of the bite, gradually bringing the gapped teeth closer together. In all cases, wearing a retainer after Invisalign treatment will help the results last for years to come.

Learn More

Bite Alignment

Patients dealing with bite alignment issues, like overbite, underbite, cross bite, or open bite, are at a higher risk of experiencing related problems like nighttime teeth grinding, which can wear down the teeth and even cause migraines and ear pain. Invisalign can correct each of these bite alignment issues, ensuring that your teeth line up just the way they should.

Learn More

Benefits of Invisalign

There are a number of benefits of Invisalign. Some of the most significant include the following:

Invisalign FAQs

Illustration of Invisalign aligner and upper arch of teeth

Your cosmetic dentist in Boston is here to answer all of your questions about Invisalign so that you can decide for yourself whether it’s the answer for the straighter smile you’ve been dreaming about. It’s also important to know exactly what to expect during the process so that you can react quickly and appropriately as soon as something goes wrong. Read on to learn the answers to some of the most common questions we receive, and feel free to call us if you have additional concerns.

Will Invisalign Affect My Speech?

As with any oral appliance, your mouth needs time to get used to having Invisalign clear braces on your teeth for most of the day. Whether or not this affects your speech varies from patient to patient. Some may not notice any changes at all while others develop a slight lisp. However, any speech issues that arise are very slight and tend to disappear within a couple of days. If they persist, it can help to practice speaking with the aligners on; for example, you could try reading aloud and repeating particularly troublesome words.

Will Invisalign Hurt?

In comparison to traditional braces, Invisalign is a lot more comfortable. The aligners are made out of smooth plastic that doesn’t irritate the gums or the inside of your lip, and there are no brackets or wires to worry about. Of course, that doesn’t mean there isn’t any discomfort. Your teeth will likely be sensitive for a couple of days whenever you put more aligners in. This discomfort is actually a good sign, of course; it means that Invisalign is doing its job of gradually moving the teeth to a new position. Said discomfort is very mild and tends to fade relatively quickly over time.

Are There Diet Restrictions with Invisalign?

Since you’ll take the aligners out of your mouth for every meal, you don’t have to worry about damaging your orthodontic appliance while chewing. As such, you can continue to eat all of your favorite foods while undergoing Invisalign treatment. That said, you should still be very careful about what you are putting in your mouth. If you eat or drink something that’s especially sugary or acidic, it’s important that you either brush your teeth or rinse your mouth thoroughly with water before you put your aligners back in. Otherwise, the potentially harmful substances could become trapped against your teeth for most of the day.

How Often Will I Need an Appointment While Wearing Invisalign?

Traditional braces usually require you to visit your orthodontist or dentist once every month for an adjustment. This isn’t necessary for Invisalign since you’ll simply switch to a new aligner once you’ve worn the old one for a certain period of time. However, you should still visit your dentist in Boston every 6 weeks or so in order to confirm that the treatment is progressing as planned. Occasionally, we might find that you need to return to an earlier aligner instead of moving on to the next one.

Call today to schedule your Invisalign consultation with Kraft & Schrott Dental Associates.