While the removable Invisalign system does mean that patients can eat and drink anything they like during the course of clear braces treatment, the aligners are intended to be functional for up to 22 hours per day – perhaps not all Invisalign patients are fully mindful of what this entails in relation to eating a drinking. For example, patients who enjoy a morning coffee are instructed to remove the aligner, drink the coffee and brush the teeth to prevent staining the aligner, before eventually quickly cleaning and replacing the aligner. The same considerations must be made when thinking about drinking alcoholic beverages in the evening. All of this removing and replacing may sound easy enough, but given that the aligner must be in place for 22 hours per day, patients are advised to take care over the amount of time given to removing the aligners for non-essential meals (especially if the wearer wishes to save time for not wearing the braces while attending a social event, for example). On the flip side of this advice, patients consequently report eating fewer snacks, with the inevitable outcome of accidental weight loss – a welcome bonus for some patients

In most cases of mild to moderate occlusion (misalignment of the teeth), the Invisalign treatment process can be planned, carried out, and completed in around 12 to 18 months. Given that patients are required to change each aligner for the next in the series of custom-made aligners around once every two weeks, an average of up to 30 aligners will typically be required in order to complete a full course of Invisalign clear braces treatment.

Patients should note that although treatment times do extend into several months, results will be visible within weeks.

Yes. Upon completing a course of traditional braces, the teeth will experience a natural settling in period – use of a retainer during this time can help the teeth to remain in the desired position. However, where patients did not follow the follow up advice from their dentist regarding after care during this settling in period, the patient may notice a slight movement in the teeth away from the initial completed position. Invisalign is an ideal solution to this scenario, with specially designed short-term course of Invisalign treatment available for this very purpose.

Patients undergoing Invisalign treatment will be advised by their dentist in Smile Hub that is overseeing the treatment to change the current aligner for the next in the series of custom designed aligners around once every two weeks. This not only gives the current aligner time to apply a sufficient amount of gentle pressure to the targeted teeth, but also avoids a situation in which the teeth are moved too quickly. Where the teeth are encouraged to move too great a distance over too short a time frame, the tooth roots can be affected. In turn, this can result in weakened tooth roots that can affect the tooth’s ability to settle in place following the completion of treatment and can ultimately pose a long-term increased risk of tooth loss

Invisalign attachments are a common auxiliary feature of Invisalign treatment. When fixed in place, the tooth coloured attachments resemble a small and almost unnoticeable ‘lump’ on the surface of the tooth. The purpose of fitting patients with Invisalign attachments is to introduce a raised area that will make a better connection with the Invisalign clear braces – in essence, the attachment allows for the aligner to gain a much better grip in problem areas. Such problem areas could include teeth that sit slightly further back from other teeth, or teeth to require specific gentle pressure to be applied to a particular area of the tooth (e.g. the upper portion of a tooth).

Attachments consist of a dental composite material formed to blend seamlessly with the natural colour of the tooth. This means that although the attachments are slightly more noticeable in comparison to an Invisalign aligner worn without any attachments, the patient will still benefit from an ultra-low level of clear braces visibility throughout the treatment process.

The process of fixing the attachments in place is quick and painless. The attachments are fixed in place using a special orthodontic equipment – when the treatment is complete, the attachment is polished off the surface of the tooth. The whole process leaves no lasting evidence that the attachments were ever in place and there is absolutely no damage caused to the tooth enamel.

Interproximal reduction sounds a lot more severe than the actual process itself. Also known as interproximal stripping, the procedure involves your dentist in Smile Hub skillfully removing of a small portion of tooth enamel. Only a fraction of a millimetre of enamel is removed during the quick and pain free process. The purpose of undergoing interproximal reduction is to create vital extra space into which adjacent teeth can move. This means that if only a small amount of extra space is required, healthy teeth do not need to be extracted in order to make room.

Any orthodontic treatment to align the teeth gradually over time will naturally involve placing a gentle pressure on the teeth in order to achieve the desired movement. This pressure is most noticeable in the early stages of each new aligner being introduced to the teeth – any discomfort or sensitivity commonly manifests as a dull ache that fades over a period of a day or two.

Where the patient reports an above average level of tenderness in the teeth and gums following the introduction of a new aligner, your dentist in Smile Hub may prescribe a course of pain relief medication.

Each Invisalign aligner is custom-made to fit the patient’s mouth. This means that the tray is manufactured to meet the patient’s gum line, giving a full coverage of each tooth. Should the patient experience any rubbing of the tray on the surface of the gum, dental wax may be used to help reduce friction in the area. Alternatively, patients who feel that more needs to be done to reduce the friction felt at the gum line are encouraged to speak to their dental professional overseeing the treatment – your dental professional in Smile Hub may be able to file the edges of the Invisalign aligner on the patient’s behalf, creating a more natural fit that does not irritate the gum.

Each Invisalign treatment is specific to the patient. Where relatively simple cases of teeth misalignment can be resolved with minor corrections, a shorter course of Invisalign treatment that does not require a retainer may be prescribed. However, where your dentist in Smile Hub is confident that further action is required to hold the teeth in place following a complete course of Invisalign treatment, several options are available. For example, in some cases, patients may require a discrete retainer fixed to the rear of the teeth and an impression will be taken for a removable retainer (which will only need to be worn at night).

At Smile Hub we provide Invisalign treatment for adult patients who are suitable candidates for Invisalign treatment. Whether the decision is made to go ahead with the Invisalign treatment will however rest with a number of other factors, including whether the patient presents good general health and good oral health. Issues such as severe crowding or spacing may also require specialist attention before a clear braces solution to bring the teeth into alignment can be used to maximum effectiveness. In some cases, severe gapping of the teeth cannot be helped with a clear braces solution and would typically result in a discussion about the possibility of solving any gapping issues with the introduction of a bridge, a dental implant (permanently embedded false tooth) or a partial denture.

At Smile Hub some patients who may not be suitable for Invisalign such as:

• Patients who are yet to lose all baby teeth
• Patients fitted with dentures or other false teeth
• Patients fitted with a bridge, joining the teeth in an area
• Patients suffering from periodontal disease or gum disease

Steps must also be taken to ensure that the patient’s medical history does not involve any recent surgery or X-rays of the head and neck prior to X-rays being taken of the patient’s mouth – although the patient is only exposed to a minor dose of radiation during X-rays (such that effects on health are not typically deemed to be an issue when used sparingly), a build-up of radiation following many X-rays can lead to potential health risks, with symptoms in extreme circumstances including vomiting and hair loss.

Patients who are concerned about over exposure to X-rays should speak to their dentist in Smile Hub for peace of mind before going forward with any dental treatments.

Invisalign clear aligners are removed for eating and therefore do not tend to stain at all. They’re very easy to maintain and keep clean.

No. You can straighten your teeth whatever your age is.

At the start it takes about a week get used to wearing the aligners. However after this initial phase the aligner trays are quite comfortable and patients say that they hardly notice them in their mouths. Your teeth can feel slightly loose as the aligner trays apply gentle pressure to your teeth to encourage their movement. This is due to the ligaments that hold your teeth being stretched to enable correct alignment of your teeth. When the aligners come off this sensation resolves.

The answer will vary from patient to patient. However, in general terms, patients who do not present issues of severe crowding or tooth decay should not typically expect tooth removal to form a normal procedural step in the Invisalign treatment process. Mild to moderate cases of teeth misalignment, for example, would not usually be associated with the extraction of healthy teeth as a necessity.

Patients who wish to undergo Invisalign treatment to improve teeth alignment but who are concerned about the potential for tooth extraction to be recommended as part of the procedure are advised to seek professional advice for peace of mind.

Prospective Invisalign patients are advised that there may be a period of adjustment involving speech in relation to wearing the clear braces for the first time. When the aligner is placed in the mouth, the patient may notice a slight audible lisp when attempting to pronounce certain letters or words. For example, when patients who are new to the Invisalign system first begin to wear the aligners, the patient may experience and initial difficulty in clearly pronouncing “s” sounds – commonly, this sound instead sounds like “sh”. However, as the patient begins to acclimate to the presence of the aligner, the tongue and cheeks will naturally make the necessary adjustments to enable clearer speech.

Invisalign patients who pursue careers that depend on speaking to people on a regular basis (such as call centre operatives or front of house staff) are advised to practice reading aloud at home in order to achieve faster results in easily forming words when the aligners are in place.

Generally, patients who report encountering issues with speech only report minor and short-lived issues. Patients who are still concerned over the potential affect that Invisalign may have on speech are advised to speak to your dental professional in Smile Hub for further information on techniques to reduce further any speech impediments that may arise from wearing the clear braces aligners.

This is a good opportunity to hammer home the message that Invisalign patients are expected to take superb care of the teeth during treatment – meaning that patients are advised to brush and floss after every meal before replacing the aligner. Removing food debris trapped between the teeth is of vital importance for several reasons. First, the aligner system will not fit against the teeth in the proper fashion where obstacles get in the way of an air-tight seal. This may sound dramatic, but foods such a sweetcorn and some meats are well known for leaving behind a significant amount of undesirable leftover food between the teeth. As a knock-on effect of this debris not being cleaned away in a timely manner, poor oral health may begin to develop, potentially leading to a swelling in the gums that could push against the aligner system and cause discomfort. Of course, the main concern here is that poor oral health must be addressed, but where gum disease does lead to swelling and therefore an inability to wear the aligners comfortably, the treatment may have to be postponed while the necessary treatments to resolve any oral health issues are carried out (meaning the patient will have to wait longer for results).

Aligners must not be cleaned with off-the-shelf standard toothpaste. Although the temptation exists to use a damp toothbrush while brushing the teeth to gently brush away any debris that may have accumulated in the tooth indents inside the aligner, this kind of activity is ill advised. Standard toothpaste contains a mild abrasive that can scratch the aligners, creating the ideal breeding grounds for bacteria. Not only will this potentially cause the aligner to smell, but the bacteria may ultimately transfer to the teeth and gums, resulting in poor oral hygiene that may require professional intervention. Instead, aligners should be cleaned using the products recommended by the dentist in Smile Hub (soaps and mild detergents are examples of acceptable cleaning products suitable for use on aligner trays).

A point also worth mentioning here is that prospective Invisalign patients who have not witnessed the product up close will not necessarily appreciate just how very close to invisible the aligner system appears in the mouth. Although the uninitiated may be tempted to think of the aligner system as resembling something close to the fake vampire teeth children are seen wearing towards the end of October each year, this would not be remotely close to an accurate portrayal of how real Invisalign aligners look when worn correctly. The custom-made thin aligners are designed to sit flush against the teeth, with the ‘base’ of aligner extending all the way to the gum line. This means that people looking right at an aligner being worn by a patient will not see the aligner straight away and may take some prompting to look a little closer before noticing anything out of the ordinary.

If needed, your dentist in Smile Hub may recommend an additional ‘finishing Invisalign aligner’, which should be worn overnight. The recommended use of such a finishing aligner may come as a surprise to some patients, but this is in no way an indication that the treatment has not been successful – merely that your dental professional has deemed that one more aligner must be used before the permanent realignment of the teeth can be considered a success. The use of finishing aligners is not always required, however, and such orthodontic appliances will be considered for use on a patient by patient basis.

Finally, the Invisalign system works best when overseen by experienced professionals – there is an element of orthodontic artistry involved in producing the best possible results, meaning patients should always seek out experienced staff and established orthodontic practices (avoiding any cheaper offers from newer practices advertising from foreign locations, for example).

Talk to our expert dental team today about Flexifi Finance options with Smile Hub. Please Call 01 5253 888 to discuss the financing options available at Smile Hub Dental Clinic. We look forward to welcoming you to North Dublin’s Premier Dental Clinic.