Author: Clear Braces Direct

When most people think about orthodontic tools such as braces, they picture pieces of food being trapped under the archwire or around the brackets, creating a not very aesthetically pleasing look.

And if you are an adult who is looking to undertake dental realignment, you may be curious as to how other orthodontic tools, such as aligners, will impact your oral hygiene. Will you need to avoid certain foods? Or will you need as many hygienist appointments as you would wearing a fitted brace?

At Clear Braces Direct, our team specialises in the use of Invisalign London, a removable aligner that is not only easier to fit into your daily routine, but an aligner that also does not have such a dramatic impact on your oral health whilst wearing it.

So how does the wearing of Invisalign London differ from that of a fitted brace relating to dental hygiene? Read on to find out.

Eating

A common concern that many adults have when undergoing orthodontic treatment is how it will impact their diets. Many people are aware that when wearing a fitted brace, you have to avoid softer foods that can get trapped under the archwire and of course sticky foods like toffee. With Invisalign London, as the aligner is removable, you will not need to alter your diet at all and can enjoy the same range of foods as you did before starting treatment.

Brushing and flossing

When wearing invisible aligners, you can remove them to brush and floss your teeth and you should aim to do so twice a day. However, when you are about to eat food or consume hot beverages, you will need to take the aligners out of your mouth to prevent them from becoming damaged. It is worth investing in a travel-size toothbrush, as before you put the aligner back in your mouth, you will need to clean your teeth to remove food debris. This will prevent cavities and periodontal disease.

Hygienist

Gum disease is always a concern when it comes to dental care. When you are wearing an aligner or a brace, you will want to ensure that your gums are healthy and that there is no risk posed to your teeth. While you will not need to visit a hygienist as part of standard invisible aligner treatment, it may be worth attending biannual hygienist check-ups while undertaking this treatment, to ensure that your gums and teeth are healthy and free of periodontal disease.

Aligners

As the aligners are made from clear plastic, you will need to keep them clean to prevent issues from occurring with your oral hygiene. This is very straightforward; simply rinse the aligners under a tap twice a day, or as required, to remove debris and food particles that could cause cavities or gum disease. Do not use hot water to clean your aligners or mouthwash, as this can lead to the aligners becoming misshapen or stained.

Check-ups

Of course, when undertaking realignment treatment with invisible aligners you will still need to attend your biannual check-ups with our team. This will ensure that your teeth and gums remain in good condition.

When you read or hear the words ‘it’s one for the money, two for the show’, it may conjure up the dulcet tones of Elvis’ baritone voice. However, did you also know that this is actually an old rhyme that used to be said to children before the start of a race? At Clear Braces Direct, we are not trying to race through the dental treatment we provide, but we understand that your time is valuable to you, so having a treatment that is not too time-consuming may be appealing when it comes to having your mild to moderate alignment issues treated. With Invisalign in Newcastle, we could realign your teeth in as little as 4 to 6 months and as accredited Diamond Apex Invisalign providers, we can do so efficiently to get you the fabulous smile you deserve. What’s more, we can do a lot of the monitoring of your treatment remotely, so you have more time doing the things you love doing, rather than trying to find the time to come and see us for check-ups. With our remote monitoring app, we will only call you in for a check-up if we really need to see you, saving you both time and money.

What is Invisalign?

Invisalign is a system that consists of plastic aligners that are worn over the teeth – a bit like a streamlined gumshield! When worn, only your teeth should be visible, so you won’t have to worry about other people seeing you wearing an appliance in your mouth while you get your new smile. The aligners push the teeth into the correct position over a period of time. You will need to wear a different aligner at regular intervals and these will be sent to you for free, straight to your home. When you first come in to see us, we will be able to take a digital scan of your mouth using iTero technology. This enables us to get the precise measurements of your mouth to have your aligners made bespoke for you. From this scan, we will also generate a 3D animation of what your teeth will look like once your treatment has been completed, so you can visualise how great your smile will become.

Each week, you will then use an app to monitor your progress and we will also access this, enabling us to check up on you and if all is moving as we would like it to, then you can continue with your life! Invisalign offers comfort, convenience and discreet treatment for patients.

Any other reasons I should choose Invisalign?

Aside from the comfort, convenience and discretion that Invisalign in Newcastle offers, it also allows for a certain amount of flexibility for patients too. You may remove your aligners for up to 2 hours a day, which means that you can take them out when you are eating and drinking, and you won’t have to clean masticated food off them after your meal. What’s more, you also won’t need to worry about avoiding hard or chewy foods, for example, because you won’t be wearing your aligners when you are eating, so you can’t break them!

Come and see us!

For your first appointment, we will need to see you for a free consultation to assess if Invisalign is the right treatment for you. Why not come and see us for this no obligation appointment to see if you could have a great smile in as little as 4 to 6 months? It’s not a race, but if you want a great smile soon then now’s the time.

When you begin treatment with invisible aligners, it can be a bit of an adjustment. Especially if you have never undertaken orthodontic treatment before. So, for you to stick to the treatment you need to know what you can expect when you begin wearing the aligners in your day-to-day life.

Being better prepared will allow you to make the required adjustments, and of course, will ensure that the treatment works and gives you the smile that you want and deserve.

At Clear Braces Direct, our team knows all there is to know about using invisible aligners, particularly Invisalign London. We can advise you on what you can expect with your unique clinical case when you begin wearing this aligner, so there will be no surprises.

But generally speaking, there are some other things you can expect too. And in the following short guide, our team breaks down what using Invisalign London typically entails.

Timing

To benefit from using Invisalign London, you need to wear the aligners for a minimum of 22 hours per day. This means in the first few days or even weeks of wear, you will not be too far from your watch or a timer on your phone. While it can be tempting to try and skip this step and wear the aligners as and when you please, be aware that doing so can result in the treatment stalling and may cause your teeth to move back to their former positions. This will make the entire process a waste of time.

Movement

One of the benefits of wearing invisible aligners is that you can see your teeth moving with each aligner. However, it is also important to be aware of how the aligners themselves will fit and move. When you first begin wearing your aligner, it will be tight fitting to your teeth and may require a bit of fiddling to adjust. As the teeth move, it will become looser and when the aligner begins to move in your mouth, it is time to switch to the next one in the sequence. This usually occurs every two weeks.

Loose aligners

As mentioned before, when it comes to the end of wearing one aligner, it may feel loose in your mouth. And while uncommon, aligners may not fit correctly to begin with, so when you put them in, they may feel loose. This needs to be addressed by our team, as a loosely fitting aligner cannot move your teeth.

Lots of cleaning!

To ensure that your aligner remains invisible and that your oral health remains in good condition for the duration of treatment, you will need to engage in lots of cleaning. As the aligners are removable, they can be cleaned by simply rinsing them under a cold water tap twice a day or as needed. When you take the aligners out to eat food, before putting them back in, you will need to brush your teeth to remove food and other pieces of debris. This will ensure that you are at a lower risk of developing cavities or gum disease.

Weekly reports

To ensure that the treatment is going as planned, our team will need to see weekly photographs of your teeth. This can be done using the associated app with the aligner and all you need to do is take a selfie and send it across. From this, we will be able to determine what steps are necessary.

Whether you are new to the world of adult orthodontics, or if you have been looking for a viable treatment for your dental misalignment for some time, you will likely have come across invisible aligners.

But as invisible aligners are relatively new to the world of adult orthodontic care, many patients have a few questions about this treatment option and of course whether or not it can help them with their misalignment woes.

At Clear Braces Direct, we have been offering our patients Invisalign London for over 5 years and can help to answer any questions that you may have about this treatment option. We always take the time to explain each treatment to our patients and will help you to decide and choose the most suitable option to correct your misalignment issues.

So what are some of the most common questions we receive about Invisalign London? Read on to find out!

How does the aligner work?

Before we talk about how Invisalign London works, let us first think about the traditional fitted brace.

It is attached to the teeth using dental cement and is adjusted periodically every 4-6 weeks using the archwire to move the teeth via the brackets. Invisible aligners are not fitted and require an intraoral scan before you begin treatment. This is used to calibrate the necessary movements required for the aligner to work, after which a set of aligners are printed using a 3D printer, each one slightly different from the last and designed to be worn in a precise order to move your teeth. In short, invisible aligners move the teeth in smaller increments and each aligner is worn for around 2 weeks.

Who is suitable for it?

More people than you think may be suited for invisible aligners. Provided you have a mild to moderate case of dental misalignment and can commit to wearing the appliance for the required 22 hours per day, it is highly likely that you will be suited for it.

How long does it take?

This brand of invisible aligners has an average treatment time of between 3 to 6 months. But as mentioned before, that is assuming that you have a mild to moderate case of dental misalignment and that you commit to wearing the aligners for as long as our team specifies. If you do not wear the aligner for this time, your teeth may revert to their previous positions before you started the treatment, the movement may halt or the misalignment may worsen.

Is it uncomfortable?

Any orthodontic treatment has the underlying job to move your teeth and even with invisible aligners, you can expect there to be some mild discomfort, especially when you are placing a new aligner in your mouth.

Any discomfort that you experience should be managed with over-the-counter pain relievers such as ibuprofen. If you find that this option does not work, then you need to see our team.

Is it easy to care for?

One of the main things that many patients love about invisible aligners is that they are easy to fit into a daily routine and yes, they are easy to care for. To wash them, you simply rinse them under a cold tap to remove debris or food and pop them back into your mouth.

The pandemic of 2020, which is still partially ongoing, has led many people to seek out treatments that they would usually obtain on the high street from the comfort of their own homes.

And, with the rise in the use of apps, smartphones and at home aligners, nowhere is this more evident than in the field of orthodontic care. Particularly with the use of at-home aligners.

At Clear Braces Direct, we have been offering our patients at home aligners since our doors first opened, and have now extended this service to include the world-famous Invisalign London. But that does not mean that all at home aligners are created equal!

So, what are some of the differences between the at-home aligners that we can offer, such as Invisalign London and off-brand counterparts? Read on to find out!

Age

When you look into Invisalign London, you may notice that there is a brand for teenagers. Therefore, this treatment has a wider age demographic than you may think. But other providers of at-home aligners often have a minimum age of 18 years old, which means many young people who could benefit from this treatment are excluded.

Safety

In much the same way that someone who wears glasses should not buy their glasses offline, if you have misaligned teeth, you should not seek orthodontic treatment without the care of a trained professional.

Using an aligner at home can be hazardous; you may be unsuitable for the treatment you have chosen, which can lead to worsening your underlying orthodontic problems. When you come to Clear Braces Direct, we care about getting you the straighter smile you want and are not as driven to turn a profit as some online providers, so we will only recommend invisible aligners if you are suitable for them.

Cost

Many people have concerns that when they undertake orthodontic treatment with a branded aligner, the name itself will add a price tag. And if you can get the same treatment online for less, why wouldn’t you?

However, with the price tag that we offer our patients comes our team’s dedication to straightening your teeth, the ability to contact us at any time if you have issues and, of course, the knowledge that our team has experience and training with this aligner to ensure that it works.

Time scale

It is not a secret that when you use invisible aligners to straighten your teeth, many have an average turnaround of between 3-6 months. But this faster treatment can only really be guaranteed if you have a team helping you with each stage of your treatment, which may not be possible if you are using an off-branded online option.

Many issues can occur when using an off-brand aligner that can slow the treatment down; poor tracking, bad engagement from either the patient or the dental team and, of course, delays with shipping out replacement aligners as and when needed. When you come to Clear Braces Direct, we will always ensure that the aligner we provide will fit your teeth well and aim to keep you engaged with the treatment to get desirable results.

So, you’ve been given the green light to start treatment with invisible aligners and are excited to get going. Great stuff!

Unlike regular braces that require you to attend your dentist every 6-8 weeks to have them tightened, aligners do not require such intervention, and each stage of moving the teeth can be done at home simply by changing between aligners after 14 days.

But, there is another feature of using invisible aligners that some patients may struggle with, especially if they are not tech-savvy; the accompanying app.

At Clear Braces Direct, we are proud to be able to offer our patients Invisalign London and want to make sure that you will get the most out of this aligner as possible. And in doing so, we are also happy to talk to our patients about the app that helps us to track their progress with this aligner.

Here, we provide a guide to using the app that accompanies Invisalign London, highlighting some of its key features. Enjoy!

Download and set up

As is the way with most things app related, you will need to download this app for your smartphone from the app store.

To set it up, you will need to create a patient account; the app will send a link to the email address you enter to invite you to complete setting up your account.

Your account will feature information, such as how many aligners are in your set, which aligner you are taking, days of wear, and the next change date that is scheduled, and you can even set up alarms and notifications to remind you to change the aligner.

Reminders

When using Invisalign London, you will need to send our team weekly selfies of your smile, so we can assess if the treatment is working as predicted or not.

To do this, when you receive the aligners, you will also receive a cheek retractor, which you will need to place in your mouth when you take your selfie; not very flattering, but it is diagnostic!

The app features a guide on how best to take these photos and even a video showing you how to place the cheek retractor correctly, so no time is wasted with awkward photos!

Feedback

When we receive your photo, you will receive information known as ‘feedback.’ There are 2 types of feedback; on track or instructions. As the name suggests, being on track means everything looks good and to keep up with the routine, whereas instructions mean you will need additional guidance.

Instructions

If you receive instructions via the app, it means we have seen a potential issue in your photographs and need you to take some additional steps.

These can be switching aligners, wearing them for longer each day, or we may invite you for a virtual appointment. If we have concerns about secondary issues such as gum irritation, gum disease or tooth decay, you will require an appointment to correct these issues.

Appointments

Yes, invisible aligners are primarily an at-home treatment, but if our team calls you into the surgery for an appointment, please attend it!

We may need to change the stage of the aligner treatment, or if the misalignment is worsening, we may need to change the tool altogether. So, please keep your appointment with us!

When it comes to undertaking any kind of new treatment, whether it is to straighten your teeth or your hair, you will likely want to know how to maximise the chances of the treatment working.

And when it comes to straightening your teeth with an invisible aligner, there are a few things you can do to ensure that the treatment straightens your teeth effectively.

With that said, as this is dental care, there are a few conditions and lifestyle choices that can negatively impact the success of these aligners, and in this article, we are going to explore what some of these are.

Because at Clear Braces Direct, we want you to get the straighter smile that you deserve using Invisalign London. Our team is dedicated to ensuring that this treatment works effectively and that we catch any potential issues that you may have early to avoid disruption. Great!

So, what are some of the dental issues and other complications that can negatively impact Invisalign London? Read on to find out!

Gum disease

One of the most insidious diseases known to the mouth is gum disease or gingivitis; it causes your gums to become red, inflamed and bleed when they are touched.

However, when you are using Invisalign London, you will need to be aware of the signs of gum disease; if left untreated, it can cause your gums to recede and your teeth to fall out. Not great when you are looking to straighten your teeth!

Smoking

In a similar vein as gum disease, smoking can create a wealth of issues when you are using invisible aligners. Firstly, if you leave the aligners in when you smoke, they can become stained, so they will not remain invisible for very long!

Smoking also increases the risk of oral cancer and has a hand in gum disease development too. So, if you want to keep using invisible aligners and get a straighter smile, you may want to undertake smoking cessation.

Lack of engagement

Invisible aligners are removable and as such, our team often has to talk to patients about their lack of engagement with the aligner. In other words, many patients take the aligner out of their mouths, which, when you need to wear the aligner for 22 hours per day to gain any benefits, can slow the orthodontic realignment or may even cause your teeth to revert to their former positions.

So, be sure to keep any invisible aligners in your mouth for as long as specified by our team.

Skipping aligners

When you use Invisalign, you will usually receive between 12 and 14 aligners in each set.

And for the treatment to work effectively, each aligner needs to be worn for around 2 weeks and the aligners need to be worn in a set order.

Even if you feel that one aligner is not worth wearing because it physically resembles the other aligners, you should under no circumstances skip it. Doing so can cause your treatment to fall out of sync and can halt the movement of your teeth.

So, unless you get the green light from a member of our team to skip an aligner, don’t!