Suitability for Invisalign

In recent years, there has been an upsurge in teenage and adult patients seeking orthodontic treatment with clear or invisible aligners.

And it is easy to see why!

Clear or invisible aligners are, as the name suggests, visually discrete, allowing you to have orthodontic treatment without drawing attention to your teeth.  Not only that, but it is also a good way to straighten your teeth in an accelerated time frame.

But, unfortunately, while this can seem like an ideal solution for dental problems not everyone is suited to these aligners.

At Clear Braces Direct, our team can offer one of the most popular of all invisible aligners; Invisalign London! We have been working with this aligner for many years and know how it can bolster a patient’s confidence and get them the straight teeth that they deserve and want with minimal fuss.

But how do you know if you will be suitable for this aligner? In this article, we will be focusing on suitability for Invisalign London and hopefully, you will be able to determine if this aligner is the answer to your misalignment woes. Enjoy!

Adult teeth only!

While this is more common with young teenage patients, a key factor in using Invisalign London is that you should not have any baby teeth in your mouth.

Why is this important?  Because the teeth are going to be moved and, if they are not going to stay in place for the duration of the treatment, this can present an obvious problem when fitting the aligners and moving the surrounding teeth.

If our team spots that you have a baby tooth in your mouth, we will aim to remove it and allow the adult tooth to erupt before beginning any treatment with invisible aligners.

Good oral health

Another factor that we have to assess when looking at your suitability for invisible aligners is your oral health.

As gum disease can cause teeth to become loose and fall out, if we detect that you are suffering from gum disease, our team needs to treat this first. Similarly, if you have loose fillings, crowns or are suffering from tooth decay, then we will need to ensure that these are all stable and treated before beginning orthodontic treatment.

Responsible!

Invisible aligners are removable and therefore, it can be tempting for patients to leave these aligners out of their mouths for longer than they should.

Each day, you should aim to wear your aligners for a minimum of 22 hours or as directed by our team;  failure to do so will result in either the orthodontic treatment stalling or your teeth reverting to their previous positions in your mouth.

So, if you feel you may struggle to keep your aligners in each day, please alert our team and we will aim to seek out a more suitable treatment for you.

Mild to moderate

The technology surrounding invisible aligners has advanced greatly in recent years. However, these aligners are still more suited to patients who have mild to moderate misalignments with the teeth at the front of the mouth. If you have misalignments with your molars or one of your teeth requires twisting or is protruding, then we may suggest a different type of orthodontic tool for you.