Orthodontic Treatment with Invisalign

In the previous years, orthodontic treatment was carried out with the help of dental braces, which were not only unsightly, but they also severe discomfort and soft tissue trauma to the wearer. In fact, one of the major reasons patients avoided getting their teeth straightened with braces was due to the unaesthetic appearance of the braces as well as their tendency to cause tissue damage. What if you could get your teeth straightened, without causing any discomfort or disturbing your smile? Yes, this is possible. With the Invisalign aligners, which are transparent and barely visible, you get to keep your beautiful smile throughout the duration of the orthodontic treatment.

What is Invisalign?

Invisalign simply stands for invisible aligners, and refer to the orthodontic appliances just like the retainers, which are made of acrylic. Since they are made up of a transparent acrylic, they are barely visible to the observer, and are hence, superior in esthetics when compared with the dental braces. The good news is that the Invisalign technology is available almost everywhere. Just visit your local dentists in Claremont, California and get started with the treatment right away.

What Is The Procedure?

• Digital Impressions – gone are the days when impressions of the oral cavity were taken by placing a tray filled with an impression material into the mouth. This technique not only did not allow the required accuracy of the impression, but also caused significant discomfort to the patient. For Invisalign aligners, your dentist will make a digital impression of your oral structures by placing an intra-oral camera.

• Treatment Planning – the 3D digital impression of your mouth is then fed into a software, with the help of which, your dentist chalks out a customized treatment that is precisely based on your individual case.

• Fabrication of Invisalign Aligners – the digital impression and the required design of the aligners is then sent to the dental lab for fabrication. The aligners are designed in such a way that they exert a suitable amount of pressure onto the teeth, thereby carrying out the required tooth alignment. Patients wear the first set of aligners for about two weeks, and then they are provided with aligners once the previous aligner has served its purpose. In this way, the patient sequentially switches to a new set of aligners after every two weeks, until the desired results are achieved.

Advantages of Invisalign

• Minimal Effects on Facial Esthetics – while the braces significantly disturb the facial esthetics with their metallic appearance, the Invisalign aligners do not have any effect on your facial appearance as well as your smile.

• Easy to clean – cleaning dental appliances cannot get any simpler than this. Now you don’t have to spend your time cleaning your braces with the interdental brush and the floss every time you eat. Simply brush your aligners with lukewarm water, and you’re good to go!

• No Tissue Damage – while the orthodontic braces possess a tendency to cause soft tissue trauma during speech, mastication and especially during contact sports, the Invisalign clear aligners can be worn during sports without the fear of damaging your soft tissues.

• Enjoy your Food, Anytime, Anywhere! – eating your food becomes difficult with the braces, let alone enjoying it. In addition, patients cannot eat sticky foods or candies due to fears of detachment of the braces. Now with these removable appliances, you can enjoy any food you like. Simply remove the aligners before you eat, and enjoy your food! However, don’t forget to clean them before wearing them again.

How to Use the Invisalign Aligners?

Unlike the orthodontic braces, which are fixe appliance, the Invisalign aligners are removable. Hence, their efficacy is dependent upon the duration for which they are worn during the day. However, they should be removed while eating, and cleaned with lukewarm water before putting them back on.

What is The Duration of Treatment?

The duration of treatment usually depends upon the severity of the case as well as the extent of the patient’s adherence to the dentist’s instructions. However, for the treatment of a mild to moderate case, 12-18 months might be required, depending upon the patient’s compliance.

Is the Treatment Costly?

Yes, the treatment is slightly more costly than the convention therapy with braces. However, considering their advantages, such as their comfort and esthetics, the higher expense of this treatment is a very smile price to pay.

What is the Age Limit for Invisalign Therapy?

Although the ideal age for any type of orthodontic treatment is during the early teens, when the growth and development of the body are at their peak, and tooth movement and bone remodeling is easy, there is no need for the elder patients to lose hope. With the help of Invisalign, your Dentists in Claremont, California is well trained to provide orthodontic treatment to elder patients as well!

Considering to get your teeth straightened? So you what are you waiting for? Book an appointment with your Claremont Dentists, and get amazed with the miraculous results of the Invisalign orthodontic treatment appliances at http://www.nicholasgihdds.com/

Best Tooth Whitening Dentist in Claremont, CA

Are you one of those people who are concerned about their stained teeth, and want them to be pearly white, just like the sparkling teeth of a baby? Then visiting your dentist for a tooth whitening procedure might be the answer to your problems. In this procedure, the dentist uses various safe, and fast acting bleaching agents to remove the stains that have developed on your teeth.

What is Tooth Whitening?

It is a cosmetic dental procedure, in which the dentist exposes your teeth to a bleaching agent, usually carbamide peroxide, which is able to detach the adherent tooth stains, and bring the back the natural white color of your teeth.

How Is It Done?

• Tooth Cleaning - Before moving onto the bleaching process, the dentist or the dental hygienist will first clean your teeth using an ultrasonic scaler. This is done to remove the thick layer of food and bacterial debris, known as the dental plaque, which has been deposited on the surface of the teeth. Removal of the dental plaque ensures that all the surfaces of the teeth are completely exposed to the bleaching agent, and the whitening effect is observed uniformly on all the teeth.

• Fabrication of Custom Trays – Next, the dentist will make an impression of your teeth and gums. This impression will be sent to the laboratory, where trays will be made in acrylic (plastic) for the upper and lower teeth, such that it they easily fit into the mouth.

• Whitening Procedure – firstly, a layer of protective agent, such as petroleum jelly is applied to the gums, in order to prevent accidental bleaching of the gums. Next, the bleaching agent is poured into the trays, which are seated into the patient’s mouth, usually for about 60-90 minutes, after which the trays are removed.

• Tooth Polishing – Now that your teeth have been whitened, would you also not want them to be smooth and shiny? Of course! Therefore, in the final step, the dentist polishes your teeth using various sizes of polishing cups. After they have been polished, not only are they whiter, but also shinier.

Types of Tooth Whitening Procedures

Dentists perform two types of whitening procedures on the teeth, the vital, and the non-vital whitening procedures:

• Vital Tooth Whitening – As the name suggests, this procedure is performed on the vital, or live teeth. The aim is to remove the stains that have developed on the external surface of the teeth through the application of a suitable bleaching agent. It is more commonly performed, compared with the non-vital procedure.

• Non-Vital Tooth Whitening – In certain cases, the teeth become stained from the inside, after they have undergone a root canal treatment, and have become non-vital or dead. In this case, the dentist places the bleaching agent inside the root canal, so as to remove the stains.

What to Expect After the Procedure?

Slight swelling and sensitivity of the teeth as well as the gums can occur after the procedure, which normally subsided after 2-3 days.  Ensuring good oral hygiene during that period can accelerate the healing process.

Will Tooth Whitening Also Be Effective On the Composite Fillings?

The peroxide bleaching agents used during tooth whitening are only effective on the enamel of the natural teeth, and are ineffective on the restorative materials, and they need to be either repaired or replaced, in order to match the results of tooth whitening on the natural teeth.

Is The Effect of Tooth Whitening Permanent?

Unfortunately, the effects of tooth whitening do not last permanently, and the procedure may need to be repeated, especially if you are a habitual smoker, or love to drink tea or coffee.

Despite the miraculous results that are achieved with this procedure, in the form of enhancement in facial and overall esthetics, tooth whitening cannot be considered as a substitute to regular oral hygiene maintenance. This is because, staining of the teeth is not possible if the teeth are regularly brushed and flossed. The old saying, that “prevention is better than cure” also holds true in this case.