Have you been thinking about fixing your teeth for quite some time, but now you feel as if you are too old for braces? If so, know that Invisalign can be a viable solution to your misaligned teeth. Here are three things that you need to know about Invisalign before you get the process started.
You Must Be A Good Candidate
You may assume that you can get Invisalign to correct your misaligned teeth, but that is not always the case. There are some people that are simply not good candidates for the procedure based on the number of corrections that need to be made. While technology has come a long way over the years to improve the process, it still cannot correct those major alignment issues. Think of problems where you have one tooth completely behind another, and it needs to be moved into a radically different location. This is a situation that is best for traditional braces, which will get the teeth moved quickly and into the right position.
Finding out if you are a good candidate is as simple as visiting an orthodontist for a consultation. They'll look at your teeth and let you know which procedure will be best for you.
You Need Dental Work Before Invisalign
There is a variety of dental work that you should have done before you start the Invisalign process. This includes getting a dental cleaning and inspection, and any related dental work that is discovered by the dentist. For example, you may need a cavity filled, or a dental crown installed on a tooth. The one exception to this is if you need a dental implant installed since you are going to be shifting things around and the implant will not be in the right spot.
You must have the essential dental work done before getting Invisalign because the plastic aligning trays are made to fit perfectly to your teeth. If you have a series of trays made and then you get a cavity filled, the shape of your teeth is going to slightly change. Your trays may not fit perfectly as they did before you had the cavity filled.
You Need To Be Patient When Getting Started
Plan to wait a few weeks for your trays to be ready to start the Invisalign process. While braces can be installed during the initial visit, it will take some time to manufacture those plastic trays so you can actually get started with the process.