Up to 50% of all children need orthodontic care like braces, retainers, and spacers. Although it’s very common for teenagers to wear braces, your teen might feel embarrassed or upset by the idea of wearing metal braces during their middle school or high school years.
Fortunately, metal braces aren’t the only solution to misaligned teeth. Invisalign offers a comfortable, easy alternative that teenagers love. Learn more about Invisalign to decide if it’s the right orthodontic solution for your child, then ask your Vista, CA pediatric dentist for more information.
Why Is It Important to Fix Crooked Teeth?
Crooked teeth aren’t just unattractive. They’re also extremely dangerous to your child’s oral health.
Crooked teeth cause many complications if left untreated. Common misalignment issues like crowding, spacing, and poor bite make it difficult to remove plaque from certain areas. If that plaque isn’t properly brushed and flossed away, it has the chance to spread and trigger gum inflammation and tooth decay. This eventually turns into gingivitis, the early stages of gum disease.
Unfortunately, untreated gingivitis progresses to full-blown periodontal disease. The most common complications of periodontal disease include severe infection, bone loss, and tooth loss.
Your teenager’s quality of life shouldn’t be diminished by tooth decay and gum disease at such a young age. Uncontrolled periodontal disease also leads to the need for thousands of dollars in reconstructive dental work in the future. It’s so much easier to prevent these problems by straightening your teenager’s teeth now!
What is Invisalign and How Does It Work?
Invisalign for teens is an innovative teeth alignment system that uses a series of flexible plastic aligners to shift misaligned teeth into their proper positions. The FDA-approved aligners are thin and clear, so they fit snugly over the teeth without causing any obvious changes to your teen’s appearance.
In order to begin the Invisalign treatment process, you and your child will work with your dentist to create a digital treatment plan that demonstrates the exact movement of the teeth as they adjust into straighter positions. Then you’ll receive a customized set of clear aligners designed with advanced SmartTrack® thermoplastic material. The aligners work in a specific order to gently shift and push your teen’s teeth into an attractive and straight arrangement.
Your child will move onto the next aligner in the set every 1 to 2 weeks. It’s important to wear the aligners for 20 to 22 hours per day. Of course, Invisalign aligners can be removed to brush, floss, eat, and drink, as long as they’re worn all other times.
Is Invisalign Right For My Teenager?
Invisalign is a great solution for most teenagers (and adults!) seeking an alternative to braces. This clear, comfortable system uses advanced technology proven to fix nearly all common teeth-straightening bit issues. Invisalign addresses most alignment and orthodontic concerns. If you’re not sure, just ask your teen’s dentist for professional advice and work toward a personalized solution.
How Long Will Invisalign Take to Fix My Teen’s Smile?
This is just one of the many benefits of choosing Invisalign as your teeth straightening system! The average treatment time is only 12 to 18 months! Your teen may even start to notice results in just weeks.
Of course, every case is different, so only your dentist can determine your exact treatment protocol based upon your child’s oral condition and needs. Overall, Invisalign tends to work faster than standard braces. Some patients achieve their new, straight smile in just six months!
What Are the Benefits of Using Invisalign Instead of Metal Braces?
Invisalign is a comfortable, versatile, and effective treatment that helps teens and adults alike straighten their teeth without any of the embarrassment or pain common with standard metal braces. Your teen can expect to enjoy the following benefits when you select an Invisalign plan.
Removable and Invisible
Some of the best perks of using Invisalign are the benefits that metal braces can’t offer. Invisalign aligners are so thin and clear that nobody will notice them. This gives your teen the most subtle, unembarrassing teeth straightening process possible.
Your teen can also remove his aligners whenever he eats, drinks, brushes, and flosses to make those tasks easier and more enjoyable. It’s even possible to remove Invisalign trays while playing sports.
Faster Results with Less Pain
No teeth straightening procedure is completely painless, since shifting teeth within the gums is bound to cause some discomfort. However, Invisalign creates such a gentle shifting motion that your teen may only experience slight, subtle discomfort. It’s nothing compared to the intense pain often caused by harsh metal braces.
The slight discomfort felt during the first few weeks is a good sign that your teen’s aligners are doing their job! He’ll quickly adjust to this pressure and enjoy the remainder of the Invisalign process virtually pain-free.
Even better, Invisalign’s gentle treatment process can deliver results faster than normal braces. Your teen may notice changes to his teeth alignment in a matter of weeks. The full treatment process lasts anywhere from 6 to 18 months.
Safe and Reliable
Invisalign aligners are designed to be 100% free of BPA, BPA, latex, and gluten. They’re also FDA-approved, so you can trust their safety and quality.
The plastic material used to create your Invisalign trays are made of medical-grade, high molecular weight, thermoplastic polymers. In other words, they’re formed with a material that has a long history of safe use inside the human body. It’s been FDA-approved for use in Invisalign aligners since 1998, so you have more than two decades of proof that this is a reliable treatment option.
Where Can My Teen Get Started With Invisalign?
Not every dentist is qualified to guide teenagers through the Invisalign process. That’s why it’s important to find a pediatric dentist that you trust with your child’s smile. At All Smiles Children’s Dentistry in Vista, CA, Dr. Houri specializes in Invisalign for teens. She understands that teenagers want to improve their smiles without the pain and embarrassment of metal braces.
Call All Smiles Children’s Dentistry today at (760) 734-4400 to learn more and schedule your teenager’s first appointment.