What is Invisalign?

Different Park City orthodontics solutions are available to consumers living in the Park City area. A very popular procedure involves the use of clear, almost invisible, orthodontia called Invisalign. Invisalign is a series of clear, removable teeth aligners that trained dentists use as an alternative to traditional metal braces.

Over a period of months, the patient is given a series of aligners – a new one about every two weeks – which gradually adjust the teeth until they achieve the alignment desired by the patient and dentist. For many Park City orthodontics patients, Invisalign is the treatment of choice due to the comfort, convenience and cosmetic appearance. We are proud to offer all of our patients the best technology and care in our Park City Invisalign dental office.

What are the Advantages of Invisalign?

The greatest advantage of the Invisalign treatment is the cosmetic appearance. The aligners are completely transparent and made of clear, hard plastic. This makes the method particularly popular among adults who want to straighten their teeth without the conspicuous look of traditional metal braces. Invisalign for Teens has also been created to help teens straighten their teeth without their peers ever even knowing!

In addition to the benefits of "invisibility," our patients have usually found the aligners to be more comfortable than metal braces. There are no metal brackets to cut your lips or cheeks and the aligners do not irritate gums. The aligners can be removed and cleaned, unlike metal braces which routinely catch food and gum in the brackets, which contributes to the build up of bacteria and bad breath.

The hygienic benefits are greater because the chance of tooth decay is much lower in comparison to traditional braces. The aligners must be worn for 20 hours a day, allowing time to remove them while eating, brushing, and flossing your teeth. With traditional braces, demineralization or tooth decay occurs in 50% of patients. The metal wires also prevent dental x-rays from being taken, and tooth decay is usually not detected until after the braces are removed. The invisalign aligners are removed while eating and patients are told to brush and floss their teeth before returning the aligners to their mouth.

Mountain High Dental also uses computerized treatment to plan and measure the proper ongoing alignment of the teeth and to customize the finished product to meet the patient’s unique desires. The patient is brought into the office to review, critique, and agree to the treatment as it is shown online to the Dentist.

Due to the advanced nature of Invisalign technology, the orthodontic treatment is typically quicker than traditional braces. The average length of time a patient is in treatment is 12 months. The final aligner is kept as a final retainer which the patient can keep for the rest of their life and wear at night to help prevent the teeth from shifting after treatment.

A side benefit is that the aligners can be used as bleach trays to whiten teeth. The custom aligners are very similar to bleach trays and can double as bleach trays to prevent an added cost. We offer all of our invisalign patients whitening products so that they have perfectly white teeth at the end of their treatment!

Are there any disadvantages?

Because the aligners are removable, they do have the potential to get lost. The good news is that Invisalign stores all treatments in their database and we are able to request a single tray be remade to replace the lost aligner.

Another potential disadvantage is that the trays MUST be worn no less than 20 hours per day. If a patient is not consistent with their wear, the trays will not have their intended affect and the patient will struggle to achieve their optimal smile.

If a patient suffers from grinding their teeth, the aligners have the potential to become damaged before their 2-week use is up. If a person has severe grinding habits, other options will need to be discussed before attempting the use of Invisalign treatment.

Our Park City Invisalign practice is located in Kimball Junction, next door to the post office. We are proud to be a Utah Invisalign provider and offer FREE CONSULTATIONS to anyone who would like to explore this exciting option. Call our office today at 435-647-3012 or visit our website and let us help you get a beautiful smile.