When you have an uneven smile, you may assume the only way to enjoy a straighter smile is to commit to wearing metal braces for up to two years. However, this isn’t true for many people! Your Overland Park, KS, dentist can offer a series of clear and comfortable aligners, which are practically invisible, to correct misalignment for many of our patients.
How Does Misalignment Impact My Smile?
Why should we be concerned about our crooked, crowded, or overlapping teeth? Well, misalignment tends to provide places for food particles to become trapped. Brushing and flossing may not be able to reach them, so they remain for bacteria to break down. The process then increases the risk of tooth decay, gum disease, teeth stains, and even bad breath. For others, misalignment could impact the balance of our bite, the resulting imbalance increasing the risk of issues like TMJ disorder and bruxism (teeth grinding). Finally, this could also lead to issues with your self-confidence, as you may feel embarrassed about your smile’s appearance.
Creating Custom Aligners
Correcting uneven teeth helps improve not only the beauty of your smile, but your overall oral health too. With Invisalign®, we accomplish using a series of clear aligners. To create them, we take detailed impressions and images of your smile, which are used in a lab to create the aligners. Each set is crafted to fit comfortably and shift the position of your teeth. They will be made from a clear and BPA-free acrylic material, limiting their availability significantly.
The Treatment Process
Each day, a set will be worn for about 20 to 22 hours. Every two weeks or so, you will upgrade to the next in the series. The total treatment time depends on the extent of your misalignment, and for adults takes about a year, and for teens about 18 months on average. To make caring for your smile easier, and to ensure you don’t have to avoid certain foods and drinks, you can take out your aligners before you brush and floss, and prior to each meal. You can also remove them for special occasions too! If you have any questions about how we treat misalignment, or about the benefits of our clear and comfortable aligners, then contact our team today. We want to help families in our community enjoy smiles that make them feel proud, and also protect their overall oral health.
Do You Have Questions About Cosmetic Orthodontics?
Our team wants to help you correct crooked, crowded, or overlapping teeth whitening a series of barely noticeable appliances. We can also combine this with other cosmetic treatments to offer a smile makeover. To learn more about correcting uneven teeth with cosmetic braces, then schedule your consultation by calling Family First Dental in Overland Park, KS, today at 913-381-2600.