Will Invisalign work for me?

The great question: will Invisalign work?

The days of straightening your teeth and being tortured with nicknames like “brace face” “metal mouth” or my favorite “zipper lips” are long behind us thanks to Invisalign. Using clear, custom-made aligners that you wear over your teeth, Invisalign is practically indistinguishable allowing you to gradually straighten your teeth without anyone knowing. Despite the obvious advantages, some people still ask: "Will Invisalign work for me?" This article tries to settle the question once and for all by addressing several things.

Fad or fabulous?

According to realself, Invisalign has an 88% worth it rating. The Invisalign craze is sweeping the cosmetic dental industry with many wanting to jump on board the crazy train, but is this train heading in the right direction for your teeth? Before you buy a ticket, figure out if Invisalign is indeed your dental destination.

How crooked are your teeth?

Invisalign has a difficult time fixing cases that are too severe. Only certain kinds of dental shifts can be carried out with it. If you have abnormalities with your jaw or bone structure, have a complicated bridge or crowns, Invisalign may not be the best choice for you.

How old are you?

A lot of people ask: will Invisalign work for people of all ages? It can only be used by adults or older teenagers who have lost all their baby teeth and who have all of their molars. Your jaw must have the manual dexterity necessary to remove the aligners for eating and brushing. Invisalign is very snug, that’s how it works, but it could cause a problem if you are older and suffer from arthritis or other age-associated conditions.

How responsible are you?

With traditional braces, once they’re on they can’t come off. With Invisalign, you have to remove the aligners whenever you eat or drink and you have to make sure that you brush after you’re finished. Also, they must be in your mouth at least 22 hours a day. Failure to follow the procedures during and after treatment will not give you your desired results. If you’re a haphazard kind of person frequently asking yourself which way is up, adhering to the strident guidelines may not be your best choice.

Why or why not?

One of the obvious reasons to choose Invisalign is for its secrecy. In a sense, you are wearing incognito braces. No one has to know. For teenagers, everything can feel awkward as they face the prom, senior portraits, or just walking down the high school hallway, but with Invisalign, they can eschew those trying years without a mouth full of noticeable metal. Adults can feel the same self-consciousness as they try to conduct themselves in the professional workforce and with a mouth full of traditional braces, they can feel like a teenager. I, for one, do not want to revisit that time in my life again! But there can be some other hidden challenges that regardless of all the hype, could be a negative.

Attachments:

Invisaligns include attachments, or enamel-colored ridges that stick to your teeth like braces. These attachments click into the aligners to help the teeth straighten. Sans aligners, the attachments are not noticeable, but with the aligners in, it looks like you have clear braces.

Bye bye lipstick!

Wearing any type of lip color could transfer to your aligners causing them to discolor. Even clear glosses or Chapstick can leave a cloudy residue.

Manicure woes

While you’re tossing out your lipstick toss along with it your nail polish. The aligners are difficult if not impossible to remove without the use of your fingernails, so unless you think chipped nail polish is a current trend, you may want to forgo your favorite Chanel Vamp.

Kiss me no more

With a giant plastic device around your mouth, intimate kissing can be uncomfortable. Invisalign may make your teeth straight, but they could put a real damper in your romantic life.

It's all about your smile

Will Invisalign work for you? It's up to you to decide. Your willingness to enter into the treatment is an investment not just from your wallet, but from your time and your determination to have straighter teeth. At the end of the day, it’s all about your smile.