Am I a Candidate for Invisalign®?
You have a misalignment in your teeth that you want to correct, or you’ve been told that your child can benefit from braces. Whether for adults or adolescents, there are two ways to go about straightening teeth — Invisalign® or braces — and you’d prefer the more discreet and easy approach of clear aligners.
At Hillsdale Dental Care, Drs. Magdalena Azzarelli, Roge Jacob, and the rest of our dental team have helped many of our patients achieve beautiful smiles with Invisalign, and we’re keen to do the same for you.
To give you an idea of all that Invisalign is capable of, here’s a look at the many treatable cases, from simple straightening to bigger alignment issues.
Simple straightening
If your teeth simply aren’t as straight as you’d like, Invisalign is the perfect solution. The clear aligners discreetly move your teeth into perfect alignment, allowing you to smile with confidence.
Overbite
If you or your child has an overbite in which the front teeth jut out in front of the lower teeth, Invisalign excels in this type of misalignment. Not only can Invsialign draw your front teeth back, the system can fix malocclusions where the upper and lower jaw bones don’t line up properly.
To do this, Invisalign features precision wings that advance the mandible (your lower jawbone) forward.
Underbite
If your lower teeth are in front of your upper teeth when they come together, this is called an underbite. In mild to moderate cases, Invisalign works extremely well in repositioning your bottom teeth.
If the underbite is severe, you may need surgical correction, first, and then Invisalign.
Crossbite
If your upper and lower jaws don't line up properly and some of your upper teeth sit inside your lower teeth, Invisalign can straighten both rows of teeth, in most cases. Here again, in severe cases, you may need corrective surgery first.
Gaps between teeth
If closing the extra space between your teeth is your goal, Invasilign can help get you there. The invisible aligners can slowly draw your teeth together and close these troublesome gaps.
Open bite
If your upper and lower teeth don’t come together when you close your mouth, it’s likely you have an open bite. With Invisalign, we can bring your teeth closer together.
Crowded teeth
When your teeth don’t have enough room along your jawbone, they can become overcrowded, causing some teeth to twist or move out of position — either forward or backward — creating overlapping.
With Invisalign, we can help restore order to your teeth. If the crowding is severe, we may need to extract a tooth, but this doesn’t happen all that frequently.
Correction in young kids
While Invisalign does a fantastic job with permanent teeth, this innovative system can also play a role in helping your child’s teeth come in correctly. During Phase 1 treatment, we can outfit your child with clear aligners that encourage both primary and secondary teeth to set up properly.
The fact is that Invisalign can help with most alignment issues and performs as well as metal braces in this regard. Where Invisalign outshines metal braces is in its ease of use and discretion. You can read about all of the benefits of Invisalign in this previous blog post.
If you’d like to explore Invisalign further, please contact our office San Jose, California, to set up an appointment.