Invisalign

The teeth move by wearing a clear plastic tray/aligner.  But how does that actually work?  Can plastic really move my teeth?  Let me break it down.

• The Invisalign aligners are a proprietary plastic that fit perfectly on your teeth.  You wear them all the time, except for when you’re eating.  Aiming for 20-22 hours a day.   
• You wear a aligner/tray for 1 week and then switch to another aligner/tray.  This tray is in a slightly different position, pushing the teeth some more.  The following week you change to another tray/aligner.  Again, in a slightly different position.   So tray by tray, week to week, the aligners slowly push your teeth in the appropriate position.   And yes, the PLASTIC moves the teeth! It’s amazing.

A few years ago, Invisalign’s initial patents ran out, a plethora of copy cat companies popped up on the market.   Some of them even telling people they should do their own orthodontics without any hands on doctor supervision.   Needless to say, the results for those have not been great.   There are some other doctor supervised products as well, but as of now the digital software and proprietary plastic  and SmartTrack technology is a decade ahead of everyone else.  I would recommend asking your dentist if you are using true Invisalign or a knock off.

The length of treatment varies depending on the current position of your teeth.  The majority of cases take approximately one year, though some are as short as 6 months, and some as long as 18 months or longer. 

You wear them all the time except for when you’re eating.  20-22 hours per day is ideal.

You clean them every night, with just a little soap and water.  You can also buy aligner/denture cleaners that you soak them in.  But we find soaking them for a few minutes a day in regular hydrogen peroxide, will keep them clear looking and clean.   Soaking them for a few minutes while brushing your teeth is all that’s needed.

Attachments, sometime called buttons, are tooth colored composite filling material that are bonded to certain teeth.  There attachments are of varying size and shape, and allow the plastic to make complex tooth movements.   The attachments are removed at the end, and because they are tooth colored and the plastic aligners sit on top of them, they are practically invisible in normal conversation and when smiling.

9 out of 10 times people want Invisalign it’s because their teeth are crowded.   To uncrowd them we have to make room.  One of the ways in which we make room is by smoothing down a small amount of tooth in between teeth that are too tight together. Dentists called this Interproximal Reduction or IPR. The amount we removed is approximately as thin as couple of pieces of paper.   It doesn’t hurt, and only takes a couple of minutes.   We also make room for crowded teeth by expanding your arch and giving you a larger more beautiful smile.   Not every case needs this done, but most of them do.  If your issues is spaces between your teeth, and not crowded teeth, then you will likely not need the IPR.

It varies depending on the case.  But here’s the average case works. 

1.  Digitally scan your teeth, take photos, discuss your goals
2.  3-4 weeks later, you get your attachments placed, and get your first 6 trays.
3.  6 weeks later is your next appointment. We evaluate how you’re doing and give your approximately 3 months more of trays
4.  You come in approximately every 3 months until finished.

Invisalign has been around for over 20 years now and the technology is only getting better and better.   Invisalign can’t do everything braces can do, but ALMOST everything.  9 out of 10 people that come to me for orthodontics end up with Invisalign.

I love Invisalign.  And even more important, my patients love Invisalign.  It’s the rare person who doesn’t talk badly about their old school metal braces experience.  Braces and Invisalign can both be life changing.  And that’s great.  But with Invisalign the journey is much easier and more pleasant.   As for getting a straight smile, the vast majority of cases can be done with either system.   From a technical stand point, in some ways Invisalign is better, in some ways braces is better.  

Most dental insurance plans do not have orthodontic or Invisalign coverage.   And ones that do often have an age limit of 18.  But a small percentage of plans do have coverage, and we work with those plans so you can get usually $1000-2000 off of the treatment.

Yes! We offer both in house and 3^rd party payment plans through Care Credit and Wells Fargo.  With the 3^rd party plan you can often pay over 18 months, and with our in house payment plan you can pay up to 12 months. 

The cost of Invisalign and braces often varies depending on the difficulty of your case.   We don’t do that in my office.  There is a flat fee, that includes everything.   Your consultation and plan, all your aligners, free teeth whitening, all refinements and a set of retainers at the end. The only thing that can add cost is if you decide you want more retainers at the end or permanent metal retainers.  The flat fee varies over time in my office.  But it never costs as much as $7000-8000 that metal braces can sometimes cost in orthodontist offices.   Right now we are running a special for $4500. 

The best way is to get a Virtual Consult.  You click on this link, submit a couple of selfies, write a short paragraph about what you would like to change with your smile, and Dr. Hulse will send you back a personailized video telling you what he thinks, and giving you your options.