Want to straighten your teeth? A dentist here in Singapore shares why removable, clear aligners like Invisalign are a great orthodontic alternative to traditional braces when it comes to improving your smile.
#1 Confidence
“Invisalign is discreet and invisible to the naked eye at arm’s length,” says DR THEAN TSIN PIAO of Aesthete Smilestudio, which is why more and more of his adult and teen patients are favouring the clear aligners over traditional braces. In fact, Dr Thean says he finds that his Invisalign patients are more willing to be socially active, since their peers, colleagues, friends, clients and supervisors don’t know they are having orthodontic treatment.
Even kids are experiencing the benefits of Invisalign, particularly the added confidence it brings. According to Dr Thean, a child can start as soon as most of his or her baby teeth have come out. He does caution, however, that starting the treatment too early can cause “treatment fatigue and a loss of motivation that can result from a too-long treatment process.” So, it’s best to consult your dentist to choose the solution that’s right for the individual child.
#2 Comfort
According to Dr Thean, Invisalign invisible braces are not only visually undetectable in the mouth, but they’re also more comfortable than traditional braces. Because Invisalign doesn’t include brackets and wires, there’s no painful rubbing involved, making it a less invasive experience all around.
“Invisalign is comfortable because the forces that are exerted onto the teeth are programmed and controlled by the computer to be gentle, unlike with manual wire-twisting via braces.”
#3 Predictability
Invisalign is a very predictable solution for improving smiles, as long as the patient is committed to wearing the appliance, explains Dr Thean. Because the Invisalign process is fully computerised and planned accurately from start to finish, each movement is programmed to move each tooth in advance. This gives dentists more options to deal with teeth misalignment compared to traditional wire and bracket braces technology, he says. “With Invisalign, teeth can be programmed to move in all directions, whereas braces can only move teeth in the direction in which the wire is tightened.”
Because of this, most Invisalign cases can be corrected without any teeth extraction (an added bonus!), whereas conventional braces cannot always fix teeth crowding cases without any extraction.
#4 Speed
Another advantage of Invisalign is that you’ll spend less time at the dentist’s office than you would with traditional fixed braces. And, the process as a whole normally takes a lot less time than other straightening options because of Invisalign’s pre-programmed movements.
#5 Cleanliness
Since the aligners can be removed, patients can brush and floss their teeth normally, without having to worry about getting into the wires and brackets. This means a cleaner, healthier mouth all around.
#6 Diet
Nuts, popcorn or pretzels? No problem! There’s no need to restrict your diet or worry about food entrapment with Invisalign because the aligners can be removed when eating. This is key not only kids, but for anyone who wants to eat what they want.
#7 Effectiveness
Dr Thean says that Invisalign treatment is just as effective as traditional braces, if not more in many cases, particularly for expansion of dental arches and molar crossbite corrections. Of course, it’s always best to consult a dentist in order to evaluate your individual dental condition.
What to expect
As for what to expect during the process, the first appointment is generally spent taking moulds of the teeth. After the plan is discussed between dentist and patient, the clear aligners are 3D-printed and sent to the clinic. “The dentist then guides and monitors treatment until completion,” explains Dr Thean. “After the final alignment, retainers are fabricated to make sure final alignments are maintained. The patient just has to wear the aligners daily until completion for a perfect alignment and smile.”
Aesthete Smilestudio
#02-04 Clifford Centre
24 Raffles Place
6438 3811 | aesthetesmilestudio.com
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