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INVISALIGN

Discover what makes INVISALIGN so unique

Invisalign the most advanced aligner system on the market today.  The fully digital system allows us to achieve the patient’s desired results with greater predictability and control.  It is a modern approach to comprehensive orthodontics and an alternative to more traditional wire braces.

Only you will know

Invisalign is just as effective, yet easier to maintain and virtually invisible to other people.  Clear plastic trays that slip over the teeth are utilized as the mode of treatment. 

Unlike braces, which make it difficult to floss and maintain good oral hygiene, Invisalign trays can be removed to eat, followed by flossing and brushing. 

Why You Should Choose

INVISALIGN SERVICES FROM RUFE SNOW DENTAL GROUP

Don’t stop enjoying your favorite food

The patient can eat whatever foods they want without having to worry about them knocking off their brackets, resulting in unplanned trips to the dentist to fix them.  The patient’s busy lifestyle is never unexpectedly interrupted. 

Invisalign vs Traditional Braces

Traditional braces have wires and brackets (tooth attachments) that can irritate the gums.  Invisalign used today’s best impression materials to fabricate trays that are a perfect fit to the patient’s own teeth and gums.  It can be used to address many of the most common orthodontic issues including:  closing spaces and gaps, crowding, deep bite, improving gummy smiles. 

5 Serious consequences of

Misaligned Teeth

Premature wear and early onset of periodontal disease

Misaligned teeth can have many negative consequences, among which are premature wear and early onset of periodontal disease (gum disease.). It is not normal for teeth to wear excessively. Flat chewing edges of lower front teeth indicate excessive enamel wear.

 If you can see a horizontal line on the very tip of the lower middle teeth that is a little darker in color than the rest of the tip of the tooth, you have worn through your enamel at the tip of the tooth and are looking at your dentin.  This is excessive wear and should not happen under normal function until the patient is about 100 years old. 

Crowding

Which is fairly common in the lower front teeth causes oral hygiene issues. Depending on the severity, it makes flossing much harder and can lead to significant build up on the backs of those front lower teeth.  This build up contains gum disease causing bacteria, which will cause inflamed gums. 

Periodontitis

As bacterial load builds, the inflammation increases to a point of actually breaking down the bone in which the teeth are in. This is called periodontitis, or a chronic stage of gum disease.  At this point we have to intervene with deep cleanings and a special protocol of gun tissue management.

Tooth Extraction

If unchecked, this can progress to a point at which there is very little bone around the roots of the teeth, at which time the teeth can become severely loose and have to be extracted.

Complications to other parts of your body

This inflammation-causing bacteria can also travel to other parts of your body through the circulatory system and contribute to complications from diabetes and heart disease, among others.

A Simple 4

Step Process

Once the patient decides that they are interested in Invisalign we begin the process with the end in mind.  Invisalign has some of the most advanced software available. 

First we start with a photo

We’re able to upload a photo of the patient and get back the photo that has been modified to reflect the anticipated final result within seconds.  This is based on their database of over 9 million patients previously treated.  Once the patient decides to proceed, we take some additional photographs and some impressions, or molds, which will be shipped out to Invisalign and used to fabricate a digital model of the patient’s teeth. 

How aligners work

They then use these models to make customized, clear trays, or aligners that fit perfectly over the patient’s teeth.  These are of course BPA free and completely safe.  These alligners are designed to have space for slight built in movement.  They apply slight pressure to the teeth and move them gently and gradually.  The alligners will feel a little tight when you initially put them on.  This feeling goes away in a day or two once the teeth have slightly moved due to the pressure.

How long the procedure takes

 Two weeks later a new set of alligners is put in and the process continues.  This is a similar concept to having your wires changed regularly as a patient in traditional braces.  A typical adult case is about 1 year.  It is recommended that the patient wears their allingers 22 hours per day, taking them out to eat, brush, and floss.  We usually receive all the alligners for the entire treatment at the beginning. 

What is a Clincheck?

We also receive a 3D digital model of the patient’s teeth and exact projected movements that we can view.  It also tells us exactly when these movements should happen and the total length of treatment.  This is called a Clincheck. It allows us to  of the treatment, or the patients “after” smile and make any initial adjustments if necessary. We use it as a reference though out the course of the treatment.  If the tooth movement in the mouth does not match the movement on the model, we may need to order additional trays to correct and get back on track.

An Innovative

Approach to Dentistry

Invisalign is technology-guided, but dentist-driven.

 There are a number of alternatives on the market.  Many of these tend to be technology based, without much human oversight.  This will work in some cases, but not across the board. A case of severe crowding would provide a good example.

Some of these cases require the dentist to perform what is called IPR (interproximal reduction,) which essentially means removing a dusting, tenths of a millimeter to be exact, of tooth structure between some teeth to create the space needed and allow for movement.  This is easy and completely painless.

Why is Clincheck better?

The 3D Clincheck model tells us when and where to do it, if necessary.  Without doing that in certain crowding cases, the ideal result can’t be achieved.  This is where alternative treatment modes not overseen by a dentist fall short. 

There is also sometimes a need for small, tooth-colored attachments to be placed on specific sites on the teeth.  These help the alligners “grip” and move the teeth, and are removed at the conclusion of treatment.  The need for and exact location of these are given to us by the 3D Clincheck model.  These can help in moving “stubborn” teeth.

This is another drawback to using a treatment system that is not overseen by a dentist.  In some cases, the results just come up short of what can be achieved.  As with any orthodontic treatment, a night time retainer is necessary to maintain results for a lifetime.  This clear retainer is very similar to the now familiar Invisalign trays. 

Working Hours

Check out Rufe Snow’s Office hours to plan your visit.
Monday 8:30 AM to 2:00 PM
Tuesday 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM
Wednesday 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM
Thursday 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM
Friday 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM
Saturday 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM

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