Discoloured teeth, small gaps between them or chipped teeth after an accident will prevent us from having the perfect smile we always wanted. The veneers have been used for quite some time to “hide” such imperfections and they have been a good option in this matter.

In some very light orthodontic cases these veneers might solve the issues and you wouldn’t need braces. But this is for your specialist to decide, since most of the time orthodontics doesn’t work only on “beauty”, but there are occlusion issues that need addressing and these are already more serious matters.

Still, some patients, after ending their ortho treatment, might need veneers due to the problems mentioned before. Their teeth are straight now and still the small enamel imperfections migth be solved vith dental veneers.

In my case there is the need for at least one on a discoloured tooth. It’s not on a frontal position, but, if I have a wide smile (and it’s always like this) you can see that molar and it does look bad. I assume my orthodontics treatment will have this at the end too, so that I can have a nice smile afterall.

From what I read online and discussed with my dentist, the veneers are pretty easy to place and they should last for quite some time. The price also varies, especially when we talk people from different countries. In Romania the price is a tad smaller than in other countries, but from what I read in the USA you can go up to 1000 USD/tooth (please help me with the prices, if you guys know more about this, so that we can make the corrections. As mentioned, I have just read this, don’t know how it looks like in your country ).

The good thing is that once placed on the tooth, with proper care, these veneers will last you a lot and will make the teeth look natural and beautiful. I have seen some examples in my dentist’s office and it was hard for me to believe those people had something else than their natural teeth.

Cosmetic dentistry is having more and more followers each day since our dental needs have increased. We don’t just want our cavities filled or teeth cleaned, we want straight teeth and even more .. we want our teeth to be white, perfectly aligned and with no imperfections.

And now, of course, we get to discuss about this. Have you had veneers? What type? Are you pleased with this treatment option?

Invisalign is made of a series of trays that go on your teeth. They are made of plastic and are created by using your initial moulds and a 3D computer system to create all the steps till your teeth will be perfectly aligned. Click on this link to find out how Invisalign is made.

Since there is some time between the moulds and the moment you get your Invisalign it is possible for the trays to be a bit “tight”. I think this would best describe the feeling you have when putting the first aligner on or when changing with the next set. They are “tight”.

The entire system relies on the fact your teeth need to move to a desired direction. In order to achieve this, each aligner should push or rotate the tooth and it needs to not be a perfect fit for the current situation, but to force the tooth some more.

After wearing your trays for some time, you’ll notice the current set fits nicely. At the end of the 2 weeks / set you’ll be able to take out the trays very fast. The next set will be a bit tricky to put and after few days it’s getting easier again. By doing this, each set gets your teeth moving to the desired situation.

Getting back to the question at hand. It’s normal for the first aligner to not fit perfectly or appear to not be able to be put on your teeth. Normally your orthodontist is the one to put it in place, so he/she’ll be able to see if there are any issues. There shouldn’t be anything serious, just the fact it’s gotta be “tight”, as I mentioned before.

So, I don’t think you need to worry too much. The guys at Align Technologies do a good job and if your ortho made good impressions for your teeth, it will be just fine. No matter what might arise, your doctor is there to help you with the first set and he/she’ll solve any issues that might arise.

After you get back home you’ll notice it’s hard to take your aligners out and put them on again, but it’s a matter of hours/days. After few take out / put back moves they’ll be easy to manage.

One of our visitor was interested to know how to put an elastic ligature on the braces.

Well, most of the time we’re not the ones to do this, since it would be pretty difficult. In order to put a ligature over the braces, one needs excellent light, another set of eyes (the mirror thing wont’ work too well) and some special dentist instruments we don’t normally own. Trying to put a screwdriver or needle in your mouth for this is not a good idea (you will hurt your mouth/tongue) not to mention these are dirty and not suitable to go into your mouth.

So, don’t worry. Should you have issues with your ligs, just contact your orthodontist, he’s there to help

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Do all orthodontists have the same color ligatures?

Most of them time these doctors have all kinds of colours so that any patient might find the right one or even the right colour combination. A lot of their patients who wear regular braces (those needing ligatures) try to make them nicer by using all kinds of colours and combinations.

Since there aren’t too many suppliers, I assume most orthodontists kinda have all colours the supplier can give. Don’t worry, you’ll have some nice ones to chose from.

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Invisalign: can you just wear overnight?

Not only you can wear Invisalign overnight, you will wear it. The Invisalign treatment relies on some plastic aligners that go “clothe” your teeth. These plastic trays need to be worn as much as possible (over 20 hours if you can or more). You take them out to eat and then clean teeth and then you put them back.

So, prepare to wear your Invisalign at nights too. You will be able to sleep with no problems, so don’t let this scare you

Coffee is pretty famous for having the “talent” to stain things. Your Invisalign trays are clear when you start wearing them (the first days in the 2 weeks normal wear time) and it would be nice to have them as clear as possible till the end of those 14 days.

Any stains on the Invisalign aligners will show since it would make them dark and your teeth would look yellowish. This is why (clearly for cosmetic uses, since less patients really think about health) it’s important to keep the aligners clean.

I drank coffee myself with the aligners, but most of the time I try to avoid this. I tend to be more lax in the 12th day for instance since I know the aligners will come off and I can abuse them some more. On the other hand I am not a regular coffee drinker, so it’s not that hard to keep from it.

When I know I have to drink something that would potentially stain my aligners I always think if it’s not possible to take the aligners off and then brush my teeth. Sure, when I am at home NOTHING gets into my mouth with the aligners on. When I meet someone for a talk I try to stick to clear mineral water. I don’t care that much about the stains as I care about the “yucky” taste I’d have in my mouth till I’d be able to clean. The liquid gets under the aligners too and will stay there “decaying” till you brush your teeth and clean the aligners.

So, even if you can drink coffee and wine and coca cola, it’s a good idea to steer away when you know you can’t take the Invisalign off. If you are at home, it’s easier, but when in the city, maybe you just don’t want to start cleaning in a public restroom just because you couldn’t keep off the coffee.

How do you handle this?

DON’T BE! It’s normal.

The entire orthodontics treatment is based on the ability of our teeth to move to a new position and to rotate. On a regular basis our teeth are strong and very well “welded” into their places. Their movement in this case would be impossible without them breaking or messing the jaw bone too.

This is why we should admire our body’s way to react to the small but constant forces the orthodontics devices place on the teeth: out teeth, when under such constant pressure, start being loose in their “sockets” and then they can be moved and rotated till the orthodontics treatment is getting the desired result.

Invisalign, such as any other system, has the ability to move these teeth. After some weeks in the treatment you’ll already notice your teeth seem to “fall off” from all their mobility. Don’t be scared, they are still well placed there, you won’t lose them, even if you feel 10 years old again.

With the metal braces the movement can be spotted even earlier, but Invisalign, such as all the other systems, also relies on the same thing: our teeth ability to be “mobile”.

So .. if you’re wearing Invisalign and the teeth are loose, be happy. It looks like the treatment is working nicely and your teeth will be OK. It’s NORMAL!

The “ugly” teeth can be caused by many possible problems:

• imperfect tooth shape. They are either too bit or too small, showing too much gum or too little and this might offer a look you are not pleased with
• there might be cavity problems, tooth colorations and other issues that need the dentist’s attention
• the teeth are not aligned as they should and this causes that “ugly” look.

As you can see here, there are more possible issues you might face and more causes for your imperfect smile. Orthodontics takes care of your tooth alignment and bite, the others (if they are to be blamed too) will be fixed to provide you the look you want.

Even if we think that orthodontics is meant for beauty (and this is the idea we get from all those perfect smile advertisements), in the end this is a “side” result of the teeth being aligned in a healthy way. Your orthodontist is concerned with your crooked teeth since this is a health problem, but the result is a very good looking one.

So .. yeah, orthodontics and braces if you will can fix your ugly teeth. Any system you’ll use (you already have the information here about all kinds of braces and aligners) will straighten your teeth and give you that perfect smile. And, if needed, the other issues will be taken care of (if the “ugly” teeth weren’t only caused by the orthodontic treatment).

The dental care and cosmetics area is so well developed now, that you’ll always achieve excellent results.

I see 2 options in our case: 1. our reader is having Invisalign for a short time (just some weeks) or 2. maybe we are talking about a finished treatment that wasn’t that successful as we’d wish.

Let’s try to see both possibilities:

1. Invisalign doesn’t work overnight.

If we were to compare Invisalign with metal braces for instance, we’d have to admit that metal braces SHOW results faster. The braces are stronger (you also feel more discomfort) and the first moving teeth start showing after some weeks. I had a tooth moved 7 mm in just 3 months, was shocked

Invisalign on the other hand DOES work, but the results are not visible that fast. THIS DOESN’T MEAN YOU WILL NOT HAVE STRAIGHT TEETH. Just look at the presentation you get with your treatment: the result is what you are waiting for.

2. What can make the treatment go wrong?

There are some possible explanations: the treatment wasn’t well planned (a tad hard to believe since the Invisalign system is well thought and you’ll have your orthodontist follow your case through it. After you start wearing the Invisalign trays you’ll also be under your orthodontist control, so any problems should be spotted as fast as possible.

The Invisalign aligners HAVE to be worn as much as possible. Many patients try to “skip” some hours, but this will affect their treatment. The aligners have to be on the teeth for as much as you possibly can, nothing less than 20 hours a day (try even more). The treatment depends on you a lot, so you can ruin the results or have the treatment succeed.

From what I was able to see myself and also read from other Invisalign patients, the Invisalign orthodontic treatment has a HUGE success rate if:

• you have a good orthodontist and are under his/her observation so that any problems can be noticed soon
• you wear your aligners AS MUCH as you can
• you let some time pass. You won’t see results in Invisalign in just weeks, let few months pass and then you’ll see the change.

Just think that every 2 weeks you are putting a new aligner in your mouth, a new aligner that is DIFFERENT from the previous one. You feel this by the pressure in your teeth (sometimes a small pain) and the fact you have difficulties putting the aligner on. This means IT WORKS: you teeth changed position and the aligner forces them into a new one. Stick to the treatment and you’ll be just fine.

We are talking here about the elastic ligatures that are worn on the regular metal braces and some ceramics. The self-ligating braces don’t have these anymore.

The colours may vary: some use bright colours to make their metal-mouth look a bit funnier, while others try to use a colour that would make them “blend” better. I have saw examples of people who have more colours on the ligatures and they alternate them. It’s an excellent way to take the treatment in a more relaxed manner while also having a cute look. And no, not only teen-agers do this.

For the people considering very light colours, please note that sometimes the ligatures will stain. The brackets are OK, but the nasty look you see on the braces comes from the stains on the ligatures: smoking, curry, coke and other “ingredients” can ruin the look.

The positive aspect is the the ligatures get changed from time to time (4-6 weeks), but still they don’t look good when the change time comes. You can avoid the stains by:

1. avoiding the things that would stain them (kinda hard sometimes)

2. chosing a light blue or a smoke shade, even if you don’t like the idea. They stain less than others.

3. use bright colour (the stains are not that visible and the colours make the braces look cute)

You can chose your colours and even create “themes”. Just see what your orthodontist can offer and go wild with the ligature colours.

Dear visitor. I assume you are talking about: Invisalign – the invisible braces.

The fast answer is: YES. You can have Invisalign just like anyone else if you qualify for the treatment. I am almost 30 myself so it’s not such a huge deal. As I have explained some days ago, you can have excellent results with the orthodontic treatment as an adult too. Am I too old for braces? is one of the most searched for phrase on the web and the good thing is that the answer (as you can read in the article too) is NO. You are not too old for braces

Let’s get back to Invisalign and your age. As I already mentioned, the age is not the problem in here. First you have to “qualify”. Don’t think about winning a contest or anything like this. In some cases, Invisalign, even if it would eventually work, it does require such long time, that it’s better to use another system (for fast results in complex cases Damon is one of the best choices).

I used Damon at first since my personal case didn’t make me a good candidate for Invisalign. I had a canine “sticking out” almost over the near incisor, the 2 upper left bicuspids one in front of the other (don’t ask me how this was possible, I seem to be a “miracle”), missing molars and other “nice” problems. Damon worked for 7 months on the lateral teeth to reduce the gap created by the missing molars, to bring the incisor back to its place and pull it back on the arch, rotate the bicuspids etc.

Invisalign was my final choice for the treatment (with the front teeth too) since I am 30 too and can’t sport a metal mouth look especially with my web design clients. I would ruin my business, since some people are still reluctant to see people in braces.

I didn’t stand a chance to correct those huge problems directly with Invisalign, so we needed the metal braces and now we can fix the rest of the teeth. This is what “to qualify” for Invisalign means.

Only you and your orthodontist can see if Invisalign is a good idea. If you are 30 (or even over) and would like to have Invisalign please don’t forget:

• get an orthodontist who is accredited in Invisalign. Not all of them can use the system, make sure your doctor has the certification
• prepare with money. Invisalign is one of the most expensive treatments. The cost varies (depending on the number of trays, complexity of the case etc.), but it’s not cheap at all.
• your orthodontist will be able to tell you for sure if you can use the Invisalign system. If your case is way too tricky, you’ll be presented with another option that would work better.

When starting an orthodontic treatment, one has to understand that the time of careless oral hygiene is over. In order for the teeth to not start new cavities, the brushing/flossing/mouthwash ritual has to be taken care of.

In my previous treatment (Damon braces), I didn’t have to watch my brushing that closely since I could wait for some minutes to brush after a meal. In the end the braces were on. When it comes to Invisalign the most important aspect is WEARING THE ALIGNERS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.

Some say over 22 hours a day, others claim than 20 are Ok too. The advice would be to have the trays in your mouth for as  much as humanly possible. Again, from my experience: I eat something and then I go straight to the bathroom to brush. I have several “sets” of tooth brushes and paste: in my laptop’s case (for when I take it to the radio station), in my bag, in my smaller purse .. and I am considering having this in my car too so that the set is complete. I know it sounds crazy, but I do want to eat between my home meals too.

In some cases I have to be away almost all day long. This would mean eating in the morning and in the evening. So I snack at work too. If I want to eat anything, I have to take my aligners off, eat, brush teeth, clean aligners and place them back. So that I can still wear them as much as possible.

This is pretty hard since most of the time I just feel like tasting something. I stopped driking coke or I drink it only in my small “lunch breaks”. I don’t eat anything with my aligners on, I don’t drink anything but mineral water with the “braces” on my teeth. Some say mineral water is not that good either, but at least it doesn’t stain them (as soda would or anything else) and it doesn’t leave my mouth filled with all kinds of sugar and other “goddies’ that would “rot” till I brush again.

Getting back to the question at hand: If you dont brush your teeth and wear your Invisalign … I think it would be “yuky”. Think about this: you ate something and you have some hours till you get back home to brush. You can’t leave your trays off for that long (remember you do have to wear the aligners as much as you can) so you’d have to put the plastic on the dirty teeth. Personally I would either not eat or go fast and get myself the toothbrush and toothpaste (most cases this happened to me too, this led to me having 4-5 sets in all possible locations).

When you go from home, just check again if you have these too. You do change an aligner after 2 weeks, so it’s not the end of the world, but still it would be a good idea to not get to placing Invisalign aligners over not brushed teeth. Have you ever done this? How was it?