Even if you hate your smile, it can be hard facing a solution that involves metal brackets and wires in your mouth. Fortunately, Invisalign® aligners provide a more modern, comfortable, and discreet alternative. And, they can resolve many of the same dental problems as traditional orthodontic treatments to give you the smile you’ve always wanted.
Invisalign removable aligners come in clear, flexible, BPA-free plastic, making them truly invisible unless someone gets really close to your face. Your tooth-straightening plan also gets created based on your unique needs with advanced digital technology that provides predictable results. And Invisalign doesn’t require dietary changes; you simply remove them to eat and drink, which keeps good oral hygiene practices simple at the same time.
In Gardena, California, people of all ages come to see Stephen Hiroshige, DDS, to find out if they qualify for Invisalign. And, whether you’re a teen or an adult, Invisalign offers a fantastic path for most patients to achieve a straighter smile. Plus, you can usually expect results in a shorter period of time than you can achieve with traditional braces!
If you want to improve your smile, here are six problems that Invisalign can fix.
Alignment issues are a common reason people opt for Invisalign, but there are several different types.
If your front upper teeth overlap your lower front teeth, you have an overbite. Most people have a slight overbite. However, when more pronounced, it can affect your appearance and dental health. For some, it can even cause uneven tooth wear or jaw pain.
When you have an underbite, you have the opposite problem — your lower front teeth sit in front of your upper teeth. This misalignment can impact your ability to chew food or speak clearly.
Invisalign aligners correct over and underbites by gently shifting the misaligned teeth into proper position, resulting in a straighter, more functional bite.
If you have a crossbite, the teeth in your upper and lower jaw don’t line up. This can involve one misaligned tooth or several. But, even minor crossbites can lead to tooth damage, receding gum lines, and other gum problems.
Fortunately, the Invisalign straightening system shifts misaligned teeth into the correct position by making minute and strategic changes to individual teeth, so it can address each tooth causing problems with your crossbite.
This alignment issue means that your upper and lower teeth don’t meet when you close your mouth, causing you to look as though your teeth are sticking out. An open bite often develops from thumbsucking or pacifier use. However, it can also appear in adults who put objects between their teeth, like pencils.
Like other alignment problems, having an open bite can not only affect your appearance, but it can cause a lisp, interfere with proper biting or chewing, and lead to damaged or cracked back teeth.
If you have crowded teeth, they appear to overlap, twist, or get pushed in front or behind neighboring teeth. It’s also common for your smile to look as if all your teeth are bunched up together, not evenly spaced along your jaw.
When you have overcrowded teeth, it can make good dental hygiene a challenge. That’s because it’s harder to clean the tooth surfaces with your brush when you have super tight contacts, and it can even make flossing impossible. As a result, bacteria and plaque have more chances to accumulate, and, before you know it, you’re on your way to tooth decay and gum disease.
Dr. Hiroshige customizes each straightening plan on a case-by-case basis. If you have crowing, they can help create normal spacing between your teeth, so your smile looks straighter and aligned, and your dental hygiene becomes easier.
Unlike crowded teeth, gapped teeth have too much space in between. This problem can also lead to hygiene problems and dental decay because there’s more room for food to get stuck in the gaps.
Gapped teeth can also leave you feeling self-conscious about your smile, but Invisalign can repair most gaps. However, if your tooth gap is too large, Dr. Hiroshige may recommend other options.
In addition to alignment and spacing issues, Dr. Hiroshige also uses Invisalign to help straighten generally crooked teeth. This dental problem often develops when there isn’t enough room in the jaw for all the teeth to fit properly.
Even if you have exceptionally crooked teeth or rotated teeth, Invisalign could still provide solutions, thanks to their SmartForce® attachments. These tooth-colored brackets are tiny and barely noticeable and function like little handles, giving your aligners more leverage to perform even complex movements.
Ready to see how Invisalign can help you or learn more about general and cosmetic dental solutions? Call the office of Stephen Hiroshige, DDS, or request an appointment online today.
