If your teen needs braces, he or she may just have a reason to smile. The newest addition to the Invisalign product family is Invisalign Teen. Like its clinically proven, FDA-approved predecessor for adults, Invisalign Teen is a series of custom-made, clear plastic aligners that provides a teeth-straightening alternative to more traditional metal braces.
Invisalign Teen is designed to help teenagers maintain their self-esteem and self-confidence and accommodate their active lifestyles while they address their orthodontic needs.
Developed in collaboration with leading orthodontists who understand the treatment demands of teenagers, Invisalign Teen combines the benefits of the Invisalign system with new features, such as Blue Dot Wear Indicator that fades when the aligner becomes worn and is ready to be changed; Eruption Tabs to accommodate the growth of second molars; and other features to address clinical needs common to teens.
What’s Involved?
Invisalign Teen can be used to correct overly crowded teeth, widely spaced teeth, overbites, crossbites and underbites. Only your dentist or orthodontist can determine if Invisalign Teen is the right orthodontic treatment for you.
After consultation with a specially trained Invisalign dentist, pictures and impressions of the teeth are taken and digitalized. Then, 3D technology is used to map tooth movements from the beginning to end of treatment, forming the basis for creating the customized aligners. On average, treatment takes approximately one year, but every patient’s needs are different.
The near invisible Invisalign Teen aligners are custom-designed based on your treatment plan to perfectly fit your teeth. Aligners must be worn every day from between 20 and 22 hours, except for when eating, brushing, flossing, playing sports or attending special occasions.
The aligners are exchanged for a new set every two weeks (or when the Blue Doe Wear Indicator fades), and work continuously to straighten the teeth.
During Invisalign Teen treatment, teenagers can keep up their active lifestyle, play sports, and smile during social activities. Traditional braces often carry a stigma of being unattractive and noticeable, leaving teens feeling self-conscious and afraid to smile. The social stigma and name calling “metal mouth” is forever in the past. What’s more, traditional wire and bracket braces present challenges for proper brushing and flossing, contributing to food and plaque build-up in the mouth. Because Invisalign Teen aligners are easy to remove, they promote better oral hygiene, as well as a pain-free experience with less irritation to the gums and mouth.
Whereas traditional braces also can require emergency visits to the dentist to fix a broken bracket, Invisalign Teen provides six extra replacement aligners in case others are lost or misplaced.
The cost for Invisalign Teen treatment is about the same as the cost for traditional braces. However, treatment costs vary from patient to patient, and depend upon the individual oral structures, and the amount and extent of change required. Welcome to the new age of dentistry.
Morris Park Dental offers the full line of Invisalign and rational orthodontics with trained specialists conveniently located in the same office as your general dentist.
Dr. William Wolfson is one of five dentists at Morris Park Dental, which emphasizes general family dental care as well as cosmetic procedures. The office is available to provide more information at (718) 863-5077, or visit Morris Park Dental on-line at www.DRsmile.net.
