With the advances in orthodontic technology, we can now improve the appearance of your teeth in a way that’s almost invisible to everyone.
At Crystal Smiles Dental in Livermore, California, Colin Young, DMD, and our team are trained in Invisalign® orthodontic treatment to give you a beautiful smile while improving your oral health. Many choose Invisalign because it’s both comfortable and discreet.
How Invisalign works
We evaluate your teeth and bite and determine the best plan for you. Depending on the condition of your oral health and aesthetic dental goals, Invisalign can take 6-18 months.
We create your clear aligners from digital images of your mouth. For optimum results, wear your aligners for 20-22 hours a day, only removing them during meals and when you’re brushing and flossing your teeth.
You receive a new set of aligners every two weeks until your teeth and bite are aligned.
What Invisalign treats
Invisalign can treat several different issues with your teeth. Here are six:
1. Overbite
When your upper teeth have a pronounced protrusion over your bottom teeth, you have an overbite. A slight overbite can be normal, but when it affects your appearance or causes your teeth to wear down or your jaw to hurt, it’s a good idea to have it corrected with Invisalign.
2. Underbite
If your bottom teeth jut out in front of your upper teeth, you have an underbite, which can make it difficult to chew food properly. It can also affect your speech.
Invisalign aligners gently shift your misaligned teeth and jaw into their proper positions to enhance your appearance and correct oral health issues.
3. Crossbite
Crossbites can easily lead to complications like tooth damage, swollen gums, and receding gum lines. Invisalign aligners shift your teeth in very small increments to align your bite and can also address individual teeth affected by your crossbite.
4. Open bite
An open bite occurs when your upper and lower teeth don’t meet, making it difficult to close your mouth and bite down effectively. It can be caused by thumb-sucking or repetitively putting objects between your teeth like pens or pencils.
Open bites can affect the way your mouth looks and also cause you to have a lisp. If it goes uncorrected, you could develop damaged teeth and continue to suffer from speech problems.
5. Gapped teeth
When you have spaces between your teeth, the gaps can cause oral hygiene issues like decay and food getting stuck in your gums.
Invisalign aligners close the gaps in your teeth, which give you a more attractive appearance and help prevent issues that spaces can cause.
6. Crowded teeth
Crowded teeth can cause overlapping, twisting, and crookedness. They can also cause damage to your neighboring teeth.
When your teeth are pushed up against each other, it can be challenging to brush tight surface areas and floss your teeth. When you can’t reach every area of your mouth for cleaning, you run the risk of accumulating bacteria and plaque, which can ultimately cause decay and gum disease.
If you have any of these issues, Invisalign can have you well on your way to correcting them.
To learn more about resolving your orthodontic problems with Invisalign, contact our team for a consultation. Call, text, or book your appointment online today.