What are Invisalign braces?

The convenience and ease of use of the Invisalign system have made it the choice of over half a million people. In fact, Invisalign has been effective in giving hundreds of thousands of people amazing new smiles.

If you have been looking into orthodontic treatments, you may have come across Invisalign before and wondered what it’s all about. It is generally acknowledged that whilst braces help to improve your smile in the long run, one of their main drawbacks is their appearance in the short run.

Traditionally, braces are made using metal, plastic or ceramic brackets. These brackets are fixed in place to the front of the tooth and a wire is then held between them. Whilst braces are clinically proven to deliver very effective results, many prospective patients are afraid to wear them as they do not like the idea of their appearance during treatment.

We offer a solution as our dentists can fit you with Invisalign which will give you a beautiful smile as conventional braces will, but without compromising your appearance during the treatment.

Invisalign offers the patient a series of clear, removable aligners which are changed every 2-3 weeks. There is no tightening to be done, no changing of wires and no elastic bands to get in the way. Instead, all of the adjustments are made with one new aligner every few weeks.

Since the aligners are clear they are hardly visible in the mouth at all and will fit perfectly against your teeth. As each aligner is individually moulded to specifically fit each patient, Invisalign is much more comfortable than conventional braces.

      Invisalign programme

      Invisalign offers the complete cosmetic orthodontic programme. We will begin with the most important part of straightening your teeth with the series of Invisalign aligners. After this stage has been completed, we will whiten your teeth (if required), followed by any re-contouring (if required) to truly give you that perfect smile!

      You will then have the choice of having removable or bonded (our preferred choice) retainers to help maintain your new smile. This is already included in your treatment plan. We prefer the bonded retainers as they will be discretely hidden on the backs of your teeth, which is great for vanity and aesthetic reasons, and it also means there isn’t any chance of taking out your retainers to eat and breaking them (which can be common with removable retainers).

        How long do treatments take?

        The time needed for Invisalign to work its magic will depend on the severity of the patients case. This means that cost will also vary from patient to patient as some people will need many aligners and others will require just a few.

          Related FAQs

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          Orthodontics

          Who can benefit from orthodontic treatment?

          At Portman, we have treated thousands of patients, aged from eight to 88 years old. There is never a point in life where we cannot move healthy crooked teeth into their ideal positions.

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          Orthodontics

          Why are my teeth not straight?

          There are many causes of overcrowding, gaps and crooked teeth. For some people it can be inherited or possibly acquired, either due to a habit (sucking of the thumb, prolonged use of a dummy), or because of the premature loss of milk teeth or adult teeth.

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          Orthodontics

          What can be treated?

          Orthodontic treatments have evolved enormously over the last 20 years. Now problems such as gaps between the teeth, crowded teeth, overbite (upper teeth covering the majority of the lower ones), open bite (upper and lower teeth almost don’t touch) and cross bites can all be treated.

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          Orthodontics

          What will the impact of orthodontic treatment be?

          Orthodontic problems can have a profound impact on a person and their social and professional life. Depending on the extent of a problem, you might even be too self-conscious to smile. Effective orthodontic treatment not only improves your appearance, but also goes a long way to improving your self-confidence.

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          Orthodontics

          Should teeth be straightened for health reasons?

          The correction of poor dental positioning also improves oral hygiene, as crowded or crooked teeth are often hard to clean properly. With such an improvement, the risk of gum disease for example – which can result in loss of teeth in extreme cases – is prevented.

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          Orthodontics

          What other benefits does teeth straightening offer?

          Orthodontic treatment improves chewing efficiency by re-establishing the correct relationship between lower and upper teeth, removing the difficulty you may have when chewing certain kinds of food, and so providing better nutrition.

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