Invisalign Clear Braces -

A Revolution in Straightening Teeth

    Today I am excited to write about one of my favorite procedures in dentistry. Dentistry has made a lot of amazing advances recently but not many impress me as much as Invisalign Clear Braces by Align Technology. I started off as a huge skeptic of the whole process but have recently become one of the top providers of Invisalign in Gilbert and Mesa. And I'd love to tell you why!

    Invisalign Clear Braces are a series of plastic aligners that fit over the teeth and gradually move the teeth from where they are into perfect alignment. You where each set of trays for 2 weeks and then replace them with the next set. Each set puts a little pressure on the teeth causing them to move into alignment.

    In our office we, as a team, try to provide our patients with at least 3 benefits of every dental procedure we provide. With Invisalign Clear Braces it is a very easy task because there are so many benefits. I will list as many as I can think of right now but there are more that I'm sure I'll forget.

     1. They are clear braces. Not much to explain here. But when people have them in, it really is hard to tell unless you already know they are in. My hygenist Sara is doing Invisalign treatment and I have to ask her all of the time if they are in or not. It is pretty neat.

     2. They are removable. This is maybe the best feature from many standpoints. You can take them out to eat. You can take them out to brush and floss. You can take them out just for a night on the town! Obviously the more they are in, the faster they work. But leaving them out for short periods of time has no effect on how long treatment takes. Just as long as you don't get carried away and leave them out half a day at a time.

     3. They can work faster than metal braces. For a number of technical reasons, Invisalign Braces tend to straighten teeth in roughly half the time as traditional metal braces in most cases. We all know how long metal braces take...2 years plus whatever gets tacked onto the end if the teeth aren't quite there yet. My average case for Invisalign treatment is 8 months. And that is for the same case that a patient was told would take at least 2 years in metal braces. We can talk about the physics behind it another post.

     4. They typically cost less than metal braces. This is actually amazing because they are much more expensive for me to provide than metal braces. But I believe in this product so much that I want to make it accessible to as many people as possible. The average orthodontic case nationwide last year was $6200. Our cost for Invisalign is $4800 and if you only need minor movements it is only $3500. Try finding anyone who will do metal braces for under $5000.

     5. They can be used as whitening trays. Simple. They work just like take-home whitening trays. Just put some whitening solution in the trays before bed and there you go. What better way to get a dazzling smile than by whitening and straightening at the same time!

     6. Less office visits. You spend 45 minutes with us on the first visit. After that, you stop in once every 6 weeks for 30 seconds just to pick up your next trays!

     7. Healthier teeth and gums. Most people who go through metal braces will develop gingivitis because of how hard it is to clean around the metal brackets. Many, as I did, will develop white lines on their teeth around where the brackets were. This is for the same reason. It is just so hard to brush around them.

    There are certain treatments in dentistry that can change people's lives in an easy, minimally invasive way. I feel that Invisalign is among the best of those treatments. We are excited to offer it in our office and proud to be one of Invisalign's premier providers of this service.

Kris Heap DDS

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