While improved mouth function and oral health are main aims of orthodontic treatment, the impact of straight teeth has a far longer reach and stretches to include benefits to physical and psychosocial health. This is why we at Weybridge Orthodontics have set ourselves the particular focus of providing top quality orthodontic care and access to industry leading teeth straightening appliances such as Invisalign Weybridge.

Treatment plans centred on Invisalign Weybridge require the dental practitioner to receive further training in the use of the system as well as practical experience in overseeing successful treatments that produce desired outcomes. We have taken great care to ensure our dental practitioners fulfil these must-have qualities to make certain that our patients benefit from incomparable exemplary orthodontic care. We take a look at some of the reasons why Invisalign Weybridge enjoys such a fantastic reputation for straightening teeth and what factors are most important to consider when deciding on using a tray-based orthodontic system.

What sets tray-based orthodontics apart from conventional appliances

The glaringly obvious difference of aligner-like braces is the look of them. Unlike traditional metal appliances that need to be attached to the teeth and that require manual adjustments to be made by a dentist throughout the treatment plan, tray-based braces resemble aligners made of clear plastic and can be removed and reinserted effortlessly by the patient. What is more is that instead of a single device, the Invisalign system uses a series of custom made trays with each tray in the set specifically designed to manipulate teeth into the desired position in incremental degrees.

It is in this precise design that the teeth straightening system is able to produce its remarkable benefits that are found to be second to none. The advantages of using removable trays include the following:

The clear plastic trays remove the awkwardness of having to reveal the highly visible metal braces that have been the cause of embarrassment for many a patient! This discreet looking orthodontic appliance has encouraged many adult patients to seek treatment to improve the symmetry of their smiles that they otherwise would not have done if their only choice were fixed metal braces.

The fact that the tray-based braces can be removed works to another looked-for advantage – that of being able to eat a more varied diet. Patients on traditional orthodontic treatments are usually asked to refrain from eating certain foods that may damage the metal components.

To reap the benefits of such positives, patients will need to consider a few factors that apply to the removable braces system. Patients will need to be willing to be more disciplined in following all our dentist’s instructions in regards to the using of trays. In addition to this, the patient needs to be scrupulous in their oral hygiene practice.

Please reach out to us at Weybridge Orthodontics should you require more detailed information on this and other orthodontic treatment plans that we offer. Our well-experienced dental practitioners would be happy to sit down with you and discuss all your treatment options to produce your aesthetically pleasing, aligned smile.

The simple changes made by a teeth-straightening treatment such as Invisalign Weybridge can have a monumental impact on a patient’s life. Consider for a moment what undesirable effects crooked teeth can have on a patient’s mental health or the unwarranted pain and discomfort that can arise from biting and chewing when teeth are not in the natural position that they are supposed to be in.

It is because of these weighty considerations that we at Weybridge Orthodontics consider orthodontic plans like Invisalign Weybridge a key component in the dentist’s arsenal of effective treatments to resolve frustrating issues and restore dental health. There is a wealth of practical advice available for patients wanting to take their treatment plans and their results to the next level. We take a look at some of these recommended guidelines.

Make the most of your teeth-correcting treatment with these top tips

Make sure to always use your aligner trays according to our instructions. While the Invisalign Weybridge teeth-straightening system is incredibly simple – a patient inserts a new tray every two weeks, according to the treatment plan – it is imperative that this interval schedule is followed to the tee.

Also equally important is for the patient to ensure that they wear the aligner trays in the mouth for a prescribed minimum number of hours in a 24 hour period. For the majority of patients, this will be between 20 and 22 hours. Even though this system is often referred to as removable braces, there is only a small window period in a day when the aligners are allowed to be removed. This may mean shorter meal time than you were used to as this short window period also has to accommodate your daily brushing and flossing duties.

Patients are urged to remember that in order for them to receive their beautiful symmetrically-aligned smile once their treatment is over, the trays need to do their job and this means wearing the trays as instructed. An added bonus of observing this instruction is that should a patient experience any change in speech or discomfort when wearing the trays (this is common at the beginning while a patient gets used to having the tray placed on the teeth), these slight challenges wear off relatively quicker.

Damaged aligner trays translate into interruptions and delays in the treatment plan process but this can easily be prevented. Toward this end, patients should be extra cautious when handling the trays and ensuring the trays are always safely stored in their appropriate storage cases when not in use. It is a handy idea to always keep a spare storage case at work, in your car or in your bag so that you are never without one when you leave home.

Remember to sterilise the aligner trays using the appropriate cleaning products (no toothpaste please). Aligner trays must be cleaned and free of germs and bacteria before putting them back in the mouth. Removable orthodontic appliances can be quite liberating for patients who do not want the conventional fixed braces. For more information on our Invisalign treatment plans, please contact us at Weybridge Orthodontics.

If you’re looking for a way to straighten your teeth without needing to sport the traditional style brace, then Invisalign Weybridge is surely your opportunity to discreetly enjoy your teeth straightening journey, so that no one knows you’re even having treatment done.

In addition to this, for those working adults who cannot seem to find the time to have several appointments throughout their treatment to tighten wires and monitor progress, Invisalign Weybridge provides the opportunity for a more hands-free process, enabling individuals to get on with their lives whilst confidently ensuring that everything is going to plan.

If you do have any questions regarding your aligners and your progress, then we are always here to help, and we do ask that you come in to see us every few months to pick up your new aligners and for us to make sure that everything is on track.

One of the many advantages of this style of treatment is that it is so globally popular and as a result, there are millions of testimonials, experiences and recommendations online for you to look through, asking advice from both dentists and people who have been through the journey themselves. This does give our patients quite a bit of confidence and just provides that additional level of security that can swing an individual in favour of this decision to straighten their teeth.

Why is it so important to straighten my teeth?

Straightening your teeth and correcting your bite isn’t only about your physical appearance. Sure, there is a social expectation to have straight, white, beautiful teeth and when you do not have this, you can experience some degree of bias. You may put this on yourself, or you may feel like people unconsciously judge you, but thanks to the vast array of oral health care options available today, you no longer need to worry yourself with feeling this way.

Physically, straighter teeth mean healthier teeth. Hard to reach places where teeth are tightly packed together and crossed over are breeding grounds for bad bacteria, food debris and plaque.

This leads to bad breath, eventual tooth decay and even tooth loss if it is not dealt with swiftly and properly. Even if you regularly go to a hygienist to clean your crooked teeth, you will find that you may never get on top of the plaque build-up simply because the areas are too difficult to clean from day to day.

Invisalign Weybridge gives you the confidence to smile during and after treatment. Whether your condition is mild or moderate, we are confident that this solution can change your life for the better. We can even use these removable aligners to alter your bite, which when misaligned can lead to a host of complications such as an inability to speak or chew correctly.

Such issues lead to digestive problems, neck pain, head pain and other serious matters that if not considered by professionals in a holistic manner, might end in problems that are not addressed correctly.

Let us improve your wellbeing to ensure that you are looking and feeling your best.

Millions of happy customers can’t be wrong. Invisalign Weybridge is one of the most popular teeth straightening devices available on the market today and we love it too.

When looking at all of the options available today to straighten your teeth, it can get a little daunting. By asking yourself what is important to you both during the treatment and after it, we have found that many of the boxes you create are ticked with this removable, clear, plastic aligner.

Many of our patients look for convenience, either as a teenager or a working age adult. Because you do not need to present yourself to your dentist every few weeks to have your wires tightened, you can enjoy some element of freedom with this device option, giving you a little more control than you can have otherwise in this journey.

Speaking of control, because you get to choose when you wear your removable aligners and when you don’t, the power of transformation is in your hands. Some people like this and others don’t, but with a whole heap of support as well as some innovative indicators to ensure you’re wearing your Invisalign Weybridge aligners for long enough, then we are confident that you can achieve that smile you have always wanted to have, in your own way.

How does the treatment work?

It all begins with a simple scan that helps us to determine whether you are suitable for this treatment. Most people are, but if you have a severe dental misalignment, then a more traditional style of braces might be more suitable for you, to allow for significantly positive results to be yours.

Software digitally scans and pinpoints the precise direction and movement that your teeth and jaw must make to move into a correct alignment as quickly as possible. There is no room for human error here, with this digital creation of the aligners being done right before our eyes.

We can together watch your teeth take their journey through a visual representation, which also gives us a time frame to work with, allowing you to make your goal something tangible and real.

Once the first aligners have been crafted, you can wear them for the next few weeks, slowly adjusting your teeth until you are ready to wear the following set of aligners. After several months, with the average treatment taking between 18 to 24 months, your teeth will straighten and you can enjoy the benefits that this can offer.

At the end of your Invisalign Weybridge treatment, you will need to wear a retainer in order to maintain the results that you have achieved. This does not need to be worn as long as your aligners, but you should commit to wearing it overnight until your teeth and all of the muscles and ligaments holding them in place relax into their new positions, allowing your smile to comfortably remain straightened.

The length of time that you will need to wear your retainer varies and your dentist will discuss with you these expectations both before and during your treatment. 

Clear aligners, like Invisalign Weybridge, that we provide are quite different from the standard metal braces. They do have similar functions, so why isn’t it straightforward to compare them?

Providing both aligners and braces for many years has given us an interesting perspective on this debate.

Both the clear aligner and the traditional metal brace are tools that orthodontists use to correct misaligned teeth, with the fundamental of all orthodontic treatment being tooth placement. Teeth may seem static in a day to day life, but much like plate tectonics, they are very active on longer time scales. and will respond to forces placed on them over long time periods, shifting their position. Hence why so few dental practitioners are eager for babies to suck dummies or pacifiers, as it can alter the position of their front teeth.

The controversy around clear aligners in the early days of their adoption in the 2010s was, could they provide the necessary force to progressively move teeth? There had been many early attempts with plastic dental splints, but they were found to be ineffective, so could aligners do it? 

With Invisalign Weybridge, we know exactly how this brace does it. The development of the clear aligner revolves around extensive use of computer modelling, using a base model of a human mouth as a starting point. This is then calibrated with a scan of the patient’s teeth, to give a starting position. Then, an orthodontist trained to use the software can re-design the tooth positions into a well meshing, aesthetically pleasing state; the end result of the brace.

From these two ‘frames,’ the software calculates a smooth transition of tooth movement and determines the minimum force required to alter the tooth’s position, as well as the angle that the forces need to be applied from. With this information, a set of clear aligners can be made with the ability to generate these forces when worn over the teeth, using only the elastic properties of the plastic aligner.

The traditional metal brace has an anchor point for each tooth, with each of these points clamped on to the arc wire, connecting them. Once fitted, this is worn for the duration of the treatment. Periodically, you will attend an orthodontic appointment for readjusting and tightening of the brace moving the teeth into their new positions.

So how do they differ?

The Invisalign Weybridge aligner may not be permanently fixed in the patient’s mouth, but it does have to be worn almost constantly day and night to be considered effective. The forces applied by the aligners are carried out more efficiently. So they are only effective at altering the position of non-molar teeth. 

The metal brace can be used on a wider variety of orthodontic issues and are effective even in the most severe cases, but require larger adjustments, making them far more uncomfortable. There is also added inconvenience of cleaning after eating and their appearance.

If you can use a clear aligner, we would recommend that you do, to alleviate some of the inconveniences of the metal option.