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.

At our clinic, we offer Invisalign Weybridge as an alternative to braces for mild to moderate misalignments and cosmetic cases. They have been well accepted and are more comfortable, convenient and often cheaper than standard braces. But how do they work?

A course of treatment with clear aligners involves wearing a set of aligners, each one for about two weeks to reposition the teeth, moving them towards a straighter, better meshing profile.

What is the treatment pathway?

Before you can make an informed decision on whether aligners are suitable, you need to be assessed by our orthodontist and have a conversation about your expectations. Aligners are useful, but have yet to be effective for severe cases, and cannot be used to re-position molars. So, sometimes a metal brace is a better option.

If clear aligners are going to be helpful and you decide to continue on to treatment with Invisalign Weybridge , the first step is to take a 3D scan of your teeth. This can be done directly with a scanner, which is placed inside your mouth or we can send a dental mould to the manufacturer who will scan it in a studio.

This starting scan is used as the baseline in developing a treatment schedule. An orthodontist will use ClinCheck, a software program developed by the brand to re-organise the teeth in the computer model. This re-imagined arrangement will be the end state of your treatment. The program will then predict all the in between movements necessary to get from the starting scan to the idealised endpoint. This involves calculating the forces required to move the teeth and the direction of those forces at each time step; this is known as a force vector map.

The next step is creating a clear plastic aligner which can generate the forces which are required; the set of computer-generated aligners needed to be created in the real world for them to be of any use to you! And with such individualised forms, the only viable manufacturing technique is to 3D print them in UV light-cured resin; not too different from the resins used in bondings and crowns.

Wearing the aligners

You must be committed to wearing your aligner as much as possible, day and night to have the desired effect. You don’t need to remove them while eating, but they should be out of your mouth for no longer than 2 hours per day. Longer gaps will delay treatment and lead to you getting stuck, having to use the same aligner for longer than 2 weeks or regressing and having to go back to a previous aligner.

The everyday routine of using Invisalign Weybridge  quickly becomes second nature. The translucency and streamlined designs make them unobtrusive to use and it is highly unlikely for anyone to notice them.

Do clear aligners hurt?

The plastic form of the aligner does constantly push on your teeth, which can be uncomfortable, but patients who have used both aligners and metal braces report that they are much more tolerable than having a brace tightened.

What about home kit aligners?

At-home kits or any aligner not used under the supervision of a medical professional have been counter-indicated by the BOS (British Orthodontic Society) and so, we cannot condone their use.

Clear and invisible aligners are the newest addition to the club of orthodontic tools that our dentists use to treat tooth misalignment, but there are aligners which are available for at-home use. The market leaders across both types are Invisalign Weybridge and Smile Direct; which is considered better? Let’s take this head-on and get some clarity on these clear aligner manufacturers.

The beginning of the clear aligner began being tested back in the ’70s and was referred to as a dental splint. They showed that the elastic force generated by plastic under tension could move teeth over time, but this seemed initially like a dead end.

In the ’90s, the idea took a great leap forward when two medical students decided to pair these dental splints with computer-guided orthodontics. The role of the computer was to run an anatomically correct model of a generic patient’s mouth. This could later be calibrated to meet the unique dental situation of each patient.

From this model, the quantity of force and time required to move teeth to their new positions could be accurately predicted. Knowing how hard each tooth needs to be pushed or pulled, and from what angles these forces need to be applied allows an aligner to be created which can apply those forces when under tension.

The aligners themselves, although deceptively simple in appearance, are extremely personalised and have to be used in the correct sequence to be effective. This created a manufacturing problem of how to cheaply make one-off items. It was the early 21st century and the rise of 3D printers that proved to be the solution.

With all of the technical hurdles crossed, we soon had our Invisalign Weybridge. Allowing us to provide aligners, the task of an aligner manufacturer and dentist is complementary by working inside of dental clinics like Weybridge Orthodontics as partners. The invisible brace company can rely on the expertise and guidance of our dentists to help patients through their treatment. It’s in the interest of the manufacturer, the clinic and the patient that the treatment with these braces is effective.

Our dentists provide the initial assessment and present these clear aligners as a possible solution to orthodontic issues. If treatment is pursued by the patient, carrying out an oral scan or taking a dental mould which is used to calibrate the computer model is typically the next stage.

Aligners that are not provided by dentists in practices do not operate in the same manner. Advertising directly to potential patients via TV and online, there is little motivation in them exploring any other orthodontic solutions other than the aligners that they manufacture. The reliance on home moulding kits introduces a lot of uncertainty into the effectiveness of the finished aligners, as a poorly taken mould will result in an incorrectly calibrated computer model and less, or ineffective aligners. 

The volume of passion that many online manufacturers have compared to staff like ours is lower. As a local Invisalign Weybridgepractice, losing that one to one service that is associated with good quality dentistry and higher levels of care also results in the loss of personal responsibility for patients, which we pride ourselves with having as a community family dentist.

If you are looking for Invisalign to straighten your teeth we at Weybridge Orthodontics can work to achieve the most favourable result with your treatment. Invisalign is designed to straighten teeth in the same way as braces, however it will be done discreetly. At Weybridge Orthodontics we offer a range of treatments to solve our patients’ dental issues. Invisalign Weybridge is a popular solution to fix misaligned teeth and improve an individual’s smile. We provide custom-made clear aligners for a patient to wear throughout the treatment process. If you are wanting to look further into this treatment, do not hesitate to book a free consultation to talk to us about Invisalign Weybridge.

What is Invisalign?

Invisalign Weybridge consists of a clear, transparent aligner which is designed and manufactured specifically for a patient’s teeth. Each time an aligner is removed and replaced with a new set, the teeth structure starts to change and develop. This will occur until the teeth are in the prescribed alignment that the orthodontist had recommended. These invisible aligners will be changed regularly, every two weeks, to adjust the current structure of the patient’s teeth.

For those individuals who prefer an invisible look when considering braces Invisalign is highly recommended. Invisalign braces have the ability to be removed, this can be in situations such as eating and drinking. They can also be removed when a patient wants to clean them. Since the sets of aligners are made from high quality material, the aligners will work effectively to achieve the desired result.

Who is Invisalign suitable for?

At Weybridge Orthodontics we will check whether Invisalign is the appropriate method to use when meeting a patient at the first consultation. This will take a series of 2 steps to put this to test.

Step 1 will consist of an initial scan of the patient’s teeth which will usually happen at the first consultation. This will create a 3D virtual illustration of a treatment plan that will be best suitable for the patient. This will present aspects such as what movements of the teeth the treatment will entail and the final result of how it will turn out. This is also referred to as Clincheck. This will also include the duration and length of time the treatment process will take.

At step 2 the results will be able to form the suitable clear, shaped aligners for the specified patient; these are custom made. When the patient is happy to proceed with the treatment plan an initial deposit will need to be paid to produce the Invisalign aligners. This can be paid over 18-24 months through the use of monthly instalments. At Weybridge Orthodontics we also provide a fee guide for individuals to find out the prices of monthly payments, this will be available on request.

Treatment aftercare

After an Invisalign treatment it is highly advised to wear a retainer, however there are several steps that can also be taken in advance. Daily brushing and flossing should be maintained as per usual; patients can also use a fluoride mouthwash if possible. It is also recommended to visit our dentist and get regular check-ups to make sure that both the gums and teeth are monitored. Another form of aftercare treatment is to maintain a healthy diet and try to avoid eating sweets and sugary drinks, to make the most of your new smile.

Invisalign in Weybridge is a relatively modern alternative to braces; not surprising when you consider that the metal orthodontic brace has been in clinics for more than a century. The clear aligners are a set of 3D printed, UV light-cured forms which are worn on the teeth to progressively straighten them. They are both lightweight and see through, making them very subtle and extremely easy to wear.

How do you get clear aligners?

An assessment has to be performed; there is a good range of conditions clear aligners can help with and few restrictions on using them, but an orthodontist will still need to check if they are appropriate for you.

If you decide to proceed, a 3D model of your teeth is made. This used to be done by producing a dental mould, but now we use an intraoral scanner and construct the model directly from your teeth.

The scans are uploaded into a specialist piece of software, ClinCheck, and an orthodontist digitally moves the tooth positions and orientations until they are aligned. ClinCheck then uses the final tooth position and the original tooth position to calculate the required forces and directions of those forces, the vectors, to achieve the planned alterations.

Only then can the aligners be designed to apply the correct force vectors to the teeth. Each aligner can only apply force dependent on its elasticity, which is only effective over very small distances. As the teeth move, the aligner must be replaced with the next one in the sequence, pushing the teeth to their final positions.

How to get the most from aligners

The aligners must be worn as often as you can, except when eating, up to 21-22 hours per day. The presence of the aligners will prevent the natural flow of saliva over your teeth, so it is important to brush your teeth after eating before you replace your aligners to prevent cavities.

For most people, wearing aligners becomes second nature and it’s easy to forget you’re wearing them. They are very thin and are unlikely to affect your speech. Most of the time Invisalign Weybridge is just overlooked.

Does Invisalign hurt?

Using Invisalign Weybridge on many patients, we have noticed that the way these aligners constantly apply force to the teeth causes much less discomfort than a metal brace. This seems to be due to the more giving nature of the plastic, and the way the minimum forces are being applied to move the tooth. This is dictated by computer modelling which is used to design the aligner.

Virtual visits

If you’re interested or wondering if a clear aligner might be right for you, we are offering virtual visits and consultations with our orthodontists. These are free and no obligation, which can be helpful for nervous patients or those who are self-isolating during this difficult time.

To find out more you can call us or refer to our website where there is more information on how we can help you with Invisalign Weybridge.

If you have spent any time online looking up orthodontics you have probably seen something about clear aligners. Our Invisalign in Weybridge service is the only clear aligner we offer, but why?

The clear aligner is not a new idea, there had been attempts to find an alternative to braces using plastic from the 1970s onwards, but those dental splints were eventually abandoned. Rubber gum shield aligners worn over a brace to reduce overall treatment time were briefly experimented with. This did reduce the need for braces, but never had widespread use as they were impractical for many patients to use.

There had to be a few breakthroughs in material sciences and manufacturing before invisible aligners were viable. So a small start-up proposed the idea of making moulds of a patient’s teeth and digitalising them in a scanning studio. Then, using the resulting 3D model and an anatomically correct simulation of a mouth, they would be able to predict the quantity and directions of forces required to move the teeth to new positions. These vectors were then used to digitally create an aligner that would generate those forces when placed in the patient’s mouth.

The digital aligner was then 3D printed; this was very novel in the 90s and the use of computing in dentistry was seen as cutting edge, therefore a patent was awarded. As 3D scanning and printing boomed, the cost reduced and quality rose, only improving the methods championed by this brand of invisible braces.

Our Invisalign Weybridge makes full use of the power of computing in dentistry. The newest versions of ClinCheck, the software developed by this brand of brace, is used in our clinic. It has the capacity to show you predicted outcomes of using clear aligners.

Despite their patent, some competitors have entered the clear aligner market in recent years, many using direct TV and online advertising. They promise rapid results and are happy to provide aligners based on DIY dental mould at home and completing a questionnaire. This business model has been condemned by the British Orthodontic Society, who have warned that the use of clear aligners without the supervision of a clinician could cause long term damage and questions the motivations of suppliers who operate without dentists.

Invisalign Weybridge is provided via our dental staff giving us full oversight and allowing us to advise each patient on the suitability of clear aligners for them. We would only use aligner manufacturers who exclusively work within dental clinics.

The communication with your local dentist is an important part of the effectiveness and safe use of any aligner. Your initial consultation with our orthodontist for Invisalign Weybridge will be free and without obligation.

If you have any further questions or would like to book a consultation with us feel free to contact us by telephone or email us. We are happy to see you in person, but following government guidelines with infection prevention and control, please contact us before you arrive at the clinic. We will ensure a safe tooth straightening journey with Invisalign.