At Children’s Dental Specialties, we provide Invisalign treatment for teenagers. Typically, teenagers around 12 to 13 years old benefit from Invisalign treatment in our Worcester, MA, office. Invisalign can address a variety of orthodontic problems, including overbites, underbites, crossbites, crooked teeth, and more. Treatment works with a series of Invisalign aligners that apply light pressure to each tooth. Each set of aligners is different, gradually shifting teeth into a straighter position. Invisalign can create straight, balanced smiles.
What are the Benefits of Invisalign?
There are many advantages to Invisalign for patients who want a straighter, more balanced smile:
- Subtle appearance: Invisalign uses clear aligners, which are less noticeable than metal braces that use colorful rubber bands. Many teenagers enjoy this benefit of Invisalign because treatment does not distract from their smiles.
- Removable: Patients can remove their Invisalign aligners to eat and drink. Invisalign SmartTrack® material makes it easy to remove aligners with minimal discomfort.
- Shorter treatment: Patients who undergo Invisalign have shorter treatment times if they have mild to moderate orthodontic problems.
- Comfortable care: Metal braces use brackets and wires which can poke the gums and injure soft tissues of the mouth. Alternatively, Invisalign braces are contoured to the smile. Patients may only feel discomfort as they get accustomed to each new pair of aligners.
Invisalign Treatment in Worcester, MA
We utilize dental x-rays and 3-D imaging to plan Invisalign treatment. Before treatment, we take dental x-rays to determine if Invisalign is the right treatment for the patient. Then, we take intraoral scans of the smile, which create a 3-D model of the teeth and gums. We send this model to a dental lab that creates a series of Invisalign aligners.
Once complete, we provide the patient with the aligners. Aligners are switched out every 1 to 2 weeks. We will recommend visits throughout the duration of Invisalign treatment so we can monitor progress. During these visits, we ensure the aligners fit properly and that patients are on track to completing their treatment in a timely manner.
Invisalign for Teens vs. Invisalign for Adults
The Invisalign treatment for teenagers differs from adult Invisalign treatment in multiple ways. Invisalign aligners for teenagers include blue dots on the back of each aligner. This blue dot can change from blue to white depending on how long the patient wears their aligners. We recommend that patients wear their Invisalign aligners for 20 to 22 hours a day. Patients can remove their aligners to eat and drink, but we do not recommend that patients leave their aligners off their teeth for many hours a day.
Invisalign treatment for teens will also include more replacement aligners. Sometimes teenagers can forget or lose their aligners; extra aligners keep them on track. Teen Invisalign treatment can also provide spaces for adult teeth to emerge for patients who do not have all of their permanent teeth yet.
Straighten Crooked Teeth
Are you looking for an alternative to metal braces for your child? Contact our dental office today at (508) 625-5534 or request a dental consultation with our team online.