Someone whips out their phone to take a picture and shouts, “Cheese!” But your smile’s only a smirk — you don’t want to expose your teeth.
Without enough room in your jaw, your teeth have become overcrowded. As such, they jut crookedly from your gums. And this setup doesn’t just create a cosmetic issue.
Overcrowding can cause decay and gum disease, as it’s harder to clean between your teeth. It can also make chewing difficult, which affects digestion.
As such, you’re wondering if now’s the time to straighten your teeth. Orthodontics as https://www.horsforthsmileclinic.co.uk/invisalign-leeds/ can do the trick, but you don’t want just any braces. You want to know, can Invisalign fix crowding?
Here’s what you need to know.
Can Invisalign Fix Crowding?
It all starts with a visit to your orthodontist. They can tell you if you’re an Invisalign candidate, as the aligners won’t work for everyone.
Your orthodontist will consider the degree of overcrowding, as well as any other issues that could affect your treatment. For instance, an over or underbite could affect the straightening process. Luckily, Invisalign can fixq an overbite, as well as a mild underbite.
How Does Invisalign Work For Crowding?
Before Invisalign, though, your mouth may need some treatments to ensure the aligners work. An overcrowded jaw may require you to have tooth extractions before you can start straightening your teeth. Other people need to have certain teeth shaved down so that everything fits, too.
Depending on the severity of your overcrowding, you might need plastic attachments, too. These pieces adhere to your teeth and are enamel colored so that they don’t stick out too much. But they give aligners a spot to which they can attach, making them better able to straighten your teeth.
In other cases, Invisalign aligners work in tandem with rubber bands. Braces also use rubber bands, but there’s one big difference. Your Invisalign elastics will be placed behind your teeth, thus making them invisible, too.
Finally, your orthodontist might have to stretch your arch to make room for your teeth. This step would require expanders, which gently open up space in your mouth. Sometimes, your orthodontist will use an expander while also ordering extractions.
How Long Does Invisalign Take For Overcrowding?
Once again, there’s no single answer to how long Invisalign will take to fix overcrowding.
If it’s just a case of moving overcrowded front teeth, it could take as little as six months. But a more moderate case of overcrowding might take 18 months or more.
In the end, Invisalign works in about 90 percent of cases. The rest will require a different treatment to straighten teeth, such as surgery or traditional braces.
Invisalign For Overcrowding — It Could Be Right For You!
Now you know the answer to the question, can Invisalign fix crowding? Yes, it can — and it can do so in as little as six months. If you’re in, it’s time to reach out to your dentist or orthodontist to find out the next steps in your teeth-straightening process.
Ready for more news on health, technology, travel, and entertainment? Check out the rest of our site and catch up!
