Infinity Dental Care
Invisalign® Clear Braces – Hillsboro, OR
Straighter Smiles Without Metal Braces
When you’re an adult with crooked teeth, the idea of having to wear braces over the next few years to straighten your smile isn’t a very enticing one. But what if you can make the necessary orthodontic corrections to your grin without brackets and wires? Thanks to Invisalign, you can enhance the appearance of your smile with the help of clear aligners that don’t draw the wrong kind of attention. Call Infinity Dental Care today if you’re interested in learning more.
Why Choose Infinity Dental Care for Invisalign® Clear Braces?
- Fully Customized Clear Aligners
- Adults and Teens Welcomed
- Dentist with 20+ Years of Experience
How Invisalign Works
To correct your smile with Invisalign, you will need to wear a series of transparent plastic aligners that have all been designed to exert pressure on your teeth, slowly shifting them until they eventually reach their intended position. On average, each aligner is worn for about 20 to 22 hours a day for around two weeks. When it’s time to eat a meal or brush your teeth, you can simply take your aligners out; this gives you a lot of freedom that you wouldn’t be able to enjoy with braces.
Indications for Invisalign
Braces may be the only option for treating certain advanced issues, but Invisalign can be a viable alternative for a variety of orthodontic problems, such as the following:
Crowded Teeth
Teeth that are overcrowded can have a negative impact on your appearance and can also be harder to clean. We can use Invisalign to realign your teeth so that they are more evenly spaced.
Gaps Between Teeth
Spaces between your teeth aren’t just embarrassing; they can also increase your risk for tooth decay due to the heightened chance for food particles to get trapped in your smile. Invisalign helps you protect your oral health by pushing your teeth closer together.
Bite Alignment
Overbites, underbites, and crossbite can all lead to painful TMJ disorders and bruxism. Invisalign can be an excellent choice for many different kinds of mild to moderate bite problems.
The Benefits of Invisalign
So what are some of the benefits you can look forward to if our team finds that you’re a good candidate for Invisalign? Here are a few of the most notable advantages:
- The transparent nature of Invisalign aligners makes them virtually unnoticeable. A lot of people won’t realize that you even have them unless they see you take them out of your mouth.
- Invisalign won’t affect your diet since the aligners can simply be removed and safely stored before meals and snacks.
- The aligners have a very smooth surface that’s gentle on your gum tissues, and there won’t be any uncomfortable brackets and wires to worry about.
- Invisalign treatments are typically much shorter than traditional orthodontic treatments. While braces often have to be worn for 2 or 3 years, the Invisalign process can be completed in just 12 to 18 months.
Living with Invisalign Aligners
Before signing on the dotted line, it’s important to consider what your day-to-day life will look like with Invisalign. For example, how will you meet your daily wear time while juggling everything on your plate? How will you navigate dinners out with clear aligners? Don’t worry – you will find the answers to these questions and several others below.
Wearing Your Trays
In order to stay on-track with your treatment timeline, you need to wear your aligners for around 22 hours a day. If you eat your breakfast during your commute to work, you grab lunch with clients often, or you enjoy going out to dinner with your friends, this might seem like a big ask. It’s easier than you think once you find a routine that works for you, like allocating most of your aligner-free time to lunch. It’s also a good idea to use the stopwatch on your phone to help, especially at the beginning.
Cleaning Your Aligners
Fortunately, cleaning your aligners won’t take too much time. In fact, with a soft-bristled toothbrush, clean water, and a clear, mild dishwashing liquid, it should only take a few minutes! You should also consider soaking them in a dentist-recommended cleaner while you’re eating breakfast in the morning or enjoying your dinner at night so even the nooks and crannies you may have missed are cleaned. This will go a long way in preventing stains and odor.
Eating & Drinking
Since there aren’t any dietary restrictions with Invisalign, navigating mealtimes is pretty easy. All you need to do is take your aligners off first (unless it’s water). Then, enjoy your food, brush your teeth when you’re done, and put your aligners back on. It’s that simple!
Tip: Don’t wrap your trays in a napkin or leave them on your plate. Although these may seem harmless, they are two of the most common reasons Invisalign aligners get damaged or lost.
Losing or Damaging a Tray
Both losing and damaging a tray can incite quite a bit of panic. If you find yourself in either situation, try to stay calm. Instead, retrace your steps or assess the damage. Then, contact our Hillsboro dental team and share what’s going on. We’ll ask you a few questions, see where you are in the teeth-straightening process, and determine what to do next. Oftentimes, it’s wearing your previous trays until a replacement arrives or moving onto the next set in the series a little early.
Routine Check-Ins
Invisalign is unique because you don’t come in for monthly adjustment appointments. Instead, you’re given several sets of aligners at a time, allowing you to progress through portions of your treatment at home. Then, you’ll come in every six or eight weeks so we can see how your teeth are responding to the aligners. If everything looks good, then we will give you your next batch and send you on your way; you’ll be in and out of our office in no time!
Understanding the Cost of Invisalign
When a patient first expresses interest in straightening their teeth with Invisalign, one of their first questions is almost always, “How much does it cost?” Our team understands that cost is a major factor in deciding to undergo any dental treatment, and Invisalign is no exception. Because orthodontic treatment can vary a great deal from one patient to another, so can its price. Therefore, we can’t provide an accurate cost estimate until your consultation, but at that point, we can review your financing options, including dental insurance and CareCredit payment plans.
Factors That Affect the Cost of Invisalign
Multiple variables can impact the cost of Invisalign in Hillsboro, one of which is the degree to which your teeth must be repositioned. The greater changes they need to make, the more aligners it will take to accomplish that goal. Naturally, more aligners equal a higher price. Also, there’s a chance that you’ll need extra accessories, such as elastics, in addition to your aligners, and you’ll be expected to pay for those as well. Of course, your treatment costs will also depend on whether you need to wear aligners on just your upper or lower arch, or both. Needless to say, wearing aligners on both arches costs more.
Keep in mind that these factors are all outlined at the beginning of your treatment. If you end up losing an aligner at some point, you’ll be responsible for the cost of replacing it.
Invisalign vs. DIY Clear Aligners: Comparing the Costs
In recent years, “do-it-yourself” clear aligner systems, such as Smile Direct Club™, have presented a cheaper option for people to straighten their smiles without setting foot into a dentist’s office. However, their lower cost doesn’t necessarily make them a better option.
DIY clear aligners tend to be made from sub-par materials that are not only less comfortable and effective but can become more easily damaged. Additionally, if something goes wrong with your treatment, you might end up needing to spend thousands of dollars to get the issue fixed by a dental professional. By choosing an Invisalign dentist like Dr. Kalluri right off the bat, you can avoid such problems in the first place. Invisalign may be an investment, but it’s certainly one worth making!
Does Dental Insurance Cover Invisalign?
Some dental insurance plans include a once-in-a-lifetime provision for orthodontics. If yours does, there’s a good chance that it can reduce the cost of your Invisalign treatment by $1,000 or more. Our team at Infinity Dental Care would love to help you navigate the specifics of your policy to find out if yours provides any coverage for Invisalign. We’re in-network with almost every PPO dental insurance you can think of, so when you visit us, you can rest easy knowing you’re getting the most out of your benefits!
Options for Making Invisalign Affordable
Another way to minimize your out-of-pocket costs of Invisalign is by applying for third-party financing via CareCredit. Our dental office has partnered with CareCredit to help our patients with insufficient or even no insurance coverage afford their treatments. This company offers multiple payment plans to choose from, so there’s sure to be one that fits comfortably into your budget. Better yet, most of these plans have very low interest rates or even no interest at all!
Invisalign Frequently Asked Questions
Although Invisalign may seem like the perfect treatment for you, you undoubtedly have some questions about it. That’s why we have assembled some of the questions we get asked the most often about Invisalign and answered them for your benefit.
I Had Braces, but My Teeth Have Since Shifted. Can Invisalign Help?
It’s definitely possible. Many patients who once had braces and neglected to wear their retainer for whatever reason have had their teeth shift back into a misaligned position. Thankfully, Invisalign can be used to straighten teeth in all kinds of cases, from simple to complex. Many people who used to have braces opt for Invisalign this time around for a more subtle approach to achieving straight teeth.
How Much Does Invisalign Cost?
More often than not, the cost of Invisalign is about the same as the cost of traditional braces. At your consultation, we will determine the cost of your treatment based on factors such as how complex your case is and how many aligners you’ll need. The great news is that more and more insurance companies are beginning to cover at least the partial cost of Invisalign. Keep in mind that no matter how much you end up paying for treatment, it will be worth it to have beautiful, healthy, straight teeth smiling back at you in the mirror!
How Long Will Treatment Take?
The duration of your treatment depends on a few factors, such as your dedication to wearing your aligners and the severity of your dental misalignment. Based on your specific case, we can determine roughly how long your treatment will take. On average, Invisalign treatment takes 12 to 18 months to straighten your smile, though you can start seeing results in a matter of weeks. Compare this to the two years patients often spend with traditional metal braces, and it’s easy to understand why most people prefer Invisalign.
How Do I Take Care of My Aligners?
The best way to clean your aligner trays is with the special Invisalign Cleaning System, available from our office or online from the Invisalign website. You could also brush them daily with a soft-bristled toothbrush and rinse them in lukewarm water. NEVER use hot water, as it could warp the plastic of the aligners so that they don’t fit correctly, compromising your treatment.
It’s also important to brush your teeth after every meal or snack and before placing your aligners back in. Otherwise, food residue could get trapped in your aligners and stain them, making them not as invisible as they could be.