Question 1

I Cracked an Aligner — What Do I Do?

Accepted Answer

If an aligner cracks and you just started using it, you can go back to your last aligner instead. If your new aligner has arrived and it’s almost time to use it, you can probably start with the new one right away. In either case, a cracked aligner will not work properly and must be replaced. So if the old or the new aligner are not options, immediately speak with your dentist at Carmichael’s Marconi Dental Group to determine exactly what to do next.

Question 2

I Dropped My Aligner on the Floor — Now What?

Accepted Answer

There’s no “five second rule” for dropped aligners. It’s best to clean it thoroughly before reinserting it into your mouth. Never use hot water to do the cleaning! High temperatures can deform your aligners. Invisalign recommends using their Cleaning Kit with sanitizing crystals that thoroughly clean your aligners in fifteen minutes or less. You can buy this kit through Dr. Alizadeh’s Carmichael dental office.

Question 3

I Went On Vacation and Forgot My Aligners — What Now?

Accepted Answer

Going without your aligner for a few days is not the “end of the world,” but you will notice a difference when you return. Hopefully, your current aligner still fits fine. If you go a longer period without your Invisalign tray, using it when you return will feel a lot like it did when you first wore it. If an aligner no longer fits at all, you’ve been gone a long time and need to see Dr. Alizadeh in his Carmichael dental office to determine the next step in your orthodontic treatment.

Question 4

Sometimes My Teeth Feel Loose — Is That Normal?

Accepted Answer

Invisalign moves your teeth. It’s how they improve your smile! So the teeth do occasionally feel loose during any orthodontic process. Don’t be afraid to use your teeth for chewing hard foods and biting into fruits like apples. When your smile is completely corrected and you switch to a retainer, any feeling of “looseness” in your teeth should disappear.

Question 5

Are There Payment Plans for Invisalign?

Accepted Answer

Carmichael’s Marconi Dental Group accepts payments via Care Credit, a recognized nationwide provider of credit for medical and dental procedures. You can get more information about all of your payment and insurance options in our Carmichael dental office or via the financing section of our website.

Question 6

Will My Insurance Help Pay for Invisalign?

Accepted Answer

Invisalign is probably covered by your insurance, at least partially. Dental insurance generally offers orthodontics coverage. Invisalign is a proven treatment for fixing malocclusions, so we can bill your insurer for orthodontics if you choose to use Invisalign. Our Carmichael dental office can give you specifics about your policy coverages.

Question 7

What’s the Cost of Invisalign?

Accepted Answer

Invisalign costs about the same as traditional braces. Normal treatment ranges in price from $3500 to $8000, with the average Invisalign patient spending about $5000. There are shorter, more specific treatment programs that can cost significantly less. If your dental insurance has orthodontics coverage, than Invisalign is paid for, at least in part. Call our Carmichael dental office and arrange a consultation to get specific information about your likely treatment cost. Also, you can check for featured promotions for Invisalign treatment from the Marconi Dental Group.

Question 8

Does Invisalign Work with Bridgework?

Accepted Answer

Invisalign puts pressure on individual teeth to straighten the bite and smile. With the gaps in the mouth with bridgework, that pressure would be missing, In some cases, it is possible to combine the two, but this can only be determined after consulting with your dentist at Carmichael’s Marconi Dental Office.

Question 9

Does Invisalign Work with Veneers?

Accepted Answer

Yes, Invisalign can work with veneers, but not in all cases. A consultation with the team of dentists at Carmichael’s Marconi Dental Group will let you know if Invisalign can combine with your veneers.

Question 10

Can Invisalign Fix My Teeth If I Used Braces Before?

Accepted Answer

You may have had traditional braces in the past, but have your teeth now shifted? Maybe you were not diligent about wearing your retainer, or possibly your initial treatment did not achieve the results your hoped for? Whatever the reasons, Invisalign may be the perfect solution to give you the smile you wish you finished with the first time. Make an appointment with Carmichael’s Marconi Dental Group to determine if Invisalign treatment is recommended.

Question 11

Does Invisalign Have FDA Approval?

Accepted Answer

Since 1998, the FDA has classified our dental products as medical devices, approved for use with the general public.

Question 12

Does Invisalign Contain Bisphenol-A (BPA)?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely not. BPA was commonly used in plastics up to the last decade, when concerns arose about its affect on human endocrine systems. Invisalign products and Vivera Retainers contain no Bisphenol-A or phthalate plasticizers. All of our products are made with medical-grade, high molecular weight, polyurethane resins. Tests show that they are biocompatible and pass all thresholds for human wear in the mouth. Feel free to consult with Carmichael’s Dr. Alizadeh or your medical health professional if you have any concerns.

Question 13

How Many People Have Used Invisalign?

Accepted Answer

Over one million people have been successfully treated for orthodontic problems with the Invisalign system. Dr. Alizadeh’s Carmichael dental office has many good experiences from patients using Invisalign. And with Invisalign’s expansion into China, the number of happy smiles will likely increase exponentially!

Question 14

How Do I Clean My Aligners?

Accepted Answer

When you get your first set of aligners, you can also choose to receive the Invisalign Cleaning Kit, which uses special cleansers for keeping your aligners clean. You can also brush your trays like you brush your teeth. A thorough rinsing afterwards is important to keep your trays clean and fresh.

Question 15

Does Food Residue Stain the Aligners?

Accepted Answer

You will be removing your trays before you eat. Then, before you put them back in, a complete brushing of your teeth is important, because foods like pasta sauce and berries can stain your aligners. Remember though, you will be getting new trays every few weeks, so not all is lost if you get a stain. Your trays will still work as you wait for your new set and promise to keep them clean and clear.

Question 16

May I Chew Gum with Invisalign?

Accepted Answer

The Marconi Dental Group doesn’t recommend gum chewing while wearing your aligner trays. Just as you will remove your Invisalign trays for eating, you’ll remove them for gum chewing as well. This means that if you have a multiple packs a day gum chewing habit, Invisalign may not work for you, since you need to wear it for 20 to 22 hours daily. Of course, ordinary braces don’t work with gum chewing at all.

Question 17

May I Drink Alcohol or Soda?

Accepted Answer

Drinking alcohol or sugary drinks won’t damage your aligners, but it would leave your teeth surrounded by liquids that cause tooth decay. If you clean your teeth and your aligners right after drinking alcohol or sugary drinks, you’ll be OK. Our Carmichael dental office would like to remind you that the drink that will keep your teeth their healthiest while wearing your Invisalign trays is plain water. Some people have found that wearing the Invisalign system has greatly improved their diet, because it makes them more aware to not snack or sip unhealthy foods and drinks throughout the day. So while your teeth are improving, you may see some good results on your bathroom scale too!

Question 18

May I Smoke with Invisalign?

Accepted Answer

One of the best things about your aligner trays is that they’re invisible. Smoking will discolor them, so it is best to not smoke with your Invisalign trays in your mouth. Of course, you still need to wear them for 20 to 22 hours per day, so a regular smoking habit might interfere with Invisalign treatment. You do receive new trays every two weeks or so, therefore, you may be able to negotiate this matter successfully. Consult with the dentists at our Carmichael office to determine if Invisalign and your particular smoking habits can coexist successfully. If not, we could use traditional braces to solve your orthodontic problem.

Question 19

Do I Eat What I Want with Invisalign?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you can eat all the foods you love and even those you don’t, like Brussels sprouts! Think of all the foods that you cannot eat with traditional braces, such as corn, apples, popcorn, sandwiches and sticky foods. These are all OK to eat with Invisalign, since you remove your aligners to eat. After cleaning your teeth, you put your aligners back in until your next meal.

Question 20

Do I Speak Normally with Invisalign?

Accepted Answer

There is a very short period of adjustment and you may lisp slightly for a couple of days after our Carmichael dental office first installs Invisalign. Once your tongue gets used to your aligners, you’ll sound just like yourself again.

Question 21

Do I Only Wear Invisalign While I Sleep?

Accepted Answer

You will always wear Invisalign while you sleep, but you must wear it most all other times also. For your treatment to be effective, it is important that you commit to wearing your aligners for 20 to 22 hours each and every day.

Question 22

What Happens After My Treatment?

Accepted Answer

Retainers are used after orthodontics to do exactly what the name implies, they retain the progress you made. The last appliance you receive from Invisalign is your retainer, a clear custom-fit tray that will keep your smile straight for years to come. While some patients may need to wear their retainer more often, many just wear it at night to keep their teeth from slipping back. Wearing your retainer faithfully is your guarantee to keep your bite and smile at its best. The length of post-orthodontic treatment time and type of retainer can only be determined by a consultation with the dentists at the Marconi Dental Group in Carmichael.

Question 23

What’s the Minimum Age for Invisalign?

Accepted Answer

There is no minimum age for Invisalign, but it is designed to straighten permanent teeth only. The amount of maturity needed to wear the aligner trays can be discussed in a consultation visit at Carmichael’s Marconi Dental Group. While it is very popular with adults of all ages, Invisalign is used successfully by Carmichael teens as well.

Question 24

Do the Aligners Slip and Fall Off?

Accepted Answer

If you are imagining the ugly photos of football players with their mouth guards hanging out of their mouths, those are not Invisalign trays. The aligners fit firmly in place. If they didn’t, Invisalign would not work! Laughing, talking, sleeping and other normal activities won’t make them fall off. Since you’ll remove them to eat, there are no worries about them coming off while biting into an apple or getting food stuck in your orthodontics.

Question 25

Does Invisalign Hurt?

Accepted Answer

By hurting do you mean to ask: “Will the Invisalign treatment poke, prod or irritate your mouth or gums?” No, Invisalign is smooth and has no movable parts. Do you mean: “Will there be pressure on my teeth?” The answer to that is yes. With each new tray, there will be a short time of tension on your teeth. This is necessary to move them in the right direction. The solution might be some mild pain reliever coupled with the determination to keep wearing them as your teeth move into position. The vast majority of the time, wearing Invisalign causes no pain or discomfort for our Carmichael dental patients.

Question 26

Are There Many Office Visits?

Accepted Answer

You only need to come into the Carmichael office of the Marconi Dental Group every four to six weeks so we can monitor your progress. Since your aligner trays are mailed to the address of your choice, trips to the dentist are far less than with traditional braces.

Question 27

Do I Wear My Aligners All Day?

Accepted Answer

You can remove your aligners for short periods to eat and enjoy important social occasions. But for treatment to be effective, Invisalign must be worn for 20 to 22 hours every day.

Question 28

How Long Does Invisalign Take?

Accepted Answer

For most adults, the straightening time is about one year. Treatment for teenagers varies based on their unique needs and is best determined after a visit to our Carmichael dental office.

Question 29

How do aligners straighten teeth?

Accepted Answer

Invisalign’s patented system does not use guess work. It applies controlled force where and when it is needed to be most effective. The thermoplastic aligners provide gentle force in a specific direction to specific teeth at pre-determined points in the treatment procedure. Your trays will be custom-designed to straighten your teeth, your smile, and your bite. The results will be effective, timely and predictable. Your new aligners will arrive at your address about every two weeks to continue your treatment process. Visits every four to six weeks at our Carmichael dental office verify the progress of your orthodontic treatment.

Question 30

What are aligners?

Accepted Answer

Invisalign aligners are clear thermoplastic medical devices that are based on an impression taken of your teeth. These aligners look like very close fitting teeth-whitening trays, but are custom-fit to your mouth with the help of Carmichael’s Marconi Dental Group.

Question 31

Why Choose Invisalign?

Accepted Answer

Invisalign is the 21st Century solution to the age old problem of misaligned teeth. Compared to traditional braces, Invisalign trays are more comfortable, convenient and removable. The devices which straighten your teeth, the aligner trays, can be removed for eating, drinking, cleaning your teeth and, most important for many people, for social occasions. The choice is clear and it is Invisalign!

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