Invisalign: What happens after treatment is completed?

Invisalign treatment is a treatment used by an orthodontist to straighten or realign teeth in order to improve the aesthetic qualities of a person’s smile, or to correct dental anomalies that might exist in the patient’s mouth, such as overbites, underbites, and malocclusions.

 Invisalign differs from conventional braces treatments in several ways; not least of all, they are made of a clear material, and so are virtually invisible when worn. Invisalign can also be removed, and so wearers are able to enjoy food and drinks that would otherwise be off limits with conventional braces. The ability to remove Invisalign aids the cleaning process too, making them easy to maintain.

The procedure involves the patient wearing a series of clear braces that have been specially developed by the orthodontist to slowly realign specific teeth into a new desired position. Once one set of Invisalign braces has completed its task, it is replaced with the next in the series; this continues until the desired result has been achieved.

Each set of retainers is typically worn for around two weeks, while regular visits to the orthodontist, typically around six week intervals, will ensure the treatment is progressing as planned.

Once the Invisalign treatment has been completed, the patient will require a retainer to be worn, typically during the night in order to bolster the now-realigned teeth. If a patient neglects to wear a retainer after Invisalign treatment has concluded, they will experience their teeth beginning to shift naturally back to their preordained position in the mouth; undoing all the work of the treatment!

Over time, the jawbone around the realigned teeth begins to thicken and grow in density, which will help to keep the teeth in their new position. However, the support afforded by the bone is not sufficient to hold the teeth in their new position unaided, and so it is necessary to use a retainer to maintain the alignment. With Invisalign treatment, the final set of aligners used can often be repurposed as the retainer.

For more information about treatment with Invisalign, contact the office of Dr. Seth Newman, serving Nassau County, to schedule your informative consultation today.