When it comes to improving your smile, there’s no age limit. Crooked, protruding, or overcrowded teeth; malocclusion, wide gaps, or cross/under/overbites can cause you to feel conscious about your smile, making you feel less confident and conscious when dealing with other people.

Fortunately, these problems can be corrected using the new, innovative Invisalign system. While previously you may have been discouraged from straightening your teeth due to the unattractive, uncomfortable, and restrictive, traditional metal wires and brackets system, Invisalign uses clear, removable plastic trays to move your teeth to the right position.

Benefits of Invisalign

The use of removable orthodontic devices is not a new thing. However, the Invisalign system leverages 3D computer imaging technology and 3D printing manufacturing to treat a wider range of orthodontic issues with greater precision. Other advantages of Invisalign include:

• Virtually unnoticeable by other people, so no one knows that you’re undergoing treatment
• Removable, allowing you to continue enjoying your favorite foods and continue with your normal oral hygiene routine
• Can be used to treat a broad range of mild to moderate orthodontic issues
• Comfortable alternative to the unattractive, uncomfortable, and restrictive, traditional metal wires and brackets system

Who is the ideal candidate for Invisalign?

Invisalign is mostly recommended for adults or older teens, because the treatment can only be used for patient’s whose teeth and jaws have finished developing. As such, it cannot be used for children and young teenagers.

Keep in mind that the Invisalign system uses removable aligners that must be worn for about 22 hours a day, every day for the entire duration of the treatment, which could be more than one year. The patient must be responsible and motivated enough to follow these directions; changing the aligners every two weeks and wearing them all-day except when eating, cleaning the mouth, and perhaps participating in a sport. Failure to do so can reverse the changes and cause the treatment to take longer and cost more.

Please consult with your orthodontist in Oxnard, CA to determine whether Invisalign is right for you, as well as any other necessary treatments for your case.