Invisalign OrthodontistLeawood, KS

The Clear and Discreet Alternative to Braces

Teenagers and adults choose Invisalign® because it straightens teeth without anyone noticing that they are correcting their smile. People living in the Leawood KS area, trust Dr. Bowden to help them achieve their smile goals in a way that is comfortable and convenient.

How does Invisalign® work?
As an Invisalign® Orthodontist, Dr. Bowden straightens teeth using a series of aligners. First, we make an impression of the patient's teeth and create a series of aligners in a dental lab. The aligners are made out of a thermoplastic material that is both strong and flexible, to help the patient feel comfortable while wearing the aligners for long periods of time. The material is nearly invisible.

The aligners should be worn for 22 hours a day and switched out with the next one in the series every two weeks. Over a period of several months, the aligners will slowly move the teeth into place and make one minor adjustment at a time. Each of these adjustments is targeted to specific teeth. Thanks to the speed of the process, a patient's teeth will remain comfortable as they are moved into position. Once the patient is done wearing the aligners, he or she will have straight teeth.

Benefits of Invisalign®

• Patients throughout Kansas prefer wearing Invisalign® because of how convenient it is, compared with wearing traditional braces.
• The aligners are clear, so no one would be able to notice you are straightening your teeth.
• Even though a patient needs to wear the aligners for 22 hours a day, you can take them out to eat dinner, go on a date or make an important presentation at work.
• You can brush and floss your teeth like normal, and no additional tools are required.
• There is less of a risk that your teeth will become stained as compared with wearing metal braces that can be difficult to clean.
• The procedure is more comfortable than metal braces since the aligners move teeth into place slowly and only focus on a few teeth at a time.
• Aligners are easy to take care of, and you only use the same aligner for a couple of weeks.

How do I care for my aligners?
Dr. Bowden recommends that patients remove their aligner and rinse it with warm water on a daily basis. You may also want to brush them with a soft toothbrush.

Attachments
Some patients may need to wear attachments or ridges in order to ensure that their teeth move into place. An attachment is a clear bump, made out of an enamel-colored composite that is secured to the teeth. There are bumps on the aligner, which grips the aligner and holds it in place. Ridges work in a similar way, except that an indent is created instead of a raised bump. This can be necessary for more complicated cases to ensure that a particular tooth, or several teeth, move into the proper place as they should.

Leawood, Kansas Invisalign Orthodontist

Checkups
Patients of Dr. Laura's Orthodontics will need to see Dr. Bowden for checkups to ensure that their teeth are moving like they are supposed to. Fortunately, since the aligners are made at the beginning of the procedure, these appointments are less frequent than if you were wearing metal braces. With traditional braces, a metal bracket is placed on each tooth. A wire is threaded between each bracket and held in place with rubber bands. We will need to adjust the wire on a regular basis in order to keep the teeth moving in the right direction. For each adjustment procedure, the patient will have to make frequent office visits. This can be inconvenient for people with busy schedules and a hectic life. However, any delay in appointment scheduling can prolong the timeframe that the braces need to be worn. As an Invisalign® Orthodontist, Dr. Bowden sees patients less frequently because the checkups are not to adjust anything, just to make sure that the procedure is working. This is far more convenient for patients throughout the local area.