Invisalign – Oakton, VA
Get a Healthy, Confident Smile
Do you feel insecure about your crooked, gapped, and misaligned teeth but want to avoid the restrictions of traditional metal braces? At Oakton Dentistry by Design, you can improve your confidence and oral health with a more sophisticated approach. With Invisalign in Oakton, virtually invisible clear aligners are worn over your teeth to gradually move them into position. You can achieve the straight, healthy smile you’ve always wanted using the most preferred treatment available. Read along or give us a call today to schedule an initial consultation!
How Invisalign Works
Invisalign does not use metal wires and brackets to align your teeth. Instead, you wear custom-made clear plastic aligners to gradually move them into position. Not only does this make the treatment discreet, but you will enjoy added comfort and convenience.
After an initial consultation to determine if you’re a candidate for the treatment, 3D scans are taken to create a series of aligners. You will wear each one for about two weeks for 22 hours per day. They should only be taken out when eating, drinking, and during your oral hygiene routine. You can then switch to the next one in the series right from your own home. You won’t have to come into the office for adjustments as often because no wires are used. However, you will still need a regular appointment every few weeks so we can monitor the movement of your teeth. This provides the perfect solution for those with busy schedules. In as little as a year, you can have the straight smile you’ve always wanted.
Who Can Invisalign Help?
Invisalign is a worthwhile treatment that most patients can enjoy. While young children are typically not recommended because of the responsibility that comes with removable braces, more mature teenagers and adults can enjoy a positive experience. A thorough consultation with a member of our Oakton Dentistry by Design team will be necessary, as more severe orthodontic issues may require traditional metal braces for successful results.
One of the reasons so many people choose Invisalign, though, is that it can address minor issues associated with the following:
Crowded Teeth
As your teeth begin to shift, crowding can worsen, resulting in various oral and overall health issues. It is possible that without treatment, the following can occur:
- Gum disease
- Tooth decay
- Cavities
- Difficulty chewing and biting
- Jaw pain
When teeth begin to overlap because of crowding, it can become more difficult to clean in between teeth, resulting in bacteria, plaque, and tartar accumulating. With Invisalign aligners, though, your teeth can shift and ultimately lay flat against one another, making oral hygiene much easier. Also, you will notice a dramatic improvement in your confidence.
Gaps Between Teeth
Large gaps between teeth can occur for many reasons:
- Natural bone development
- Oral anatomy
- Small teeth that do not fill in the proper space
- Large jawbone
- Non-nutritive habits such as thumb-sucking and tongue thrust during childhood
Closing these gaps is necessary so that bacteria and plaque do not build up over time. Allowing it to do so will only lead to tooth decay, gum inflammation, and gum disease. Invisalign can bring teeth closer together so that the gap is eliminated.
As well as Invisalign, small gaps can also be concealed with dental bonding.
Overbite
If you notice that your teeth protrude out over your lower arch of teeth, you have what is known as an overbite. As one of the most common alignment issues, it can cause much jaw pain as well as a speech impediment, uneven dental wear, and problems opening and closing your mouth. Also, the upper row of teeth can be more exposed, leading to a higher risk of injury if not properly protected.
Underbite
You have an underbite if your lower row of teeth pushes out slightly over your upper row of teeth when closing your mouth. As another example of bite misalignment, an underbite typically forms as a result of genetics, oral trauma, non-nutritive habits, a jaw injury, or a tumor. Without treatment, it can increase your chances of mouth breathing, developing sleep apnea, and experiencing difficulty eating and speaking.
While these bites are more easily treated in young patients, adults should not neglect treatment with Invisalign. It may be necessary to wear rubber bands while wearing clear aligners, as they can help to readjust your bite and pull it back into its proper position.
Crossbite
Many individuals may not know if they have a crossbite until they discover that their bottom teeth sit slightly in front of their upper teeth. Genetics, poor oral habits, and early loss of baby teeth can lead to a crossbite. However, Invisalign can remedy the problem. Even if it forms because of jaw development, elastics or other appliances can be used in combination with clear aligners.
Should a patient choose to avoid the problem, a crossbite can increase the risk of gum disease and tooth decay while also causing jaw pain, headaches, bruxism, lack of self-confidence, speech impediments, and even facial asymmetry.
Open Bite
If you find that your top and bottom front teeth do not touch when closing your mouth, you have an open bite. This usually occurs as a result of poor bone development and/or practicing non-nutritive habits as a child. An open bite can make speaking much more difficult, and tooth enamel can begin to wear down quickly.
Invisalign aligners can help realign teeth so that the bite pattern improves, and the risk of dental damage and wear lowers.
The Benefits of Invisalign
During your treatment, you will enjoy many added benefits that are not possible with traditional braces. These include:
- No dietary restrictions
- Straightforward maintenance
- Increased comfort for your soft oral tissues
- Virtually invisible custom-trays
- Completely removable clear aligners
- Shorter treatment timeframe (on average)
Understanding the Cost of Invisalign
Simply put, Invisalign doesn’t come with a flat fee. Although this may initially seem like an annoyance, it’s actually a good thing; it means your treatment will be 100% tailored to your specific dental needs and smile goals. At your initial consultation with our team, we can assess your oral health and provide a more accurate estimate of how much your treatment will cost. You can also read on to learn more about the factors that play a role in the price of Invisalign!
Factors That Affect the Cost of Invisalign
As mentioned above, the exact price of your Invisalign treatment will depend on your specific dental needs. Generally speaking, the overall cost can be influenced by several factors, such as the complexity of your orthodontic issues, whether you need to straighten one or both arches, how many trays are needed, and how often you meet your 20-22 hour wear time.
Invisalign vs. Smile Direct Club™: Which Costs More?
Smile Direct Club™ and other mail-order aligner companies do typically come with a lower price tag. However, it’s important to remember why before assuming that means you’ll get the reliable treatment you deserve at a fraction of the cost. Mail-order aligner options skip crucial steps of the treatment process and rely on DIY impressions, which are two of the reasons so many patients have experienced worsened misalignment (some even had their teeth fall out!). That’s why it’s not worth opting for mail-order alternatives, even if they are cheaper upfront.
Does Dental Insurance Cover Invisalign?
In some cases, yes! Since dental plans vary from patient to patient, we encourage you to read through the fine print on yours or reach out to your provider directly to learn more about the ins and outs of your coverage. Of course, we’re also here to help, so don’t hesitate to let us know if you have any questions about the cost of your care and if your dental insurance benefits will help lower your out-of-pocket expenses.
Options for Making Invisalign Affordable
Good news: we welcome more than just dental insurance! If you don’t want to pay for your entire treatment in one lump sum, then you can pick a payment plan with CareCredit (a trusted third-party financier). On the other hand, if you’d like to pay for the whole cost upfront, then you may be eligible for a 5% discount! If you’d like to learn more about these financial solutions, then give our team a call. Otherwise, we can answer any questions you have at your consultation.
Invisalign FAQs
Most people grew up around braces and are thus intimately familiar with what they look like and how wearing them feels. While Invisalign treatment has become incredibly popular, they’re also relatively new, which means that people often have more questions about the treatment than they might about traditional braces.
Thankfully, we are more than used to addressing our patients’ questions and have heard plenty of them over the years. Hopefully, hearing answers to some of the most common ones will provide you with some clarity about the treatment.
Does Invisalign Hurt?
As with any kind of orthodontics, you’re likely to experience a little bit of discomfort when you first start wearing your trays. However, once you’ve gotten used to them, it’s also true that the sleekness of Invisalign aligners makes them incredibly comfortable to wear, without any poking wires or brackets.
What little discomfort you’d feel is likely to be manageable with just over-the-counter medications until it fades after a few days.
Is Invisalign Cheaper than Braces?
Your smile is unlike anyone else’s, which means that the price of orthodontic treatments tend to vary from person to person. Typically, the price of Invisalign aligners are approximately the same as that of braces.
However, Invisalign aligners are less likely to be covered by dental insurance companies, which may make them a little harder to pay for. It’s worth investigating the details of your dental plan to determine whether clear aligners fall under the scope of your coverage.
Can You Eat with Invisalign?
Unlike traditional braces, Invisalign aligners can be taken on and off at any time. This means that you don’t have to face a lot of the dietary restrictions that you would usually have to deal with—so long as you take off your trays beforehand, you can eat just about anything you want!
However, while you’re wearing aligners, it’s a bad idea to eat or drink anything other than water. This is to minimize the buildup of bacteria, damage to the trays, or discoloration.
How is Invisalign Made?
Invisalign aligners are manufactured via a complex 3D printing process, allowing them to be custom-tailored to the specifications provided by us. We will take impressions of your smile, then run them through complex digital software that will allow us to design the trays that will give you your perfect smile.
We’ll then send these designs to a lab where the 3D printing will be completed. This will take about 3-4 weeks, and we’ll call you back to our office when they’re completed.