Will wearing Invisalign aligners affect my speech?
Invisalign aligners may temporarily affect the speech of some people, and you may have a slight lisp for a day or two. However, as you get used to having aligners in your mouth, any lisp caused by the aligners should disappear.
What is Malocclusion and Can I get Help with Aligners?
When you look in the mirror what color are your teeth white, yellow, or Brown? You may or may not be aware, that overtime teeth naturally become darker and stained In addition, to natural aging there are some other factors like cigarette smoking, in certain types of foods and drinks such as coffee and tea also darken your teeth.
Some prescription and over-the-counter drugs can have the same effect as well, a bright white smile can be achieved by bleaching your teeth. Home whitening involves wearing a custom fit mouth tray that contains a concentrated hydrogen peroxide gel, which will bleach your teeth to A brighter whiter smile. So how does it work? During the first visit, your dentist will take an impression of your teeth, after making sure your teeth are free of plaque and tartar from this impression a custom mouth tray is made specifically for your mouth.
On your second visit, your dentist will show you how to apply the gel to the tray and place it into your mouth, as well as tell you the amount of time you must wear your mouthguard. The amount of time depends on how badly your teeth are stained, as well as the concentration of the gel used. It can vary from a few minutes to a few hours, as an example, many brands are applied twice a day for one to 2 hours, over a time period of two weeks. Home whitening can last anywhere from a few months to a few years and the degree of whitening changes from one person to another. This in part, depends on the original condition of your teeth specifically how stained they were as well as the strength of the bleaching gel used also. In large part, it depends on your eating, drinking, and smoking habits as no teeth whitening solution will result in a permanent color change of your teeth, and it won’t prevent future staining.
There are some minor risks associated with home whitening, the most common side effect is tooth sensitivity. Tooth sensitivity is generally mild and will subside most of the time once the treatment is completed. If you feel severe sensitivity, you should wear a mouth tray for shorter periods of time or consider stopping treatment entirely. Brushing your teeth with a highly concentrated fluoride toothpaste, or desensitizing toothpaste such as Sensodyne, will also help to reduce the discomfort. Your dentist can also prescribe a fluoride gel that can be used in your bleaching tray, which also should help reduce the sensitivity. gum irritation. or discoloration of the gum is another possible side effect of the home whitening procedure, this is mainly due to over loading the mouth tray. Simply stopping the process for a few days should help your gums feel and look normal again.
If you have any additional questions please consult with Dr. Lieu or Dr. Styles.
How often do I need to wear my Invisalign aligners?
It is recommended that you wear your aligners for 20-22 hours per day and only remove them for eating or drinking, brushing and flossing.
How much does Invisalign cost?
Cost is always a concern, and only your doctor can the exact price of treatment. In most cases, Invisalign treatment is comparable to the cost of traditional braces. In the U.S., the cost of Invisalign treatment ranges from $3,500 to $8,000, with the national average at about $5,000.
How does Invisalign work?
The virtually invisible aligners, which are made of a thermoplastic material uniquely developed for the Invisalign treatment plan, look similar to teeth-whitening trays. A series of Invisalign aligners are custom-made for you, to move your teeth in the sequence determined by your doctor. Each set of aligners is worn for about two weeks before moving onto the next set of aligners in your treatment plan.
How are dental veneers applied and are there different kinds of dental veneers?
Veneers are custom made tooth-colored shells that are bonded to your teeth with dental cement or bonding adhesive, they cover the front surfaces of your teeth and can help improve your appearance and smile by covering up a tooth that is discolored, misshaped, or worn down. Veneers, can also close gaps between teeth or repair a chipped tooth, veneers can be made from several different types of materials generally, your dentist will help you decide which type is best for you.
Veneers can be porcelain, composite or Lumineers. Porcelain are the most common type of veneers, porcelain has a very shiny surface that closely resembles your enamel, and will give you a more natural and translucent appearance. In addition, porcelain is stain resistant and it is also very friendly to your gums. It normally takes 2 visits for your dentist to complete your veneer.s In preparation it is necessary on the first visit for your dentist to use a dental hand-piece to shape and prepare the teeth so the veneers will properly fit over them.
Next, an impression of your teeth is taken and temporary veneers may be placed to protect the prepared teeth, the impression of your teeth is then sent to a dental laboratory where custom-fit veneers are made. During this first visit, your dentist will also help you choose the proper shade for the color of your veneers in most cases, on your second visit the veneers are placed, and if necessary adjusted to create a proper fit. If the fit, shape, and color of the veneers are satisfactory your dentist will proceed with permanently cementing them into place. Keep in mind, in some instances the veneer received back from the laboratory may not fit as expected in these cases your dentist may have to take a second impression or readjust the tooth in order to fabricate a veneer that fits just right and creates the beautiful smile you want.
Though rare, during the first few days with your new veneers you may feel some discomfort or sensitivity to temperature changes, as advised by your dentist you can take over-the-counter pain medicine to alleviate the discomfort. If your symptoms persist more than a few days, visit your dentist sometimes your newly cemented veneers may feel too tall in this case, you should also contact your dentist for further adjustment of the veneers porcelain veneers, are usually not repairable should they chip or crack so you should attempt to avoid biting directly on small hard items such as hard candies, your fingernails, or pens.
You should never chew on anything cold or hard such as ice, if you grind your teeth during the day or night your dentist may recommend a nightguard to protect your veneers from these grinding forces, a nightguard is a plastic cover that fits over your teeth to deflect hard forces. Nightguards will also increase the longevity of your veneers finally, it is important to keep up with your daily brushing and flossing to avoid getting cavities in your teeth with veneers as well as your other teeth.
If you have any additional questions please consult with Dr. Lieu or Dr. Styles.
Does Invisalign really work?
Yes. Over 1.5 million patients have been treated with Invisalign. It is perfect for realigning teeth if you have had regular braces, or looking to make a minor correction. Wear your aligners and your teeth will move.
Does insurance cover Invisalign?
Because medical benefits differ from policy to policy, you should review your personal coverage plan and check with your insurance provider. In general, if a patient has orthodontic coverage, Invisalign should be covered to the same extent as conventional braces.
Can Blue Apple Dental Group help me with a professional teeth whitening in the office?
When you look in the mirror what color are your teeth white, yellow, or Brown? You may or may not be aware that overtime teeth naturally become darker and stained. In addition, to natural aging, there are some other factors like cigarette smoking, certain types of foods, and drinks such as coffee and tea that also darken your teeth. Some prescription and over-the-counter drugs can also have the same effect as well, a bright white smile can be achieved by bleaching your teeth, there are several ways in which this can be done but the most commonly recommended technique by dentists is an in-office bleaching.
Hands down, this is the quickest and most effective way to whiten your teeth, here’s how it works in-office whitening uses a concentrated hydrogen peroxide gel to bleach your teeth to A brighter whiter smile. To help accelerate the process for better results a special light or with some bleaching systems our laser is used in conjunction with the gel, what’s great is that the whitening procedure generally takes only one office visit.
The first step is to make sure the teeth are free of any plaque or tartar.
The next step is to apply a protective layer of cream to your lips, so they stay moist during the process.
Next, your dentist will place a protection on your gums, now that the lips and gums have been protected your dentist will apply the bleaching gel to your teeth.
Finally, the entire process is accelerated by shining a special light on your teeth, the entire process takes roughly 1 to 2 hours, and unlike other whitening techniques that may take weeks to show results, you will see results almost instantly. In-office whitening can last anywhere from a few months to a few years and the degree of whitening changes from one person to another. This in part depends on the original condition of your teeth, specifically how stained they were, as well as the strength of the bleaching gel used.
In large part, it depends on your eating, drinking, and smoking habits as no teeth whitening solution will result in a permanent color change of your teeth, and it won’t prevent future staining. However, you can maintain this whitening effect with the use of a home whitening kit, home whitening involves wearing a custom-fit mouthguard, that contains a less concentrated hydrogen peroxide gel to help preserve your new brighter and whiter smile.
There are some minor risks associated with whitening, the most common side effect is tooth sensitivity, tooth sensitivity is generally mild and often subsides in a few days. Brushing your teeth with a highly concentrated fluoride toothpaste or desensitizing toothpaste such as Sensodyne will also help reduce the discomfort. Dr. Lieu or Dr. Styles can also prescribe you a fluoride gel to use, which will also help reduce the sensitivity, gum irritation, or discoloration, side effects such as these will subside and the gum will go back to normal condition in about a few days.
If you have any additional questions please consult with Dr. Lieu or Dr. Styles.
Introducing Virtual Visits
With TeleDentistry, a new HIPAA-compliant virtual dental visit, you can quickly arrange a video call with Dr. Lieu or Dr. Styles to deliver remote consultation in real-time.
Fill in the appointment form below and add “Virtual Visit” to the appointment in the “Notes for the Doctor” section.
Carriere Distalizer with Class II elastic attached to hook on the cuspid pad. Class I Platform is present when a cuspid occlusion, in which centric relation coincides with centric occlusion, and the molar occlusal relationships are a perfect Class I.
Live from the AAO 2017, Dr. Scott Frey discusses how orthodontists can take command of soft tissues and deliver exceptional treatment outcomes in Henry Schein Orthodontics In-Booth lectures. Learn more at
A mom with a 13-year-old girl loves Invisalign® treatment for her busy teen. She sticks to the treatment plan and hasn’t misplaced her aligners – and even when they are traveling the world, she remembers to stick to the Invisalign treatment plan. SUBSCRIBE: About Invisalign: Proven effective in shaping simple to complex little smiles, tween…
