My team and I recently attended a two-day course at the Align Technology office in Raleigh on how to incorporate Invisalign in the general and cosmetic dental office. The course, titled Catalyst, was taught by Dr. Corey Anolik and Dr. Christina Blacher, better known as the Queen of Invisalign.
As a practice, we have invested a lot of time into perfecting our Invisalign treatment because we believe it can bring great benefit to our patients seeking cosmetic dental care. Offering this treatment in-house also streamlines the process for our patients and allows us to take a more hands-on approach to the treatment plan.
In our cosmetic dental office, there are three ways we use Invisalign.
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1. As a standalone cosmetic dental treatment
When most people think of Invisalign, they think of a straightforward cosmetic case where we straighten teeth. The patient is in good dental health, but their teeth are crooked or crowded or there is space between them. Invisalign is great for this, because it can correct these issues in a short amount of time and leaves the enamel intact.
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2. As a precursor to porcelain veneers
We also see patients who want to enhance their smile with veneers, but their teeth are not in the best position to do this. When we prepare veneers in our office, we try to be as conservative as possible when preparing the teeth. In some cases, this requires that we use Invisalign to straighten the teeth before placing veneers. This allows us to remove less enamel, which will result in a stronger restoration.
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3. To address functional risk
Lastly, we use Invisalign to address functional risk – or how the teeth are functioning and wearing. A patient with a high functional risk may have teeth that are not in the right position and are causing wear on other teeth. This may look like jagged front teeth, notches on the gumline, or traffic patterns in a section of the mouth.
These wear patterns provide clues and tell me where the problem is stemming from. It might be a few teeth in the wrong position that are causing wear throughout the entire mouth. The good news is that we can correct this using Invisalign. When we move the teeth to the right position, now there is less pain for the patient and less wear on the enamel.
If you’ve ever considered improving your smile with Invisalign, contact our office to set up a cosmetic dental consultation. My team and I would be happy to go over your options and show you just how great your smile could be with Invisalign treatment.
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