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Are You a Candidate for Invisalign?

Let’s face it, everyone would like perfectly aligned teeth and a confident, beautiful smile. Thanks to innovations in dentistry, you no longer have to resort to traditional metal braces to achieve straight, beautiful, and healthy teeth.

Invisalign is a modern, non-invasive and convenient solution to a number of orthodontic problems including crooked, overcrowded or gapped teeth. Clear plastic aligners sit comfortably over your teeth, guiding them gently into their new position.

However, Invisalign isn’t always the best orthodontic treatment option for everyone.

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Benefits of Invisalign

The most popular benefit of Invisalign is that it is an incredibly discreet way of realigning your teeth. Unlike traditional braces which fill your mouth with metal and wires, Invisalign’s clear, plastic aligners are virtually invisible, meaning that you won’t feel embarrassed when you talk, eat or smile.

Invisalign aligners must be removed for eating and drinking, but this means that you can enjoy all of your favourite food and drink as normal. There are no sticky, chewy or tough off limit foods.


With Invisalign, you can discreetly remove the aligner ahead of your meal, before digging in. The fact that there are no brackets, metal, bands or wires means that there is nowhere for food to get trapped – a serious problem for patients with traditional braces.

This gives you the added benefit of being able to clean and floss your teeth thoroughly, stop plaque from forming and prevent tooth decay. It also means that your teeth will be evenly clean, so you will not be at risk of the white spots that are often visible on the teeth of patients who have had traditional braces.

Typically, these white spots show where the brace has been attached, which is noticeably cleaner and brighter than the rest of the teeth which have been difficult to clean.

Invisalign aligners also require minimal maintenance. Your orthodontist or Invisalign provider will schedule appointments approximately every 6-8 weeks to check on the progress of your treatment, but each visit is short, and you won’t have to worry about awkward or painful adjustments.

Are You a Candidate for Invisalign?

Unfortunately, Invisalign is not the right solution for every patient. Typically, Invisalign cannot heal more serious orthodontic problems such as underbites, overbites, and crossbites.


In these instances, your orthodontist will probably recommend traditional braces. The best candidates for Invisalign are patients with tooth alignment issues.

Invisalign patients also need to be prepared to make a serious commitment to the treatment program. In order to be successful, your aligners should be worn for approximately 22 hours each day. This means that you need to be extremely disciplined, and remember to put them back in straight after brushing and meals.

Failure to wear your aligners for the allotted time can prolong treatment times and affect the final position of your teeth, meaning that they may not end up exactly as predicted in your initial consultation.