Invisalign® Clear Braces—Owasso, OK
Straighten Your Smile with Comfort and Confidence
For years, patients who wanted straighter teeth had one option: uncomfortable and unattractive braces. Thankfully, if you’re considering aligning your smile, you can now receive the same beautiful results in a much more comfortable and aesthetically pleasing way. With Invisalign in Owasso, Dr. Jayson Voto can shift your teeth into perfect position to restore your confidence and oral health. Keep reading to learn how Invisalign treatment can give you the smile of your dreams with more safety and speed than traditional braces.
How Does Invisalign Work?
Invisalign treatment uses a series of clear plastic aligning trays to gradually shift your teeth into place. This slow shifting of teeth is similar to traditional braces, but it eliminates the need for permanently fixed brackets and wires. Dr. Voto will give your smile a careful examination to see how your teeth can benefit from Invisalign treatment. He will take special images and X-Rays of your smile, and then create your custom-made aligning trays accordingly.
Once your trays are completed, you’ll wear each aligner for around 2 weeks at a time. These aligners should be worn between 20 and 22 hours a day, which means you should only remove them for eating and oral healthcare. On average, treatment can last from 10 to 18 months. The duration will depend on how diligent you are about wearing your aligners as well as the severity of your misalignment to begin with. Last but not least, you’ll wear a retainer after treatment is complete to make sure your straight smile is permanent!
Invisalign Teen
This clear alternative to traditional braces continues to gain popularity with adults and teenagers alike. However, some youths might struggle with time management and may not wear their trays long enough to prevent their teeth from reverting to their previous positions.
As a result, Dr. Voto also offers Invisalign Teen, designed to help young people successfully complete this orthodontic treatment to enhance their smiles and boost their confidence. Continue reading to learn more about this service and who it can potentially benefit!
How is Invisalign Teen Different?
The process of getting Invisalign Teen is essentially the same as the standard option. First, our team will make impressions of your child’s mouth that will be sent to Invisalign, which uses the information to design all the trays needed for their treatment. Your teenager must wear the aligners for 20 to 22 hours daily. After a week or two, they’ll need to switch to the next set in their series to account for the ongoing movement of their teeth.
However, some youths have difficulty remembering when to start wearing the new aligners. Invisalign Teen includes small blue dots that gradually fade away so that when they’re gone, your child knows it’s time for the next trays.
Is Invisalign Right for Your Teen?
Although Invisalign Teen includes a visual reference to help let younger people know when it’s time to switch to their new aligners, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best treatment to meet your child’s unique needs. Before proceeding, your teen must consult Dr. Voto to ensure that they’re a good candidate. If he finds any signs of pre-existing issues, such as cavities or gum disease, during his initial examination, he’ll treat them first.
Then, based on the findings of the exam, our team can provide an appropriate treatment plan. We might recommend Invisalign Teen for youths who:
- Can comply with the designated wear times to remain on track with their treatment timeline.
- Are seeking a less invasive and more discreet alternative to traditional braces.
- Have a low threshold for discomfort.
- Have minor to moderate misalignments; more severe issues may require a different treatment.
The Benefits of Invisalign Teen
There are several advantages of choosing Invisalign Teen, including:
- Less invasive treatment. Unlike braces, which can interfere with daily habits like your diet and dental hygiene routine, these clear aligners are removable and are therefore considered less invasive.
- Transparent trays. The clear aligners allow your teenager’s natural enamel to shine through to help avoid self-consciousness about their appearance.
- Improved oral health. It’s easier to brush and floss than with braces, preventing many common dental concerns, such as cavities, gum disease, or injuries.
- Faster follow-ups. Your child will need to see Dr. Voto every four to eight weeks to ensure they’re on track with their treatment plan, but these visits can be as brief as 15 to 30 minutes, so they won’t miss much school.
- Convenient reminders. The small, blue dots included on these trays help let your youth know when it’s time to switch them out for the next set in their series.
What Are the Benefits of Invisalign?
Invisalign treatment brings many benefits that you simply can’t get with traditional braces. First, the treatment time is much quicker than braces on average. Traditional orthodontics take 2 to 3 years to get desired results.
Another benefit that Invisalign provides is that it gives you more free time. Braces require monthly visits to manually adjust them, while Invisalign treatment only requires a visit to Dr. Voto’s office every 6 to 8 weeks to ensure your teeth are shifting as planned.
Lastly, Invisalign’s biggest advantage is its discreetness. As their name may suggest, these aligning trays are almost invisible, so you can straighten your teeth at home, with friends, or at work without feeling self-conscious about your smile. Just be sure to clean them routinely so they remain transparent.
Who Should Consider Invisalign?
Invisalign treatment is great for anyone with mild to moderate alignment issues. For more severe problems with your bite, traditional braces are still your best option. Additionally, if you have any existing dental issues like gum disease or weakened tooth structure, those problems need to be addressed before receiving Invisalign treatment. The top candidates for Invisalign are those who are committed to wearing their aligners and taking care of their oral health. The best way to know if Invisalign treatment is right for you is to contact Dr. Voto for a consultation. After examining your teeth and mouth, he will be able to provide the best treatment plan for you.
Living with Invisalign Aligners
Have you ever wondered what life with Invisalign will actually look like? What does taking care of your teeth and your trays entail? If so, then this next section is for you. In it, we’re covering how to clean your aligners, how to navigate mealtimes, what to do if you damage a tray, and more.
Wearing Your Trays
In order to stay on-track with your treatment plan, you need to wear your aligners for a minimum of 20 hours a day. The best way to make this goal easy is by only taking off your trays when absolutely necessary. Then, put them back on as soon as you can. You can also use the stopwatch on your phone to track your wear time or to set reminders so you don’t leave them out for longer than necessary.
Cleaning Your Aligners
Not sure how to clean your aligners? Don’t worry – it’s really simple, only takes a few minutes, and requires just two things: a soft-bristled toothbrush and clean, cool water. After rinsing your trays thoroughly in the water, dampen the bristles of your toothbrush and use them to gently remove plaque, food particles, and other debris from the surface. If needed, you can use the cleaning crystals that came in your welcome kit too.
Eating & Drinking
One of the best parts of Invisalign is that it makes eating and drinking all of your favorites easy. After all, the aligners are removable. So, all you need to do is take them off before your meal or snack!
With all of that said, it is important to be mindful of your diet. If you consume added sugar in excess or fill your plate with crunchy, hard, and sticky foods, then you run the risk of dental damage or an orthodontic emergency, like a broken attachment.
Damaging a Tray
If there is a large crack on one of your trays or it has broken into several pieces, then it’s of the utmost importance that you contact us right away so we can determine if a replacement needs to be made. In fact, we even recommend getting in touch with us if the damage is relatively minor. After all, the last thing we want is for something to derail your treatment plan!
Note: The best way to protect your trays from damage is by placing them in their designated storage case when you aren’t wearing them and cleaning them over a sink filled with water so there is something to break their fall if you drop them.
Routine Check-Ins
Adjusting to your routine check-ins should be relatively easy since they only occur every six to eight weeks. Plus, they are usually only 15 minutes or so! At this time, we will take new scans of your teeth so we can monitor how your teeth are tracking. We’ll also give you your next batch of aligners so you can continue to progress through your treatment plan at home!
Understanding the Cost of Invisalign
Before settling on Invisalign, you probably want to know its price. That way, you can confirm whether the procedure’s price fits your budget. However, Dr. Voto can’t just give you a treatment estimate over the phone; he’ll need to see you in person for a consultation. The cost of Invisalign in Owasso varies by patient, so our team has to know your oral situation first. Still, you can trust the office of Jayson D. Voto, DDS, to discuss your payment options with you in detail. Please keep reading to learn more about this process, or call us today!
Factors That Affect the Cost of Invisalign
How much aligners cost depends on various factors. These include:
- How Many Aligners You Need: Whether you’re straightening one or both arches will affect the overall price.
- Treatment Complexity: Severe alignment issues cost more to treat than minor ones. For example, you’d pay less to fix a single gap between front teeth than to treat several deeply crooked teeth.
- Treatment Time & Compliance: The more time your treatment takes, the more aligners you’ll use. Naturally, using more sets of trays will lead to higher costs.
Invisalign vs. Smile Direct Club™: Which Costs More?
Strictly speaking, Invisalign costs more than a DIY service like SmileDirectClub™. The former charges between $3,000 and $8,000, while the latter only costs around $2,000.
That said, SmileDirectClub™ has drawbacks despite its lower price. Among them, a key one is that it’s an option with little to no professional oversight — a treatment where plenty can go wrong. For instance, you might make the impressions incorrectly or improperly follow the treatment process. In such cases, you could develop serious smile issues that’d require a dentist’s help anyway.
In contrast, Invisalign would offer Dr. Voto’s trusted oversight every step of the way. As a result, you’d get professionally made, highly accurate impressions and a smoother, more successful treatment process. In other words, Invisalign is a quality cosmetic service that gives you peace of mind worth its cost.
Does Dental Insurance Cover Invisalign?
When it comes to Invisalign, many dental insurance plans cover treatment the same way they do braces. Namely, they often pay for a certain percentage instead of the full procedure.
On the other hand, though, some insurance providers don’t cover Invisalign at all. Therefore, you should confirm your coverage status first. If you need help with that step, our office can even help you!
Options for Making Invisalign Affordable
Even if you don’t have dental insurance, there are still ways to make Invisalign affordable. For instance, Dr. Voto accepts flexible financing with CareCredit. Through this third-party service, you could make monthly, budget-friendly payments to split up the cost of your Invisalign care. Otherwise, you could also talk to our team about other possible ways to cut treatment costs.
In the end, you can trust the office of Dr. Jayson D. Voto, DDS, to straighten your teeth effectively. That being said, book a consultation with us to learn more about the financial details.
Invisalign FAQs
Are you still unsure of whether or not getting Invisalign in Owasso is the right choice for you? With endless benefits to offer and an ability to boost your self-confidence, we don’t want you to miss out on the perfect treatment for you. So, we’ve compiled some common questions from patients to help you feel confident about scheduling your consultation with us.
Is Invisalign painful?
For the first couple of days after you put in your new set of aligners, you may experience some discomfort while your mouth adjusts. Most patients report feeling mild to moderate soreness for the first two to three days from the aligners pressing against their teeth. Just like braces, Invisalign relies on gently and strategically placing pressure on your teeth to shift them into their ideal positions.
To help handle the discomfort, it’s best to switch sets of aligners at night so you sleep through a portion of the adjustment period. Also, you can always help ease your pain by taking over-the-counter pain relievers like ibuprofen or using a cold compress until the tenderness subsides.
Will my dental insurance cover Invisalign treatment?
Invisalign treatment times and costs vary drastically from patient-to-patient depending on the severity of their misalignment. If you’re wondering whether your dental insurance will contribute to the cost, the best thing to do is contact your provider directly. They can offer you specific details, and most policies include some type of orthodontic treatment provisions if it benefits your oral health and isn’t purely cosmetic.
Is it hard to take care of Invisalign aligners?
Taking care of your Invisalign aligners is simple and easy because they’re removable. Getting into a daily routine of brushing and soaking them will ensure that they’re sanitized, clean, and reduce your risk of developing oral health problems while you’re undergoing treatment.
Be sure to clean them regularly with a soft-bristled toothbrush and clear antibacterial soap. It’s best to avoid toothpaste and using hot water so they don’t get damaged. To sanitize them and keep them looking clean, soak them in a 50/50 mixture of water and vinegar for 15 minutes each day as well.
What happens if I lose or break my aligners?
If you damage your aligner, don’t force it back in your mouth. Call your dentist in Owasso and ask what to do. Depending on the damage and how close you are to your next series of aligners, we may suggest wearing your last set, or give you your new one.
Will I need to wear a retainer after my treatment?
After you complete your Invisalign treatment, you’ll need to wear a retainer to make sure that your newly aligned smile stays that way. Depending on our recommendation, you may need to wear a retainer for months, all day. Later on, you may just have to wear it at night. We’ll let you know when you get closer to the end of your treatment plan.