subject: Invisalign Teeth Straightening Is Finally Available For Teens [print this page] Until recently, a large percentage of American teens had to endure uncomfortable and unattractive orthodontic devices to straighten their teeth. Nowadays, clear plastic Invisalign teeth straighteners have been tailored to fit the special needs of young adults, significantly reducing the number of "brace faces" seen in school.
Aside from their unsightly appearance, metal braces often induce injuries to teeth, lips, mouth and gums. They also cause embarrassing stuck food and make-out mishaps due to their sharp-edged brackets. On the other hand, with the Invisalign plastic trays method users are able to eat anything they like, compete in sports with impunity, play musical instruments with ease, and kiss each other without damage to lips or self-esteem.
Another advantage of using Invisalign is how easy and thorough oral hygiene can be for the wearers. With traditional braces, flossing is impossible and really extensive brushing is difficult for everyone. Tooth whitening - very popular, especially among teenagers, has to wait until the braces are removed. All in all, good oral hygiene is almost put on hold for almost two years while traditional braces are worn.
In 1997, a couple of Stanford graduate students began to experiment with computer graphics to update the field of orthodontics and within three years had created Align Technologies, the home of Invisalign. Last year, the company found a way to modify the design to allow for guiding in emerging molars in teenagers. They also added a blue dot that proves compliance to scheduled wearing hours by fading to clear when the required amount of time in the mouth has passed.
For the best results, dentists generally recommend wearing them for 20 to 22 hours daily for about a year. The majority of teenagers find this to be no hardship, since Invisalign trays are virtually invisible and can be removed for eating, brushing and flossing or when attending special functions. This compares favorably to traditional metal braces which usually have to remain in place for two years or more and must stay attached until painstakingly removed by a dentist.
Any practitioner who offers the Invisalign straightening system must first be certified by Align Technology. Originally offered only to orthodontists, the company later opened their training to general dentists who are required to take coursework, seminars and workshops to become affiliated with Align. All practitioners of general dentistry must be knowledgeable about the types of difficulties that can be solved through use of Invisalign and which problems need other measures. For the most part, common teenage malocclusion, such as overbite, spaces and crooked teeth can be corrected by the clear trays. Computer-generated prescriptions are changed about every two weeks, each new custom set precisely made to progress the alignment of the patient's teeth over time.
While the costs of Invisalign are a little higher than those of traditional metal braces, the price difference is more than worth it for teenagers in terms of comfort, appearance and social life. What parent could disagree?
by: Stephen Daniels
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