If you’re in need of orthodontic treatment but are concerned about the aesthetics of wearing braces, then our Cheadle Hulme dental practice can help.
We offer the latest in discreet adult orthodontic treatments, such as Invisalign®. In a similar manner to conventional braces, Invisalign® corrects the positioning of crooked, flared, or gapped teeth using gentle pressure, which is applied gradually over time. However, unlike conventional braces, Invisalign® uses a series of removable aligners or trays fashioned from clear plastic that is worn over the teeth rather than fixed to the teeth to give the desired results. Invisalign® aligners are suitable for people of all ages and are both comfortable and versatile.
How does Invisalign® work?
The first step is to have an initial consultation at our Cheadle Hulme dentist surgery, where our friendly team will talk you through the process. Then a series of computerised images, dental impressions, dental X-rays, and photographs of your current smile are taken. This information is then forwarded to the Invisalign® laboratory.
Once this information is received, the central laboratory will take a digital scan of your dental impressions to create an on-screen 3D animated model of your teeth, together with a suggested treatment plan. This is sent back to our dentist in Cheadle Hulme, who will evaluate it and request any necessary changes. At this point, we like to show you the videos so that we can have your input. The good thing about viewing the image is that you get to see how your teeth will look once the procedure is completed. This is something you don’t get with any other form of orthodontic treatment.
Once the images have been viewed and the treatment plan is signed off, the central laboratory will use this information to craft your aligners. There may be as few as seven, with each one representing a specific stage that your teeth will need to be at in order to move on to the next aligner. Once the manufacturing process is complete, the aligners are delivered directly to your dentist in one complete shipment. The whole process, from initial consultation through to receiving your aligners, usually takes somewhere between 2-3 weeks.
You’ve got your aligners – what next?
The aligners need to be worn for a minimum of 22 hours per day for optimum results and are designed to be removed while eating and brushing/flossing. Each aligner is numbered in sequence and needs to be changed every 2 weeks. This is simply done by replacing the existing aligner with the next aligner in the sequence and can be carried out quickly and easily by the patient at home. Usually, every 4-6 weeks, you’ll need to come back to our dentist in Cheadle Hulme so that we can see can monitor how your treatment is progressing. Once you’ve reached the last of your aligners and your dentist is happy with the results, it can be removed, and the treatment is complete. Retainers are then worn to make sure your teeth don’t return back to their initial position prior to treatment.
In Person Consultation
