Category: Invisalign

Have you heard that wearing an invisible aligner is a walk in the park?

While it is easy to use, aligners do not come without their own set of unique challenges.

At Aura Dental, our team has worked with Invisalign St John’s Wood for over a decade and can offer you some much-needed tips on the wearing and daily use of this aligner.

So, read on for our survival guide to Invisalign St John’s Wood.

Keep your teeth clean

As obvious as it may sound relating to anything orthodontic, when you wear Invisalign St John’s Wood, you’ve got to keep your teeth clean.

Unlike braces which are fixed, this invisible aligner is removable, meaning that you can and should take it out before meals. But, before you put the aligner back in, you will need to clean your teeth. That’s right! Even at work or at a restaurant!

This will prevent sugars and other food debris from being pressed against your teeth, thus inhibiting the formation of cavities and gum disease. So, we recommend using a mini toothbrush and carrying it with you wherever you go along with a mini toothpaste tube.

Keep the aligners clean

You need to keep food debris off of your teeth but we know that it can be easy to forget about cleaning it off of aligners too.

Make it part of your daily routine to clean the aligners. As they are made from plastic, you can simply rinse them under running cold water and remove any debris with a soft-bristled toothbrush. Do not use hot water to clean them as this could cause the plastic to warp. Refrain from using mouthwashes too as this can cause the plastic to discolour and lead to your invisible aligners becoming a bit more visible!

Backup aligners are a must-have!

You may find that during the period when you use your aligners that they get damaged, warped or lost. So, it is worth investing in backup aligners to be safe.

If you don’t and one of your aligners is damaged, it can take at least 2 weeks for a new one to be ordered, made and shipped back to our team, which can lead to a lengthy delay in the treatment.

Monitor yourself

When you wear a removable aligner, you’ve got to keep track of everything; how often you wear them, how often you eat and whether or not you are wearing the correct aligner.

We recommend keeping a diary or using the associated app to help you manage your aligners.

Dental wax

Dental aligners are an amazing piece of engineering and are made possible thanks to the use of 3D printers.

As is the way with most things made by 3D printers, the edges of the aligners tend to be a bit sharp. This can cause issues when they are placed against the inner cheeks, gums or tongue. Therefore, it is worth investing in dental wax. This is a soft, putty-like material that is placed over the sharp edges of your aligners until they soften down through daily wear and tear. It prevents friction so that your soft tissues won’t become damaged through the use of your aligners. Great!

When it comes to wearing aligners, you want to be prepared for as many eventualities as possible.

While uncommon, during the first few times you put your aligners onto your teeth, you may find that you have difficulty fitting them correctly. They may not slot onto one part of your teeth or, you may have issues with aligning them over the correct teeth.

Fiddling around with them excessively can cause damage so, this is where chewies come in!

At Aura Dental, our team has helped many patients use Invisalign St John’s Wood and can attest to the many benefits that these invisible aligners have to offer. After all, we have used this aligner in our clinic for over 10 years!

However, we do acknowledge that they can be tricky to adjust to and, rather than have frustrated patients give up on the treatment due to problems with slotting the aligners into place, we are in favour of anything that can help make the process easier.

So, what are chewies and how do they help with using Invisalign St John’s Wood?

What do aligner chewies do?

To understand what chewies do, we will first break down how aligners work.

With Invisalign St John’s Wood, the aligners are custom-fitted to your teeth and, throughout your treatment, you may need to wear up to 14 different aligners in succession.

But, as they are not fixed, for them to work and apply the right level of pressure to the correct teeth, they have to be set in place properly.

Chewies help with the placement of aligners; simply put the aligners and chewies in your mouth, bite down on it for a few minutes and voila! Your aligner will be in place! As chewies are made from soft plastic, you can chew on them for as long as required but, if you frequently find that your aligners don’t fit, then you may need to see our team.

Do they accelerate the treatment?

You may have read that using chewies reduces the treatment time. This is partially correct.

As we mentioned earlier, having your aligner fit correctly is crucial to realigning your teeth and, as chewies help with positioning, they are useful for keeping the treatment running on schedule or, in some cases, accelerating it. But, to be clear, we don’t have enough data on the use of chewies to state whether they do or don’t speed up the treatment time of invisible aligners.

Are there side effects?

As you may know, wearing an invisible aligner does not come without its share of soreness; because they apply pressure to your teeth when you change between them, there is likely to be some discomfort.

And, when you use chewies, this can be exacerbated; the repetitive biting motions required to use these tools can cause jaw soreness and muscle pain.

Can’t I just chew something else?

You can, but it is advisable to use something designed for use with aligners, such as Munchies or Movemints. Do not be tempted to chew on items such as pencils or pens, as these are often too hard and can cause damage to the aligners.

When you look in the mirror, what do you see? Are you happy with the appearance of your smile, or do you find yourself wishing that your parents had got you braces when you were in school to realign your teeth? If you are feeling concerned about the aesthetics of your smile, it can affect your self-esteem and nobody wants that, especially when there is a way that you can realign your teeth discreetly and without people knowing that you are. At Aura Dental, we specialise in putting great smiles on patients’ faces. As finalists of the Private Dentistry Awards 2020, our reputation for doing what we do best is unequivocal. With Invisalign St John’s Wood, we treat mild to moderate alignment issues in a convenient and comfortable way.

What is Invisalign?

Invisalign St John’s Wood is a system that uses clear plastic aligners to apply pressure gently on teeth and make them move into the position that’s required. The aligners are worn like gum shields, but they are perhaps more comfortable thanks to their streamlined finish that is made bespoke to fit your mouth. You will be provided with sets of aligners to wear and change between on a fortnightly basis; this means you only need to come to see us for a check-up every 6 weeks. After your treatment has finished, you will then need to wear retainers.

Why Invisalign St John’s Wood?

Invisalign has many benefits for patients. Aside from the fact that they are virtually unnoticeable when worn, they are also removable. This means that you can take them out for up to 2 hours a day whilst you play sports or attend a special event. What’s more, you can also remove them while you eat and drink, which means that you won’t need to clean masticated food off your aligners! You will also be able to continue to eat whatever you like and you will be able to brush and floss as normal afterwards. This allows you to keep your teeth and gums in good nick!

Another benefit of Invisalign is that the aligners are very hard to break due to the plastic they are made of. This means that you shouldn’t need to take unnecessary time off work coming to see us for an emergency appointment. The treatment itself can be completed in as little as 6 months, which is great if you have a special event to attend. Another benefit of Invisalign is that when you have the iTero 3D scan of your mouth for us to get the prescription for your custom made aligners, we will also be able to generate an animation to show you what your teeth will look like upon completion of treatment, before you even get started! This technology is a great motivating factor to kickstart your Invisalign journey.

What next?

If you are keen to find out more about Invisalign and whether it is the right treatment for you, simply book in for an initial consultation. During this consultation, we can examine your mouth and discuss your concerns about your smile. We will be able to assess whether or not this is the right treatment for you or whether one of our other discreet treatments would be better. You can ask us as many questions as you like – we’re a friendly bunch! – and together we will put a treatment plan together that’s best for you. When you finish your treatment, we want you to be able to look in the mirror and feel proud of your smile.

Having misaligned teeth can be a source of anxiety for patients. Having low self-esteem about the appearance of your smile is not what anybody wants. At Aura Dental, we have a solution to improving your smile with Invisalign St John’s Wood. It is a discreet method of realigning your smile that is flexible and convenient in its approach to bringing you a happier glow when you look in the mirror.

What is Invisalign?

Invisalign St John’s Wood is a system which uses clear plastic aligners that are worn over the teeth like a gum shield. They are made to measure for your mouth and sit snugly on the gumline. Contemporary iTero technology takes a 3D scan of your mouth to get the measurements for your aligners and from this an animation can be made of how your teeth will look after the completion of your treatment, before you even begin! It’s a great motivating factor for patients as it gives you the vision of what you’re going to be able to achieve with wearing them.

What are the benefits of Invisalign St John’s Wood?

Invisalign has many advantages; one of the top ones being that when the aligners are worn, they are virtually invisible to other people. Another bonus is that you can remove them for up to 2 hours a day which permits you a flexibility of approach to realigning your teeth. You can remove them for eating and drinking, which allows you to eat whatever you want and you won’t have to clean food off your aligners afterwards either – result! With Invisalign, you can also take the aligners out while you participate in sports or go on a date, or attend that all important job interview – it’s up to you! You can also remove them for brushing and flossing your teeth, allowing you to keep up your oral hygiene routine and not have any issues with your teeth and gums as a result of having an appliance in your mouth.

If you’re concerned about having to spend all your time with us, you may be relieved to learn that your hectic lifestyle can continue! With Invisalign, we will give you sets of aligners to take home with you and change between on a fortnightly basis. You will then need to come and have a check-up every 6 weeks. This may still sound a lot, but remember that some patients’ treatment is completed in as little as 6 months. So, while we will be able to be on first name terms, you won’t feel like you’ve moved into Aura Dental – as much as we’d enjoy having your company, we know you’ve got other ideas!

What are the next steps?

After you’ve had your treatment with Invisalign, you will need to wear a retainer to ensure that your teeth stay in their new positions. If you want to find out if Invisalign is right for you, you just need to book in for a consultation to discuss your concerns and we will be able to let you know if it’s the best treatment for your alignment needs. Don’t worry if it’s not, we have other discreet treatments up our sleeves too! We look forward to meeting you and making your smile a winning one.

We have been supplying Invisalign in St. John’s Wood, for many years and have had great experiences with seeing our patients through treatment schedules using invisible aligners, let’s talk more about them.

What are invisible aligners?

Invisible aligners are an orthodontic tool; it’s role is to progressively straighten your teeth over time. They are in thin plastic forms which you wear over your teeth; they fit very snuggly to the point of being slightly tight, but this is the sensation of the system pushing on your teeth over time. It is that consistent pressure which will coax your team to adopt a new position;exactly which position this is depends on the shape of the aligner.

This makes the shape of the aligners the most critical element for treatment. Unlike a brace which is worn for the entire patient orthodontic journey, clear aligners are only worn for 2-weeks each, as part of a series of aligners making up the length of the treatment. This could be anywhere between 4 months and 2 years depending on the starting and finishing position as well as how the patient’s teeth respond to treatment.

Are invisible aligners invisible?

Invisible aligners and one of their earliest manufacturers options that we use in the clinic are not strictly invisible but due to being completely translucent and very thin, they are hardly noticeable when being worn.

Invisalign in St.John’s Wood has been particularly popular with adult orthodontic patients; this seems to be due to a higher expectation amount. Our adult cohorts as teenagers and young adults usually use NHS funded braces, and have to wait to see the results of the orthodontic care when they finally have their braces. But this is not true with Invisalign in St.John Wood.

Another aspect that makes clear aligners more appropriate for adult patients is the removability; you must, of course, return them to your mouth and wear them for 22 hours each day for the treatment to work.

Computer-aided dentistry

The most innovative aspects of invisible aligners is the use of computer aided design and the 3D scan of the patient teeth in order to design and iron out the treatment schedule. This gives better predictive results, so we can show our patients a real-time example of how their teeth will look upon completion.

It is this computer aided design that allows aligners to be sent through to 3D printers and manufactured. It can take as little as four weeks for a set of aligners to be produced from a 3D scan and sent to our clinic, allowing you to start your treatment promptly.

Due to how critical the shape of an aligner is to an effective treatment, there are certain do’s and don’ts with your aligner; they can be quite sensitive to heat and easily warped in a washing machine or tumble dryer. This can easily occur by cleaning your aligner in hot water, so take care to not throw your aligner in with your washing or into a tumble dryer!

There is no answer to the phrase which is better; a more useful question would be which is a more appropriate treatment for me in my personal case, Invisalign in St. John’s Wood or their braces? What are the pros and cons?

Braces suitable to a wider range of conditions compared to aligners, which have convenience and comfort in their everyday use to their advantage. This is a loose generalisation, so let’s look more closely at them.

Standard metal braces

The focus of the traditional orthodontic metal brace is around it’s arch wire. This is a metal rod that is around the arch of the mouth (where it gets its nickname). Attached to the arch wire is the bracket glued to the front of the teeth. When a similar arrangement is glued to the back of the teeth it is called a lingual brace. This is related to the standard metal brace but it’s much harder to fit and less noticeable.

The brace allows an orthodontist to apply pressure to the patients teeth, which is done by tensioning the arch wire. Once under tension, the archwire will continue to press on the teeth and the brace loosens. This is done during a trip to your orthodontist every 4 weeks throughout the treatment and is called brace tightening. It can be quite uncomfortable and over-the-counter pain relief is recommended for a few days after a tightening.

Invisalign style clear aligners

The aligners we use (Invisalign in St. John’s Wood) are a lightweight plastic othoditic tool looking very similar to a gum shield only transparent and less noticeable when worn in public. This is what has led to the nickname invisible braces even though they are technically not a brace.

They are only worn for about 2-weeks each and one is used in a sequence, which comes together to cover the course of the treatment. This can be anywhere between 6 months to 2 years. Each of the aligners is a slightly different shape and the force that pushes on the teeth comes from the elastic tension and the tight fitting. Aligner adjustments occur every two weeks compared to the 4 weeks with an orthodontist. They are smaller steps making some far more comfortable than a brace tightening.

Maintenance and everyday use

Traditional metal braces are fixed in place and they have to be worn when eating and drinking. This can lead to missing certain foods when making your meal choices, like sticky toffee and popcorn, as these have a habit of becoming stuck between the brackets and the archwire. After you finish eating, you have to take care to thoroughly clean your braces. If you have any food left which is stuck so close to your teeth, it will become a cavity risk.

This is not an issue with Invisalign in St. John’s Wood, which you can remove before eating. As long as you brush your teeth before replacing aligners there should be no increased cavity risk and this is much easier than maintaining a brace.

Treatment effectiveness

Both treatments have limitations; this is particularly pronounced with clear aligners who are only considered an effective treatment on the front 4 teeth and lack the necessary force to alter the position of molars in any significant way.

There are many different issues that may affect the way you feel about your smile  and rest assured that you are not alone.  Many people are sitting at home looking at before and after pictures on dental websites and daydreaming about how they can improve the look of their smile. Does that sound like you?  Don’t worry, we have all done it! In response to the increasing demand in dental cosmetics and in line with advances in technology, dentists have developed Invisalign. Invisalign is a modern and revolutionary method of addressing the issues with your smile at your comfort, convenience and discretion. If your teeth are clean and healthy then this is the perfect treatment for you, speak to us at Aura Dental and find out about Invisalign in St. John’s Wood today.

How does Invisalign work?

Dentists have been using Invisalign in St. Johns Wood since 1998,  there is no need for you to settle with the way your teeth look any longer. Many hundreds and thousands of patients have undergone treatment using Invisalign in St. Johns Wood, so speak to us at Aura dental today, we are here to help you. At the first appointment, your dentist will carry out a full examination of your mouth to make sure that your teeth are clean and healthy and you do not have any underlying issues which may affect the invisalign treatment or get worse with invisalign treatment.  Once this has been verified then x-rays and scans will be carried out of your teeth which will be used to help tailor your invisalign treatment. A 3D scan of your mouth will show you what a successful course of Invisalign can do for your teeth, those all important before and after pictures that you have been dreaming about! Once you and the dentist come to an agreement about your expectations and what you are looking for then the x-rays and scans of your mouth will be sent off to the laboratory to have the Invisalign aligners created specifically for you. The Invisalign aligners come in a series and each aligner is designed to move your teeth gradually into the correct positions so that once you have worked your way through the whole set of aligners that have been designed for you then you will reach the final look that you were hoping for.

Advantages of Invisalign

The Invisalign aligners are invisible as hinted in the name, which makes them extremely convenient if you are self-conscious or embarrassed by conventional metal braces. You can take them out whenever you need to, which means they do not hinder any of your daily activities and you can eat and drink whatever you like when you like as you just take them out before your meal and then put them back into your mouth when you  have finished.  They are also very easy to clean and they are comfortable to wear as they have been specifically made to fit your mouth precisely.

Speak to us at Aura Dental today to find out how you can address the aesthetic issues of your teeth and find out more about how Invisalign in St, John’s Wood can help you.

Factors affecting the Aesthetics of your teeth

Everyone knows the importance of good oral health and you may have an excellent dental hygiene routine and visit your dentist on a regular basis, but still be unhappy with the aesthetics of your smile. There are many different factors which affect the aesthetics of your teeth and these can include misaligned teeth, crooked teeth, wonky teeth and protruding teeth. These issues can detrimentally affect the look of your smile and may in turn affect your self-confidence and have a negative impact on other aspects of your life. We at Aura Dental want you to smile beautifully and happily and we are waiting to hear from you.

Many adults have not undergone orthodontic treatment when they were younger, however it is something that they are now considering in their adulthood. There is no need to settle with the way your teeth look anymore as advances in Dental Technology means that orthodontic treatment has become more convenient, comfortable and accessible than ever before. Previously adults have been put off by the thought of conventional braces which are made out of highly visible metal wires and brackets. Because of this reluctance, dentists have developed Invisalign. Speak to us at Aura dental to find out about Invisalign in St. John’s Wood and how this can help you address the aesthetic issues of your teeth and smile.

Invisalign in St. John’s Wood was introduced over two decades ago and has attracted many hundreds and thousands of patients to correct the aesthetic issues of their teeth. Invisalign is an Invisible orthodontic treatment which uses transparent, metal-free aligners to correct the alignment of the teeth. If you have clean and healthy teeth then Invisalign in St. John’s Wood could be the perfect treatment for you. Speak to our team here at Aura Dental to find out more today.

What is Invisalign?

Invisalign in St Johns Wood, as suggested in the name, is a discrete form of orthodontic treatment which is why it is an attractive alternative to traditional braces especially in adults who have increased self-consciousness and are put off by the visibility of metal wires and brackets in their mouth. The dentist will carry out a full examination of your mouth to make sure that you have no underlying issues which may affect the treatment procedure or be exacerbated by the treatment itself. Once the dentist is assured that your teeth are clean and healthy they will carry out x-rays and three-dimensional scans of your teeth full stop these will be used to show you what successful treatment can do for your teeth but also to create a series of aligners which are individually tailored to your mouth to to provide comfort and accuracy of the treatment. These aligners are worn 2 weeks at a time, and they will gradually push the teeth into the correct positions as moulded by the aligners.

Visiting the dentist during the treatment procedure will help ensure that your teeth are moving correctly and that no underlying issues are occurring in the meantime. The duration of the treatment will depend on the extent of movement necessary to achieve the smile that you are looking for and speaking to your dentist here at Aura Dental will help you find out more and answer any questions that you may have. Speak to our team today, we are always here to help you.

When you are looking to straighten your smile as an adult, you may think that the only course of treatment open to you is going to involve traditional metal or orthodontic braces.

And as an adult, you want to avoid that!

But orthodontic technology has come a long way over the last 20 years and today, the majority of dental surgeries are able to offer their patients either clear or invisible braces or aligners. As the names suggest, these are visually discrete and can provide you with the same movement that you would have once only been able to achieve with a metal brace.

At Aura Dental, we have not fallen behind the times and can offer our suitable patients clear braces, while also being able to offer the world-famous Invisalign in St Johns Wood. As the name suggests, this aligner is the closest aligner on the planet to being visually invisible and is custom-fitted to your mouth. Removable, comfortable and easy to clean, it is no wonder why it is so popular!

However, you may have heard some myths about Invisalign in St Johns Wood which make you question its effectiveness. Here, our team breaks down some of the most popular myths about this aligner.

Myth- It’s only suited for adults

Fact- Invisalign in St Johns Wood is used primarily on adult patients. However, this is due to adult patients being more reliable per se, and not taking the aligner out for hours on end, which can delay treatment.

We do offer this brace to teenagers and there is even a set of these aligners being trialled in children, so one day, your child may be able to wear this brace too!

Myth-It can’t treat bite issues

Fact- Invisible braces have become exceedingly powerful over the last few years and now, the majority of them can treat overbites, underbites and indeed crossbites.

However, if there is a misalignment with your jaws, you will probably need a metal brace.

Myth-It takes longer than traditional braces

Fact- Many people remember that one friend in school who wore metal braces for seemingly years on end. And it stands to reason that as invisible aligners provide less force when they are realigning teeth, that the treatment will take longer.

But, as this aligner is best at treating mild to moderate cases of misalignment, the average treatment time is between 3-6 months. So, very short!

Myth- It’s painless

Fact- We truly wish that all orthodontic treatments were comfortable but the fact is that when it comes to moving teeth, there is going to be discomfort.

When wearing an invisible brace, we recommend using over the counter pain relief, such as anti-inflammatories to keep discomfort levels low.

Myth It’s more expensive than traditional braces

Fact- It can be cheaper but this will depend on how long you need to wear it for.

Which is one reason why we advise patients to keep aligners in their mouth’s for 22 hours per day; to keep costs down!

So, you’ve seen our team and have been given the green light to go ahead and have invisible aligners fitted. How exciting!

As you wait for your custom-fitted aligners to be made, you will probably be thinking that, well, there is nothing else to do but wait. However, as is the way with all orthodontic procedures, there are a few things you can do to make your transition into wearing invisible braces a bit easier for yourself.

Why? Because you are probably going to struggle a little bit with wearing your new invisible aligners and to ensure that you don’t give up on your treatment, we have written the following tips.

At Aura Dental, we know all about the struggles that our patients can have with orthodontic pieces and want to help you to achieve that gorgeous smile. While we know that invisible braces like Invisalign in St Johns Wood can be easier for many patients, we also know that they can also create a set of unique challenges that can take some getting used to.

So, here are our top survival tips for those first few weeks with Invisalign in St John’s Wood.

Invest in a small toothbrush

When you take Invisalign in St Johns Wood out to eat food, you are going to need to brush your teeth before putting the aligner back into your mouth.

And to ensure that your teeth stay as clean and healthy during your treatment, we recommend buying a travel toothbrush to carry in your pocket.

You will need dental wax!

OK, so we have already spoken briefly about how invisible braces are more comfortable than regular ones.

But, just like regular ones, we will recommend that you use dental wax to protect your tongue and inner cheeks. Those newly crafted edges of the invisible aligners can be hard, and rough, creating friction against the softer areas of your inner mouth and so, to keep you comfortable, we will provide you with some dental wax.

Pain relief

Back to comfort!

Invisible aligners are comfortable, yes, but they are still moving your teeth. And to ensure that you stick with the treatment as planned, you should invest in pain relief. We recommend anti-inflammatory pain relief, such as Ibuprofen to keep inflammation-based discomfort to a minimum.

If you feel you are experiencing excessive levels of discomfort, however, feel free to call our team for a consultation.

Use the case

A key appeal of this invisible brace is that you can take it out.

And while you are out with friends or family eating in restaurants, we recommend placing them safely within the cases that they came with. This will prevent it from becoming damaged, warped and of course, will keep it clean!

Keep an eye on the time

For invisible braces to be effective, you need to wear them for 22 hours per day.

We advise you to build up a routine of checking your watch until you become acclimated to wearing the aligner correctly.