Do you suffer from crowded, crooked, or misaligned teeth? Discover what causes tooth crowding and how clear aligners offer an effective way to achieve the smile you deserve.
What Causes Crowded Teeth?
Crowded teeth refers to insufficient space in the jaw bones and gum tissue to accommodate all teeth. This forces teeth to twist or erupt out of alignment, often painfully. Crowding occurs if there is disharmony between tooth and jaw sizes. Common causes include:
- Losing deciduous (baby) teeth too early – permanent teeth then drift into vacant spaces instead of waiting to erupt properly
- Permanent teeth emerging out of sync with normal eruption patterns
- Jaw growth discrepancies where the jawbones are too small for incoming teeth
- Extra (supernumerary) teeth can push other teeth out of place
- In rare cases, a cyst or tumor blocking incoming teeth can cause crowding. Your dentist will examine whether any underlying issue like this needs treatment before starting orthodontic care.
Problems Caused by Crowded Teeth
Crowding causes both health and aesthetic issues:
- Tooth decay and gum disease – cramped teeth are hard to keep plaque-free
- Chipping or abnormal wear and tear
- Difficulty eating or speaking
- Impacted teeth failing to emerge fully may require extraction
- Misalignment can affect bite function
- Poor smile aesthetics due to overlapping and crooked teeth
In children, it also places adult (permanent) teeth erupting underneath baby teeth at risk as crowding can physically block teeth pushing through or even displace unerupted teeth. This underscores the value of early orthodontic evaluation to guide growth and prevent extensive treatment later.
How Can Invisalign Help Alleviate Crowding?
Clear aligners like Invisalign now offer an almost invisible solution to crowding and crooked teeth for teenagers and adults. Utilizing 3D imaging technology, Invisalign’s custom-fit clear plastic aligners apply gentle forces to nudge teeth into their ideal positions over several months of treatment.
As an orthodontist-directed treatment, Invisalign aligners work similarly to traditional braces. The key difference is the aligners are entirely removable when eating, brushing teeth, and at night. This makes maintaining good oral hygiene much simpler during treatment relative to fixed braces that trap food particles. And without metal wires or brackets rubbing inside the mouth, Invisalign offers greater comfort while achieving beautiful, straight teeth results.
Invisalign Treatment Step-By-Step
Wondering if Invisalign is right for your smile goals? Here’s an overview of the clear aligner process from initial consultation through achieving correctly aligned teeth:
Invisalign Consultation – During an initial orthodontic assessment, digital scans and photos are taken of teeth requiring realignment. The treatment suitability and types of movements required are assessed.
Invisalign Treatment Plan – Using the records, a unique 3D digital treatment plan is developed detailing all tooth movements needed. This generates a set of custom-made aligners.
Receiving Aligners – Aligners are supplied in batches. An average treatment involves 18-30 sets changed every 10-14 days.
Wearing Aligners – Aligners must be worn 20-22 hours daily for the prescribed duration before proceeding to the next in the series. Treatment lasts 9-15 months on average.
Monitoring Progress – You’ll have regular progress check-ups to ensure teeth are tracking correctly or require new alignments.
Retention Phase – Upon completing active treatment, retainers hold teeth in corrected positions while surrounding bone and gums stabilize.
Benefits of Invisalign for Crowded Teeth
Invisalign offers considerable benefits over conventional braces for crowded teeth:
- Enhanced comfort – no metal hardware causing mouth abrasions
- Clear aesthetic – practically invisible aligners
- Removable for normal brushing/flossing – easier hygiene upkeep
- Average shorter treatment times of just 12-18 months
- Teeth movement can begin earlier – age restrictions don’t apply like braces
- No emergency visits – simply switch to the previous aligner while arranging repairs
Am I Suitable for Invisalign?
While impressive innovations now enable Invisalign to address more complex cases, results still depend greatly on choosing an appropriate candidate. Book a smile assessment to determine if you meet the selection criteria in terms of:
- General health of teeth and gums
- Extent of alignment issues or crowding
- Jaw development stage and growth prospects
- Willingness to wear aligners for the prescribed durations
An Invisalign consultation also offers opportunity to discuss the extent of tooth movements required, and get valuable insight into estimated treatment duration and plan costs relative to traditional braces. This empowers patients to make informed choices about options best suited to realize their ideal smile goals balanced against lifestyle needs and budget.
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Our consultations also address key considerations beyond purely correcting alignment issues through Invisalign or braces. A full oral health assessment examines the health of gums, detects cavities needing restoration first, and identifies any underlying conditions like gum disease requiring treatment to enable successful orthodontic care.
For those worried about impressions, Invisalign has revolutionized this step too! No more unpleasant traditional goopy dental alginate needing to sit gagging with trays inserted in mouth for several minutes. Instead, fast comfortable digital oral scanning instantly generates a highly detailed 3D image of your smile. This enables precision treatment mapping out every micro-movement to straighten teeth with our cutting-edge aligners.
Invisalign Costs
Given the custom-fit treatment plans and advanced technology involved, Invisalign aligners come at a premium cost compared to braces. However, check your dental insurance coverage as orthodontics like Invisalign often includes substantial allowances, especially for under 18s. Where upfront costs remain a concern, we offer flexible monthly payment plans to better spread costs interest-free. Investing in an enviable smile delivers invaluable confidence and health gains every day for life.
1A Orthodontics: A Trusted Invisalign Provider
As specialist Invisalign Diamond Plus Premier Provider, 1A Orthodontics is extensively trained and highly experienced in transforming smiles with these innovative clear aligners. Our skilled orthodontists will assess if your particular needs are suited to Invisalign or require traditional braces. Reach out today to book your initial Invisalign consultation in Wandsworth!
