Dental Visits During Invisalign Treatment
By: Stephen Price DDS | Wednesday, January 30th, 2019 | Invisalign
Wednesday, January 30th, 2019
Invisalign is one of the most popular methods used to straighten teeth to ever be invented. There is nothing else that has come so close to perfection: convenience, comfort, and efficacy all wrapped up into a series of aligners. During Invisalign treatment, patients wear custom-made aligners for two weeks at a time. They need no special instructions for oral care. All in all, there is very little to worry about when going through treatment, aside from misplacing aligners. So why do we schedule periodic dental visits during a teeth-straightening program? We’ll discuss that here.
Invisalign Visits: Frequency
We schedule dental visits ever 6 weeks or every 12 weeks. The frequency of visits depends on each patient’s personal treatment plan. We discuss this detail of care during the initial consultation after we confirm that Invisalign is an appropriate method for alignment correction.
What Happens During Invisalign Dental Visits
The purpose of seeing the dentist periodically throughout a course of care is to follow the progress of teeth movement. Each visit, we observe how much movement has been achieved and confirm that teeth are moving in the way predicted at the onset of the treatment plan. Invisalign check-ups also provide patients with the opportunity to ask questions that may have arisen since their last visit.
The dental appointments that take place for Invisalign follow-up last only about 15 minutes in most situations. If a patient has questions or is facing issues with oral health or their aligners or any other aspect of treatment, visits can last longer, but typically no more than half an hour.
The Final Invisalign Visit
The final Invisalign visit may not be quite the same as a final orthodontic appointment because there are no braces to remove from teeth. Hence, there is no “big reveal” in which a patient gets to see a great new smile. Invisalign patients see their smile transform as they go through treatment so there are no surprises on this final day. During this last visit, fixtures that may have been placed are removed and impressions are taken so a retainer can be fabricated. Photos are also taken so patients can observe a side-by-side before and after of their smile.
Are you ready to begin your journey to a great new smile? Call our Burke office at (703)935-2879 to schedule your Invisalign consultation.
