Invisalign Archives - South Meadows Dental

March 18, 2025May 16, 2025

The Top Benefits of Invisalign Treatment

If you’re looking for ways to straighten your teeth, you likely have some apprehension at the idea of getting traditional braces. For many years, Invisalign aligners have outpaced metal braces as the treatment of choice for a straighter, brighter smile. That’s because there are many benefits of Invisalign that you may not even be aware of! Here’s what to know about Invisalign aligners and how South Meadows Dental & Orthodontics can help.

Reduced Discomfort

Wearing braces can be uncomfortable for many reasons. It’s common for the metal pieces to pinch and pull, creating discomfort. Tightening the brackets and wires can also cause achiness and discomfort. Invisalign treatment gets around these concerns by being made of smooth, biocompatible material that doesn’t irritate the sensitive tissues of the mouth. Additionally, there’s no tightening involved. For many patients, Invisalign can be a significantly more comfortable and enjoyable orthodontic treatment.

Better Oral Hygiene

Traditional braces are famous for bacteria and food particles becoming trapped in the brackets and metal pieces. For some patients, braces can increase their risk of periodontal disease and tooth decay for this reason. Invisalign is a series of removable aligners that can be easily taken out and washed for more intensive brushing and flossing. With Invisalign, you can straighten your teeth while still preventing important dental issues.

Better Cosmetic Appearance

One of the main factors that turns people away from traditional braces is their high visibility. Living with wire braces for several months can be embarrassing, especially for adult patients. Wire braces can make patients feel self-conscious and reluctant to stick to treatment. Invisalign trays are virtually invisible, meaning there’s no detectable change to your smile. This means you can keep your self-confidence and restore your teeth at the same time.

Fewer Crowded Teeth

Crowded teeth can bring about many dental issues, including gum disease, cracking, chipping, tooth decay, discomfort, and much more. These issues can compound and become expensive and dangerous to your health – and they’re not easy to treat, either. Although wire braces also treat this issue, you may need to wear a retainer to prevent the teeth from shifting back. Invisalign can be much more comfortable and effective at preventing shifting, especially if you dislike the idea of having to wear a metal retainer. Invisalign can straighten the teeth and allow you to chew properly, smile with confidence, and stay healthy for years to come.

Easier Lifestyle

Wire braces come with unfortunate changes to your lifestyle. They typically require you to avoid sticky foods, hard foods, and more, as well as spend time cleaning them every night. Invisalign means you can simply remove your aligners to eat, rinse them, and put them back in to maintain your treatment. Not only can this mean better oral health, but it can help you enjoy the things you love without having to worry about metal brackets.

Invisalign in Reno, NV

Invisalign clear aligners are the most state-of-the-art way to achieve a better, healthier smile. To meet with our team and learn more, schedule an Invisalign consultation at South Meadows Dental & Orthodontics by calling or filling out our online form.

July 3, 2019July 3, 2019

Your New Smile Awaits

What does your smile say about you? Is it warm and welcoming or do you usually try not to show your teeth when greeting people? If you fall into the latter category, you’re not alone. Even the whitest of smiles can be misaligned, leading to embarrassment and feelings of social awkwardness.

Thankfully, there are ways to improve your smile discreetly. To take the guesswork out of getting Invisalign, the team at South Meadow Dental put together the following guide to help decide if Invisalign is right for you.

What is Invisalign?

Invisalign is the new alternative to traditional metal braces. Instead of using wires and metal brackets, Invisalign braces are a custom-made plastic that is applied to the teeth. The gimmick of Invisalign is that they are almost invisible. After two weeks have passed, you have to swap the old aligners for a set of new ones that gradually straighten your teeth back into their normal position.

What to Know About Invisalign

Although Invisalign is amazing at what it does, there are a few situations where they won’t be as effective as regular braces. In fact, what determines that you need Invisalign is how severe your case is and what you want to have fixed. When it comes to mild to moderate cases, Invisalign works wonders. However, if you’re suffering from a severe tooth injury or damaged teeth, you’ll have to resort to metal braces.

Invisalign is mainly used to help treat the following:

Overbites and underbites

Gaps between the teeth

Misaligned teeth

Booking a complimentary consultation at South Meadows Dental will help us determine if you’re a suitable candidate for Invisalign treatment. After you deemed a suitable candidate for treatment with Invisalign, we’ll perform a thorough exam, which includes photographs of your face, and digital x-rays.

One of our highly skilled dentists will also complete a dental exam and then make dental impressions of your teeth. Keep in mind that Invisalign works best for adults and teens. Patients without all of their adult teeth do not qualify for Invisalign.

The Specifics

Once deemed a good candidate for treatment, we’ll take digital pictures, x-rays and digital impression with the iTero scanner. We then input all of the information into the system. Invisalign then creates a 3D digital mockup of your mouth.

Based on our findings, Invisalign creates custom-molded aligners. Your aligners are clear and made from BPA-free plastic. Depending on the degree of correction needed, you will wear your aligners for about 22 hours each day, taking them out when you eat and when you brush your teeth.

After two weeks, you’ll return for a dental checkup and our dentists will make sure that your aligners fit well and are comfortable. You’ll then return every two weeks to ensure that your treatment plan stays on track.

Things to Consider

Remember to wear your retainers for the recommended amount of time. If your teeth haven’t shifted into their anticipated position, the aligners may not fit properly throughout treatment.

South Meadows Dental is a trusted Invisalign provider. If you’ve been considering Invisalign or want to know more about how it works, contact us today. Your new smile is only a phone call away.

April 18, 2019July 3, 2019

How do Damon braces and Invisalign differ?

Everyone wants to have a beautiful smile, but often times, people find metal braces to be uncomfortable and unsightly. Therefore, they look for different options and, luckily for them, there are other effective treatments without the “metal” look. Invisalign and clear braces are two of the most popular aesthetic treatments on the market, but is there a reason to pick one over the other?

Clear aligners are usually the first choice because they are removable, and they still help to move teeth without pesky wires and braces. Unlike traditional metal braces, this method doesn’t pose any issues with flossing or brushing on a regular basis, and you do not have to worry about wires poking or braces breaking. However, nothing is perfect. Clear aligners do have a few downsides to them that you should be aware of.

For instance, clear aligners are removable, which can be useful in some instances, but they are only effective if they are worn properly. They should be worn 22 hours out of the day. Plus, clear aligners are not always the most esthetic. After all, clear aligners still require trays to work properly, and they do not always look as flattering as clear braces can. They are merely a tool that are used to help move teeth, but their effectiveness can be dependant on your dentist. Finally, clear aligners are not a miracle method. They don’t move teeth any faster than other methods without changing the biology that is needed to make it happen.

Invisalign and other clear aligner systems are used because they do work, but it’s important to go with the method that will provide you with the best results for your situation. A good dentist will always go with the method that will give the best results for your individual circumstances.

Just like clear aligners, Invisalign is also removable, but in order for the system to actually work to move teeth, they have to be worn at least 22-23 hours out of the day. They should only be put in their case when eating, flossing, or brushing. Otherwise, they are not going to provide the best results possible. Also, the trays not only have to be worn, but they have to be attached to the teeth correctly in order for the elastics to work properly.

However, there are a lot of things that Invisalign systems cannot do or do not do well. With advertising, Invisalign has raised awareness for orthodontic treatment options, and they have also gotten rid of the notion that there are only metal-only braces. The only problem with this is the advertisement doesn’t actually explain the strategic parts of the actual system. Orthodontists find it different to explain this sometimes because the patients come in with such unrealistic and high expectations of this system.

Invisalign uses a computer simulation to help your dentist come up with the treatment plan, but that does not take away the need to have an experienced orthodontist. After all, in order for the Invisalign system to work properly, the orthodontist still has to understand treatment planning, complications, diagnosis, and biomechanics for the system to be successful in the end.

Finally, it is important to understand that, just like anything else, the speed of the system’s effectiveness comes from the distance that the teeth need to move to be corrected. Being able to design efficient tooth movements is essential for an orthodontist to create the right pathways to make the treatment and system work faster. In some cases, Invisalign is still used extensively, because it is often times the best choice. They work really well for people who might not be able to come into the office often, like college students.

However, there are cases when clear braces are a better choice. Due to advancement in the materials used for clear braces, they have come a long way and work just as well as metal. So, how do Damon braces and Invisalign differ? Overall, it’s important to weigh all options and do research with your orthodontist to make sure that you’re getting the best system to work for your individual situation because sometimes, one is better than the other.

Category: Invisalign