Invisalign for Crowded Teeth – Columbus, OH

When you picture a perfect smile, you probably imagine all the teeth being perfectly straight and evenly spaced. For many patients, have crowded teeth which may lead to oral health issues – as well as an unattractive grin. If you find yourself feeling self-conscious about crowded teeth but don’t want to use braces to fix them, call Dr. Mason at Columbus Orthodontic Center to ask if Invisalign could help you.

What Causes Teeth to Become Crowded?

Crowding of teeth can vary in severity ; there are milder cases where a single tooth is slightly rotated, but for patients with more severe issues, many of the teeth might overlap. As you might expect, there are a variety of factors that can lead to crowding. For example:

• The teeth might not fit correctly because they are larger than the jaws.
• Losing a baby tooth too early could cause other teeth to drift out of place.
• The permanent teeth might not have erupted properly because the baby teeth were left in the mouth for too long and were not removed in time.

What are the Consequences of Crowded Teeth?

When your teeth have become crowded together, you may other problems to worry about. Common consequences include:

• Speech Problems: The tongue needs to interact with the teeth in order to make specific sounds when you talk. Some patients with specific bites may have difficulty pronouncing certain words.
• Oral hygiene : It’s more difficult to brush and floss properly when the teeth are all pushed up against each other.
• Gum Disease: When it becomes more difficult to clean between your teeth, your risk of gum disease increases.
• Poor Function: Crowded teeth can lead to excessive wear of the enamel. In other words, some of your teeth will become more vulnerable to chipping and cracking.

How Can Invisalign Help?

Fortunately, tooth crowding is just one of the many common orthodontic issues that can be corrected with Invisalign. Unlike braces that rely on metal brackets and wires, Invisalign employs clear plastic aligners. Each aligner has been carefully designed to fit tightly around your teeth and gradually push them towards their ideal positions. After about one to two weeks, you’ll need to switch to a new aligner in order to continue the process. Note that for more severe cases of crowded teeth, we might need to make space in your mouth with extractions of teeth or use a different orthodontic appliance first.

Invisalign treatment normally takes 12 to 18 months, but the exact length depends on the complexity of your case. You’ll be able to take the aligners out of your mouth, but you should only do this during meals or while drinking ; otherwise, they need to remain on your teeth for at least 22 hours a day.