Invisalign Clear Braces – North Naples, FL
Straighten Your Teeth without Metal Brackets
Many adults who want straighter teeth put off or avoid treatment altogether because they dislike the idea of wearing uncomfortable and embarrassing metal braces. Thankfully, metal braces aren’t the only way to achieve a straighter smile. Dr. Makram is proud to offer FDA-approved Invisalign clear braces in North Naples. As a certified Invisalign dentist, he uses this revolutionary form of orthodontia to create beautiful, healthy smiles for patients who might have avoided care otherwise.
Why Choose Mark Makram DDS for Invisalign?
- Invisalign-certified dentist
- Fast, effective results
- Custom clear trays for aesthetically pleasing treatment
How Does Invisalign Work?
Instead of using metal brackets and wires to move teeth into their correct position, Invisalign uses a series of clear, acrylic aligners. These aligners are removable, making them easy to clean. They can also be taken out for eating your favorite meal and for routine brushing and flossing.
Your treatment will begin with Dr. Makram taking an impression of your smile and creating a detailed treatment plan for you. The Invisalign lab will then create a series of aligners according to that plan. Each aligner will correspond to a specific phase of your treatment. As you straighten your smile, you’ll wear each aligner for about two weeks before moving on to the next one in your treatment kit. As you straighten your smile, our Naples dental team will check your progress every few weeks to make sure that you’re seeing great results.
Call our Naples dental office today to learn more about Invisalign. We would also be happy to schedule your Invisalign consultation with our skilled cosmetic dentist. Dr. Makram is a certified Invisalign dentist offering comprehensive care and personalized service to patients in and around Naples, FL.
Who Can Invisalign Help?
Now that you understand more about what Invisalign is and how it works, it’s natural to wonder whether it’s the right treatment for you. Everyone’s situation is unique, so the only way to know for certain is to schedule a consultation with Dr. Markram. He’ll examine your mouth and learn about your dental goals so he can make individualized treatment recommendations based on your circumstances.
In the meantime, continue reading below to learn about several issues that can be addressed with Invisalign, and feel free to contact us for more information!
Crowded Teeth
Even if you were one of the lucky few who had perfectly straight teeth most of your life, it’s still possible for them to shift out of their ideal places as you age. Unfortunately, an overcrowded or overlapped grin can be as detrimental to your appearance as it is to your oral health. People with aesthetic dental problems are more likely to feel anxious, depressed, or unwilling to socially engage with others because they’re worried about how they’ll be perceived. On top of that, it’s hard to thoroughly brush and floss your teeth when not all the surfaces are easily accessible, leaving you at an increased risk of developing tooth decay or gum disease.
With Invisalign, you’ll start to notice results in just a few weeks, which can boost your confidence and your dental condition.
Gaps Between Teeth
Having wide spaces in your smile can also detract from your oral status. Whether it’s due to natural bone development or teeth that are too small, they tend to trap food and allow bacteria to thrive. Plus, hard, hot, crunchy, and spicy foods can irritate your gums because more surface area is left exposed. Closing the gaps with Invisalign can reduce the risk of cavities and gum inflammation and upgrade your grin.
Overbite
Also known as an overjet, this occurs when your top teeth jut out too far over your lower ones. This can cause speech impediments like lisp, jaw pain, and stiff or limited motion in your mouth. Plus, it can wear down your enamel unevenly, leaving your pearly whites prone to injury like chips, cracks, or breaks. Invisalign can be used to shift your teeth so that when you close your mouth, they meet where they’re supposed to.
Underbite
People with this condition have lower teeth that meet or extend beyond the top ones when they bite down. This is often the result of childhood thumb-sucking but can also be caused by genetics or oral trauma. It can lead to problems that interfere with daily life, like sleep apnea, challenges speaking and chewing, and mouth breathing because it restricts the airway in the upper nasal passages. That means repositioning your jaw with Invisalign can lead to quality rest at night so that you can be your best self during the day.
Crossbite
If some of your upper teeth fit inside the lower ones, or vice versa, then you might have a crossbite. This malocclusion (bite misalignment) can impact your ability to chew and cause your teeth to wear down unevenly. They’re much more likely to be damaged as a result. When combined with elastics and other accessories, Invisalign can be used to shift your jaw into its proper position to prevent speech issues, headaches, bruxism, and tooth decay.
Open Bite
When you close your mouth, if your upper and lower teeth don’t touch, you may have an open bite. This is often due to poor bone development as a child or oral habits like prolonged pacifier-sucking. Regardless of the cause, it can lead to poor enunciation and excessive pressure against the back teeth, which increases the likelihood that they’ll be harmed. Invisalign can bring your top and bottom arches together properly to promote better dental health.
The Benefits of Invisalign
During your initial consultation with your dentist in North Naples, it is highly likely that Dr. Makram will discuss the many great benefits you can expect with Invisalign. Unlike traditional braces, these unique clear aligners:
- Offer a more subtle and discreet way to straighten your teeth. Instead of shining metal gleaming from your mouth, your clear aligners will blend in with your smile and remain virtually invisible to others.
- Reduce the risk of irritation to your soft oral tissues. Bulky metal wires and brackets protrude and rub against your lips, tongue, gums, and cheeks, causing sores to form. However, with Invisalign, the aligners fit snugly against your teeth and feel smooth.
- Produce faster results. Although every case is different, the average timeframe is between 12-18 months. Depending on your situation, this period may vary. Traditional braces can take 2-3 years to achieve desired results.
- Are easy to clean. Instead of trying to maneuver around metal brackets and wires with a toothbrush, dental floss, and interdental brush, you can easily remove your aligners and brush your teeth like normal before rinsing your trays and reinserting them into your mouth.
Living with Invisalign Aligners
Are you interested in learning what your day-to-day life will look like with Invisalign? If so, you’re in the right place! Here, we’re sharing how to properly clean your aligners, what to do when it comes to eating and drinking, and how to make wearing your trays for 20+ hours a day a breeze.
Wearing Your Trays
As you already know, wearing your aligners for 20+ hours a day is crucial. The good news is that meeting this goal daily is relatively easy once you find a schedule that works for you! We recommend dedicating a certain amount of time to each meal, like 40 minutes, as well as 15 minutes for oral hygiene throughout the day. Using the stopwatch on your phone will help a lot when you’re first solidifying your schedule, but it will be second nature before you know it.
Cleaning Your Aligners
Fortunately, keeping your aligners clean is easy, and it won’t take up too much of your time. The first step is to use clean, cool water to rinse them every time you take them off. The second step is to use a damp, soft-bristled toothbrush to remove food particles, plaque, and other debris from their surface each morning and evening (or after each meal, if you can). You can also use the cleaning crystals on an as-needed basis to clean your aligners more thoroughly.
Eating & Drinking
As you likely already know, Invisalign doesn’t require you to change your diet. In fact, the only habit you’ll need to adopt is taking your trays out beforehand. Remember, dark-colored beverages, like coffee, can quickly stain your aligners, even if you use a straw. So, don’t get in the habit of keeping them on while enjoying this caffeinated beverage. Instead, drink it alongside your breakfast or lunch since your trays will already be out!
Losing a Tray
With each minute you aren’t wearing your aligners, there’s a greater risk of treatment plan delays. That’s why acting quickly is so important! First, try to remember the last place you had your trays. Then, carefully retrace your steps, looking in “random” places like the waste bin. If you can’t find them, then call our North Naples dental team ASAP. Then, we can determine if you can move onto the next set in the series or if you need to wear your previous ones while a replacement is made.
Routine Check-Ins
Your periodic check-in visits at our office are crucial for several reasons, including the fact that they allow us to see how your teeth are moving in accordance with your treatment plan. We also use these periodic appointments to answer any questions you have about the treatment process, give you helpful tips and recommendations, and provide you with your next batch of aligners. So, it’s safe to say that they are important; don’t skip them!
Understanding the Cost of Invisalign
The cost of Invisalign in North Naples is different for everyone. It is only through your initial consultation with Dr. Makram that you will have a clearer understanding of how much you can expect to pay for your upcoming treatment. Much of the cost is dependent upon how many aligners you will need, your retainer, if you require any preliminary treatment (i.e., periodontal therapy, tooth extraction, etc.), and if you require trays for just your lower or upper arch. While orthodontic treatment can be costly, our team will work to identify ways you can maximize your benefits as well as apply for flexible financing if necessary.
Factors that Affect the Cost of Invisalign
When meeting with Dr. Makram, your Invisalign dentist in North Naples, he will evaluate your smile to determine the following factors that will play a role in your overall cost:
- The severity of your crooked teeth, overcrowded teeth, spacial issues, or bite misalignment
- The number of clear aligners you need to achieve results (top row, bottom row, or both)
- The timeline for successful treatment (i.e., closing a minor gap will take less time than shifting an overbite)
Invisalign vs. Smile Direct Club™: Which Costs More?
Smile Direct Club might seem like a beneficial and easy DIY solution, but you shouldn’t pick up the phone to order just yet. Yes, the $2,000 price tag looks more appealing than the thousands that can come with Invisalign. However, there are likely a few things you’re unaware of that might do more harm than good if you choose a DIY solution like Smile Direct Club.
- You will need to take your own impressions. This may look easy, but if you’re not skilled in how to do it properly, it can lead to ill-fitting aligners that actually mess up your teeth instead of straightening them.
- Should you run into a problem while wearing your Smile Direct Club aligners, you will not have an orthodontist or dentist to see you face-to-face. This will require that you pay to see a local professional who can help.
- You may not be a good fit for clear aligners, but unless you are seen by a licensed dentist beforehand, you could potentially damage your smile.
- You are responsible for sharing the progress of your treatment; however, you only see what lies on the surface. You may not know there is a problem until it’s too late.
Choosing Invisalign in North Naples instead of a DIY system may cost more, but you can feel confident that your results will last much longer, and your treatment will be overseen by a trusted professional.
Does Dental Insurance Cover Invisalign?
Every dental insurance policy is different, so you’ll need to review your plan to determine if it covers orthodontics. Many require patients to purchase a separate plan, but it can have exclusions (i.e., only dependents ages 19 and under can receive orthodontic coverage). If you do have available coverage through your insurance, they may agree to pay up to 50% of the total price. It may also be possible to use your FSA to pay for some of the costs. Our team at Dr. Makram’s office will be happy to help you with this financial process to make it as stress-free as possible.
Options for Making Invisalign Affordable
If you are uninsured or need assistance paying the remaining balance after filing with your insurance, we are pleased to partner with both CareCredit and LendingClub. As flexible financing solutions, you can enroll in a low or zero interest payment plan that allows you to break up the cost of your treatment so you can stay within your budget.
Invisalign FAQs
If you are considering Invisalign in North Naples, we understand you may have many questions. This process may sound simple, but it’s necessary to accept the responsibility that is required when wearing clear aligners to straighten your teeth. Although vastly more flexible than traditional metal braces, Invisalign does involve consistently wearing your trays to achieve long-lasting results. If you’re curious about different aspects of treatment or want to learn more about this orthodontic solution, review the following questions and contact us to schedule an appointment to discuss further.
Does Wearing Invisalign Aligners Hurt?
Invisalign aligners are smooth and fit snugly against your teeth; however, when starting treatment or switching to a new set in the series, you can expect there to be some slight discomfort. Your teeth are moving, which means you may feel some unpleasantness, but you can take an over-the-counter pain reliever to achieve relief. This should only last a short time and will quickly dissipate as long as you continue to wear your trays the expected amount of time.
Are Invisalign Results Permanent?
Once you are finished with Invisalign treatment, you can expect your teeth to remain in their new location as long as you commit to wearing your retainer. It is necessary to have one because teeth can easily shift out of alignment but as long as you abide by the recommendations of your cosmetic dentist in North Naples, you can expect your teeth to become permanently seated in place and stay for a lifetime.
What Should I Do If I Lose My Invisalign Trays?
It is always recommended that you keep a protective case nearby. This will serve as a placeholder for your trays while eating or drinking. It is easy to place your aligners in a napkin only to have them accidentally thrown away. Should you discover you have lost one or both of your trays, make sure to keep your previous set. You can return to wearing them until you can get in to see our team. Once we evaluate your teeth, we will determine if you need new aligners or if you can move forward to the next set in the series.
Can I Be Treated with Invisalign If I’ve Worn Braces in the Past?
It is possible to be treated with Invisalign even if you wore metal braces as a teenager or young adult. However, the decision is up to Dr. Makram and whether your situation is capable of undergoing successful treatment with Invisalign. Some bite alignment problems or severe gaps may require metal braces, but this may not always be the case. During your consultation with our team, we will thoroughly examine whether Invisalign is right for you.
