5 Cool Things You Didn’t Know About Clear Aligners

If you've ever looked into straightening your teeth, you’ve probably come across the Invisalign® teeth straightening system. After all, it’s been straightening teeth for more than 20 years, and it's only become better with time.

There are a lot of things you probably already know about Invisalign - like how you can remove the barely visible aligner trays. But there's a lot more to them than meets the eye.

Our team at The Dental Touch in Oakland, California, loves the predictable and proven results of the Invisalign system. But we also have to admit there are some cool things about them too.

If you're considering Invisalign, here are five cool things you probably didn't know:

1. Invisalign trays aren't common plastic

   Those well-known clear aligners may get a lot of attention, but you may be surprised to learn they aren't everyday plastic. Instead, this state-of-the-art material is an FDA-approved, medical-grade thermoplastic known as SmartTrack®.

   Not only is SmartTrack thermoplastic BPA-free, but it doesn't contain any latex, parabens, epoxy, phthalates, glutaraldehyde, or gluten. However, it still has the strength to apply carefully controlled pressure against your teeth, helping you get the smile of your dreams 50% faster than traditional braces.

2. No two Invisalign treatments are the same

   The advanced technology involved with Invisalign means that your tooth straightening strategy gets completely customized to your mouth.

   It all starts with the iTero® Element scanner that captures a 3-D image of your teeth. Then, we use Invisalign's patented ClinCheck® software to design your treatment plan, all the way down to a single tooth.

   But the best part? This innovative technology completely removes the mystery of teeth straightening, and you can see a detailed preview of your smile before your treatment even begins.

3. Invisalign cuts down on office visits

   It's easy to assume that any form of tooth straightening comes with hassles. However, the biggest time commitment you sign onto with Invisalign involves wearing your custom-made aligners for 20-22 hours each day.

   Unlike traditional braces, we send you home with multiple aligner trays, and you wear each tray for up to two weeks. Throughout your treatment, you advance to the next aligner in your straightening system on your own while Invisalign does its work.

   Then, every six weeks or so, you stop in at the office so we can take a quick look to ensure your treatment remains on track.

4. Even celebrities love Invisalign

   It's no secret that people love Invisalign - it's hard to miss since they've successfully improved more than 12 million smiles around the world, including 1.4 million belonging to teens. However, even celebrities have taken advantage of the comfortable, discrete, and proven results Invisalign has to offer.

   Need to see the smiles for yourself? Look no further than Tom Cruise, Khloe Kardashian, Serena Williams, Justin Bieber, and Oprah Winfrey.

5. Invisalign can even slim your waistline

   We know, we know; Invisalign is all about straighter, more beautiful smiles, not weight loss. But who couldn't use a little help shedding a few extra pounds?

   No, the clear aligner trays aren't guaranteed to help you lose weight. However, every time you remove them to eat and drink, you have to clean your teeth and aligners before putting them back in place. While being able to remove the aligners is part of the appeal, the added cleaning step can make you think twice about reaching for that extra snack.

   Plus, we highly recommend drinking plenty of water whenever you wear your aligner trays. Not only does this keep your mouth moist and fresh, but drinking lots of water throughout the day can help with weight loss.

Conclusion

Curious to learn more cool things about Invisalign? Contact The Dental Touch to schedule a consultation by calling 510-658-0110 or booking an appointment today.