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Ask the Dental Experts
Our philosophy is to help our patients achieve and maintain exceptional dental health. We work hard to make sure that our level of care is deserving of our patients’ respect and confidence. Our tradition of preventive dentistry is the basis for all service and care in our practice. We welcome all questions and comments regarding dentistry in the hope that we increase your dental "IQ" and help you make better dental health decisions.I am interested in getting the Invisalign braces; however, I am currently in Iraq. What kind of procedure do you have for those who go home on leave to get the Invisalign?
-Natalie
“Invisible braces”, or clear aligners, are very popular. Your problem, however, is that it cannot be done long distance. During a typical course of treatment, you would come into the office about every 3 weeks, and we have to do different things, sometimes adjust the teeth or create room where you are crowded….not something you can do from afar. It is hands-on treatment.
My advice would be to save this project until you are out of Iraq and in a location that you can have this done – ideally if you could be perhaps a year in one spot to follow through with one doctor…
Please give us a call if you are going to be in our area – best of luck…
Chuck Campbell, DDS
Dale Brant, DDS
(713) 795-5905Labels: clear aligners, clear braces, invisalign aligners
ClearCorrect™ is a new form of invisible braces that is an ideal alternative to obtrusive, expensive, and often painful metal braces. The Cosmetic Dentistry Center at the Houston Medical Center Dental Group is a proud provider of ClearCorrect and wants to offer our patients this exciting new treatment option for tooth alignment problems.
With clear correct you can straighten out your teeth without brackets and wires with an invisible aligner that will result in a whole new smile you will be proud to show off.
You can also smile while wearing your invisible aligners because—well—they are invisible.
ClearCorrect™ uses a series of clear, custom, removable aligners to straighten out your teeth. While we call this device “invisible braces” what we are actually talking about is a mouthpiece that fits over the teeth. This mouthpiece aligner moves your teeth just a little bit at a time so you do not feel pain during the process. Over the course of the treatment plan, your teeth eventually straighten out.
When you come to our office, we first give you a complete, standard, full dental exam that includes screening for several diseases and also a full set of x-rays. We also check your medical history and make certain that there are no serious conditions we need to address first.
After that, we take a good, close look at your teeth and find exactly where the alignment problems are. If it is determined during this phase that ClearCorrect™ is the best option for you, we then take impressions and photographs of your teeth and send all of this data, along with your x-rays and a prescription for invisible braces, to ClearCorrect.
ClearCorrect works in close partnership with us—and with you—by then making exact 3D models of each of your teeth using the data we send them. They confer closely with us and follow the prescription for realignment we send them. They use this to plan a gradual process of adjustment that will move your teeth from their current positions toward where they need to be.
They project these results and send them back to us, where we can then review them with you and show you in a computer simulation what you can expect.
Once we have approved the plan together, ClearCorrect manufactures your custom aligners and sends them back to us. You then wear your aligners at all times except during meals or dental hygiene. These invisible braces are so clear you won’t even notice them, and neither will anyone else.
Periodically ClearCorrect will make a new set of invisible braces for you as each phase of the treatment plan progresses. Ultimately your smile will be straighter and better than ever, thanks to the amazing technology of ClearCorrect™.
Labels: ClearCorrect(TM), invisalign aligners, invisible braces
Although you may be nervous about going to the dentist, the good news is, pain-free dentistry is not just a fantasy, it is now a reality. When you work with your dentist from a perspective of intelligent cooperation, your dentist can present to you a number of options to reduce both your anxiety and your discomfort.The most important thing to do is to see what your dentist can do to calm any phobias you may have about dentistry by discussing his or her methodology for pain-free dentistry. Contrary to some misconceptions, dentists are very sensitive to the fears that people have about having their teeth worked on and labor earnestly to devise strategies for pain-free dentistry and patient comfort.If you do encounter a dentist who appears unconcerned about your misgivings, or dismisses them out of hand, then it is time to call another dentist. Such people are rare in the world, but a few exist, and we are always here to provide something better to people who may not have had the best of experiences in the past.It is important to understand that the most important aspect of pain-free dentistry is overcoming the fear of the unknown. The more mysterious and spooky a procedure seems to you, the more you will pull back in fear, and the more your mind will magnify the pain. Having a clear understanding of both the procedure and the tools the dentist will be using in your mouth will go a long way toward alleviating your anxiety. We believe that every patient has a right to know this information, and are always willing to explain our methodologies to our patient to whatever extent is necessary to calm their fears. But it takes more than knowledge of procedures to provide truly pain-free dentistry to patients. The tools of dental science also have to be designed to minimize discomfort. No doubt you have heard the old cliché that a dull knife will cut you worse than a sharp one. In a roundabout way this is true about dental tools. Some of the more traditional tools and techniques have since proven either outdated or simply outright uncomfortable to patient comfort zones.For example, periodontal surgery used to be performed with sharp cutting tools and local anesthetic. The risk of infection was always present, and post-operative pain was often unbearable to some patients with sensitive mouths. Then LANAP was developed as an alternative to periodontal surgery. LANAP uses a laser to cut away diseased tissue and minimize bleeding. It is one of the many examples of how superior technology has helped to further evolve the science of truly pain-free dentistry.New orthodontic solutions have also been developed that are much more comfortable than the obtrusive metal braces of yesteryear. Invisalign retainers, for example, can be worn like mouthpieces that gradually realign teeth without the twisting and pain of metal brackets and wires. Again, this is due to advances in cosmetic dental technology that have made pain-free dentistry not only of medical benefit to patients, but also an aesthetic benefit as well.Labels: invisalign aligners, LANAP, new dental technology, pain free dentistry
The term malocclusion literally means bad bite. It occurs when teeth do not properly fit together. It can be caused by many different things. The most common cause is genetic. Some people are born with naturally straight teeth because of genetic factors passed down from their parents. Others, however, inherit crooked teeth because the sizes of the teeth are too large for the available room in the jaw, and they grow in crooked.
Teeth malocclusion can also be caused by other factors. An accident can knock teeth out of alignment. A gum disease that misshapes the gumline can also cause teeth to loosen and grow back in crooked. If a tooth gets knocked out, the surrounding teeth will start to shift into the open space. Children who suck on thumbs or pencils can put pressure on their teeth and cause them to shift.
In addition to their being many causes of teeth malocclusion, there are also many types of the condition. If an upper or lower jaw extends too far out, there may not be enough space for the teeth to grow in without crowding one another and becoming crooked. Or, there simply may just not be enough space in the mouth for teeth to develop properly, which in turn will cause them to crowd. The flipside of this problem is having too much space between teeth. This creates a situation similar to a missing tooth, where teeth start to shift in position and grow toward the gap or empty space. In some cases the problem is even more severe. The lower jaw extends farther out than the upper jaw, and some of the upper teeth actually bit inside the lower teeth.
If teeth malocclusion is not dealt with professionally, it can affect the eating habits of a person and the appearance of a person when they smile. Over time, problems with tooth alignment can lead to tooth decay and jaw-joint problems. Headaches have been known to result due to the difficulty these patients have opening and closing their mouths. Embarrassing clicking and popping sounds also can result, and jaw muscles can become sore and painful.
Orthodontics is the branch of dental science that is dedicated to correcting teeth malocclusion. For many years, the only orthodontic treatments available involved metal braces and wires that took an average of two years to correct alignment problems, were embarrassing to smile with, and often caused a great deal of discomfort when they were adjusted. Dental hygiene was also a challenge due to the bulky size of brackets.
Today, however, new clear braces and removable aligners have made it possible to correct teeth malocclusion in shorter periods of time without pain, and without anyone noticing that the patient is undergoing corrective treatment. The superior materials that orthodontic tools are now made from, plus their smaller sizes, make these new braces and mouthpieces practically invisible to the eyes of other people.
Some of these invisible braces are designed to get the job done in only 6 months. Others take almost as long as standard braces, but allow for much greater comfort, discretion, and dental hygiene. Labels: clean teeth, cosmetic orthodontics, invisalign aligners, invisible braces, teeth malocclusion
Cosmetic braces offer you a discrete alternative to the traditional orthodontic treatment. New clear and tooth covered materials now make it possible to either conceal wires and brackets from view, or to replace wires and brackets altogether. Banded orthodontic therapy is still needed in some extreme cases, or course, but in most instances, cosmetic braces can offer you the same results without the pain and discomfort associated with traditional treatment and without the embarrassment of metal in your mouth.
For mild to moderate cases of tooth misalignment, you may only need braces for a short period of time. The new Six Month Smiles® braces are designed to get the job done in only 6 months. These braces use clear brackets and tooth colored wires to conceal their presence. Few people, if any, can even tell if you are wearing them. Each set of braces comes with a Patient Tray Kit that makes it easy, fast, and convenient to adjust these braces.
Patients report that Six Month Smiles® treatment are very comfortable compared to traditional treatments, and they also find that dental hygiene is much easier with these devices. For people on a limited budget, this is often the best option to go with.
There are also cosmetic braces for more extensive, long-term dental work. Invisalign aligners are custom-fitted, removable devices that look more like mouthpieces than braces. Actually though, they are much more than mouthpieces. They are actually molded to provide an exact match for your teeth that will incrementally readjust the position of your teeth.
Invisalign aligners are actually made from impressions taken of your upper and lower dental arches. A special computer is used to create a 3D image of your mouth that shows where alignment problems are located and maps out, step-by-step, where correction is needed. Each set of aligners is made to perform each step of correction with just enough gentle pressure to painlessly move your teeth.
These remarkable cosmetic braces are completely removable, so you can take them out when you eat and brush your teeth. They are also completely transparent, so you do not have to worry about people seeing them. Best of all, they are painless to wear, because Invisalign aligners are made from a soft, medical grade-plastic that will never hurt or irritate your gums.
Invisalign cosmetic braces take 9-15 sets of aligners to complete the process. However, most people see noticeable improvements long before the treatment is over. The accuracy with which they work, the superior comfort associated with wearing them, and the total discretion of something practically no one will ever see makes these revolutionary devices some of the most effective orthodontic treatments in the world of cosmetic dentistry.Labels: clear braces, cosmetic braces, invisalign aligners, invisible braces, six month smiles
Invisible braces let you do away with unsightliness of metal braces and still get the corrective orthodontic treatment you need. New technologies are now able to duplicate the results of banded orthodontic therapy without the pain and embarrassing presence of visible metal in your smile. You have two options you can choose from if you are interested in invisible braces. Each type offers its own distinct advantages in terms of treatment time, the degree of correction that must be performed, cost, and the cosmetic discretion throughout the duration of treatment.
Six Month Smiles® are a new form of invisible braces that rely upon invisible brackets and tooth-colored wires to conceal themselves. They combine the basic design of traditional braces with superior grade materials and are much more comfortable when adjusted. They offer several distinct advantages over traditional metal equivalents.
• Six Month Smiles® braces take only 6 months to produce the same results as metal braces.
• Few people, if any, will ever notice the clear brackets and tooth-colored wires.
• The patient tray kits that come with Six Month Smiles® make it fast, convenient, and painless to adjust them.
• The shape and size of Six Month Smiles® makes dental hygiene easier and more effective.
Invisalign invisible braces are removable aligners that are custom-made for your individual lower and upper teeth. These aligners are made using 3D models created from impressions that the dentist takes of your upper and lower arches. Computer animation sequences then forecasts each needed step in the alignment correction process. As these corrective actions are mapped out, they are literally built right into the shape of the aligner so it will exert just enough pressure on your teeth to painlessly move them back where they belong.
Removable invisible braces offer several clear advantages over metal braces.
• To begin with, Invisalign aligners are completely transparent. No one is likely to notice you are wearing them.
• Invisalign aligners can be taken out when you brush and floss your teeth and when you eat meals. They will not interfere with normal speech and are made to be comfortably worn in your sleep.
• The high degree of customization made possible through 3D computer technology has made Invisalign invisible braces one of the world’s most precise and effective orthodontic treatments in cosmetic dentistry. By isolating the most minuscule alignment problems, the computer maps out, every corrective step, and it incrementally makes changes with each new set of aligners.
• Invisalign aligners are made out of from special, medical plastic and have comfortable, smooth edges that will never hurt your gums.
Invisalign takes almost as long as metal braces take to produce their final results. However, most people notice drastic improvements long before their treatment is over. Furthermore, the high level of incremental precision, painlessness, and the invisible secrecy of these braces makes them both medically and cosmetically superior to most band orthodontic treatments.
Labels: clear braces, clear dental braces, invisalign aligners, invisible braces, six month smiles
Our experience in both general and cosmetic dentistry has taught us over the years that most people who forgo or put off corrective orthodontic treatment do so because of shyness. No one wants to be seen smiling with a mouth full of metal. Clear braces offer the obvious advantage of discretion over traditional metal braces. For these individuals whose self-consciousness is completely understandable, new technologies and better materials can now produce the same results as traditional orthodontic therapy.
There are two options you can consider, depending on the length and degree of treatment you need, and how much you can afford to invest time and money wise in the process.
Invisalign clear dental braces are removable aligners that are custom made to fit your teeth.
The dentist begins by making impressions of your upper and lower bite, which are then used to make a 3D model of your teeth. A computer is then used to forecast the realignment of teeth in a series of steps. Each step forms the blueprint for the creation of an Invisalign aligner. Each set of aligners is worn for 2 weeks, for a minimum of 22 hours per day. Treatment will consist of anywhere from 9-15 aligners, depending on the severity of tooth misalignment.
Invisalign offers a number of advantages over metal braces.
- To begin with, they are completely removable. You can take out your aligners for brushing and flossing your teeth, or to eat, and then put them back in. Aligners can be worn in your sleep.
- Invisalign aligners are completely transparent. It is almost impossible for people to see them, even when they are standing close to you.
- The level of customization made possible by 3D computer technology makes Invisalign clear braces among the most precise corrective dental therapies available anywhere in the world today. The smallest problems can be pinpointed with the computer, appropriate corrections forecast, and aligners created that will make each adjustment incrementally.
- The aligners are made from a special, medical plastic with comfortable, smooth edges designed to avoid irritating your gums.
- More than likely you will see a marked improvement even before you complete your treatment.
Invisalign takes almost as long as banded orthodontic treatments to produce final results. The advantage that aligners offer is incremental precision in tooth alignment correction, complete comfort throughout the procedure, and a completely discreet, cosmetic alternative to visible metal in your mouth.
The cost of Invisalign aligners is about $6,000.00 for full treatment.
Six Month Smiles® clear braces use invisible brackets and tooth-colored wires to conceal their presence.
This revolutionary corrective treatment combines the basic design of traditional braces with better materials and more comfortable adjustment techniques. There are a number of advantages Six Month Smiles® offers over metal braces.
- True to their name, these clear dental braces take only 6 months to do the work that traditional orthodontic treatment takes 2 years to accomplish.
- The clear brackets and tooth-colored wires are practically undetectable, even to people who are standing close by.
- Patient tray kits that come with the braces make adjustments convenient, fast, and comfortable.
- The shape and size of the materials allow for more effective dental hygiene.
Six Month Smiles® take far less time to correct minor and moderate alignment problems, and they are considerably less expensive than all other types of clear dental braces. They are ideal for people on a budge with mild to moderate two alignment problems who need a short-term solution as soon as possible. The total cost is approximately $3,000.00 for one arch, and $4,500.00 for both arches.
Labels: clear braces, clear dental braces, invisalign aligners, six month smiles
If you are unhappy with your smile and cannot bear the thought of wearing metal braces, then consider the much better alternative of Invisalign cosmetic dental braces. This orthodontic breakthrough can give you the same results as metal brackets and wires without any visible signs of treatment in process. Invisalign is so called because it is practically invisible. It uses a series of custom made, removable appliances called aligners that are made to personally fit your teeth and correct them, little by little with no pain or discomfort, over a period of time.
There are a number of very important advantages that Invisalign cosmetic dental braces can offer you:
1. More than anything else, you can expect them to be comfortable. The aligners are out of clear, medical grade plastic that is virtually unnoticeable even at close distances.
2. You can remove your aligners to eat and brush your teeth, and then put them back in.
3. You will know have every step in the process explained to you at the Cosmetic Dentistry Center, and you will get to see forecasted results simulated with 3-D technology that will show you what your teeth will eventually look like after you have used cosmetic dental braces.
4. Your aligners will be made specifically for your teeth, and will make very subtle adjustments a few millimeters at a time so you will feel no pain or discomfort. Gone are the days when your mouth would hurt from having metal braces tightened.
We begin your treatment by diagnosing the degree of your alignment problems. Using sophisticated computer imaging software, we can then show you what needs to be corrected to give you new, natural, and uniform smile. Not only do we should you the ultimate outcome, but we also show you what the outcome of each phase of the treatment plan will look like. Then, combining this data with that of your diagnosis, we build your cosmetic dental braces just for you. Each time you come in after completion of a phase, you get a new set of aligners, each one customized to accomplish the corrective requirements of that particular stage in the plan.
You will need to wear your cosmetic dental braces for a minimum of two weeks, 22 hours per day, removing them only for eating and brushing teeth. Although the adjustments made are tiny, over time they will add up into a whole new look for your smile. Each phase, and each new set of cosmetic dental braces, brings you closer to the final outcome you desire.
Depending on the degree of correction your teeth require, your entire treatment program may last for as little as 9 months or as many as 15. Anywhere from 19-30 actual sets of cosmetic dental braces may be used in total. By this time, your teeth will look completely transformed, as if an unseen force had worked on them by magic.
If you would like to improve your smile painlessly and confidentially, then call us now at 1-888-790-0309 to schedule an appointment.Labels: cosmetic dental braces, invisalign aligners, invisalign treatment, medical plastic dental aligners
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