Invisalign for Teens
Invisalign for Teens
A teenager, or teen, is a young individual between 13 and 19 years old. It is a transitional stage of physical and psychological development that occurs during the period from puberty to legal adulthood. It is normal for a teenager to get moody, frustrated, and irritable from time to time as they transition through new emotions, thoughts, and feelings. Their peers and peer pressure has a major influence on their developing self-image. As the body changes, they are under a considerable amount of mental and physical stress.
Even though modern orthodontics continue to improve, traditional metal braces can still suffer from a poor reputation. Many people, of all ages, still think of them as an unattractive mouth full of metal, and some delay getting orthodontic treatment because they are simply concerned how braces affects their looks. Teens can be embarrassed by the idea of sporting a “brace face,” even though the treatments have improved their aesthetics in recent years.
Invisalign Teen is a nearly invisible way to correct teeth without metal braces. Instead of unsightly wires and brackets, the Invisalign system uses a series of translucent, custom-made, removable aligners. Teens wear these aligners on their teeth, replacing them for a new tray every seven days. Gradually, the teeth will shift into their new locations, delivering a healthy and confident smile.
The Benefits of Invisalign for Your Teenager
Your teenage must wear their aligners the recommended 20-22 hours a day. If they follow this primary directive, Invisalign Teen can be equally as effective as traditional braces for most common dental issues. Invisalign can successfully treat most mild to moderate cases of overcrowding, underbite, overbite, and gaps between teeth. Your dentist will offer an initial consultation to determine qualifications and will advise if your teen is a good fit for this treatment. Not every teen will be a candidate for Invisalign, but most will be.
* Flexibility- One of the toughest challenges that comes with traditional braces is the food restrictions. Nothing chewy or sticky, crunchy or hard. No pizza crust, no apples or nuts, no chips or candy. This can be difficult for a teenager when so much socializing includes foods they are not supposed to eat. Invisalign aligners can be removed while eating, so teens can eat everything they normally would, if they are diligent about brushing and flossing afterwards so food and bacteria will not be trapped in the retainer.
Food is not the only benefit from the flexibility. Contact sports can be tough on players wearing metal braces can cause irritation or pain. With Invisalign, teens can remove their aligners and wear a regular mouthguard, putting the aligner back in after practice or the game. Traditional braces can also inhibit playing some musical instruments, but Invisalign’s removable aligners allow for all uninterrupted music participation.
* Self-confidence, self-esteem- Research has shown that parents too often underestimate the extent to which teens feel self-conscious about their crooked teeth. Although traditional braces are excellent as a long-term solution, they can increase the teen’s insecurity in the short-term. Because Invisalign Teen aligners are almost invisible, no one even needs your teen is wearing them. This removes an authentic source of stress and makes it easier to focus on more important things in their life.
* Fewer dental appointments- Not only are traditional braces more cumbersome than Invisalign, but they also require more frequent dental visits for constant adjustments. Invisalign Teen usually requires less time with the dentist since there are not any adjustments to make and no broken wires or brackets to be fixed. After the initial appointment, follow-up appointments may be scheduled for every 10 – 15 weeks.
* The Cost- One of the most common concerns that comes up when discussing alternatives to braces is the cost. The good news is that Invisalign Teen can cost the same as traditional braces. Many dental insurance policies will cover Invisalign Teen treatment for patients under eighteen.
* Healthier smile, healthier life- We can all agree that a straighter smile is a wonderful thing, but beyond the visual cosmetic improvements, did you know that there are other health benefits to orthodontics as well? A poorly aligned bite, gaps, or crowded teeth can lead to an entire range of other oral health related problems such as headaches, teeth grinding, jaw pain, gum disease, or general inflammation.
Research Proves Your Teenager Has the Discipline
Invisalign Teen does require constant dedication on your part or the part of your teen. It is most effective and will meet target objectives when worn 20-22 hours per day, and consistently changing the trays out every week. Although teens are not usually known for having a fondness for responsibility, a clinical study showed that teens wear their aligners for just under 21 hours per day, which is exactly as recommended.
In fact, teens have been known to follow their Invisalign orthodontic plan more responsibly than many adult patients do. But for added reassurance and monitoring, each Invisalign Teen aligner has a blue indicator that will fade over time when used as directed, so their compliance can be tracked.
How Does Invisalign Work
Invisalign Teen is an orthodontic clear aligner system for teeth made specifically for teenagers. It provides an almost invisible way of correcting teeth using clear, removable aligners that are digitally designed specifically for your teen’s teeth. Traditional braces use wires, brackets, and bands while Invisalign replaces all these components with simple, clear aligners. Invisalign can look just like the plastic retainers that many teenagers get when they are finished with their metal braces treatment.
How these plastic trays move your teen’s teeth is the result of digital technology influencing the dental sciences. They do it in a remarkably comparable way to how braces move your teeth. The aligners put slight and constant pressure on the teeth, gradually shifting them out of misalignment and into new alignment. Every two weeks, your teenage will trade out the old aligner for a new one that has the digital roadmap designed into it, and the teeth will continue to move. There may be some slight discomfort as the teeth adjust to the new aligner, but it is much less than the discomfort from the adjustments with metal braces.