If you want to get straighter teeth without the traditional braces, Invisalign treatment is a great alternative. Often referred to as clear braces, this treatment involves using aligner trays to fix minor orthodontic issues.
So if you have gapped, crooked, or crowded and suffer from overbite or underbite issues, Invisalign can help fix it all. The most appealing feature of this treatment is that the aligners are transparent and removable. Hence, it is highly preferred by adults and teens who are too embarrassed to wear metallic braces.
You can also take off the aligners before your meals or for special occasions giving you the freedom to eat your favorite foods and attend meetings and interviews without being self-conscious.
If you too are thinking about getting Invisalign to fix your teeth, you may be wondering where to get it from? Do I have to go to an orthodontist or can my regular dentist do it too?
So we got in touch with Dr. Michael Nussbaum, DDS who provides dental care in Austin to share details about the procedure.
How Does The Procedure Work
Not everyone is a suitable candidate for Invisalign. This treatment can only correct minor orthodontic misalignments in your teeth. So your dentist will examine your situation and refer you to get either traditional braces or Invisalign.
If you are suitable for the treatment, your Invisalign provider will take 3D scans of your teeth to create custom aligner trays. These aligner trays are designed to put pressure on your teeth and move them in a certain direction to align all your teeth.
You need to wear them for at least 22 hours in the day over a period of 12-18 months. Every few weeks, you will be provided with a new set of aligners to continue exerting pressure on your teeth. Your provider will continue monitoring the progress the entire time and ensure the treatment is working as expected.
Dentist Vs Orthodontist
The field of dentistry is divided into different specialties. There are general practitioners aka your regular dentists. They provide a wide range of dental treatments in their private clinics- from regular teeth cleaning and filling cavities to more complex procedures such as wisdom tooth extractions and root canals treatment.
On the other hand, you have orthodontists who specialize in tooth and jaw alignment. They both receive the same initial education but orthodontists study further after graduation to become specialists in fixing orthodontic misalignments. If you require metallic, lingual or ceramic braces, your dentist will have to refer you to an orthodontist.
While only an orthodontist can fit regular braces, you can get the Invisalign treatment from a regular dentist too. To provide this treatment, they both have to undergo special training to become certified Invisalign providers. They are then given rankings based on the number of treatments they have administered.
So you don’t necessarily require an orthodontist for fixing your teeth via Invisalign.
Whom Should You Pick?
The job of an Invisalign provider is to take the initial 3D scans for making the aligners trays and then monitoring the progress of the patient throughout the duration of treatment via regular checkups.
The clear aligner trays themselves are made exclusively at an Invisalign lab. And you have to put them on your own. So the quality won’t be affected if you choose to get them through a family dentist.
To conclude, neither of them is better than the other. But a general family dentist usually has more knowledge about a patient’s dental records and hence is preferred by most patients.
Remember, it is always best to get any dental treatments done by reputed dentists who have experience in handling such cases. If you are looking for a trusted Invisalign dentist in Austin, Tx you can reach out to Dr. Micheal Nussbaum at his dentistry clinic. He has over 25 years of experience in providing dental care in Austin and will help straighten your teeth to give you a beautiful smile you can flaunt every day.
