Invisalign Braces in Chicago

Straight teeth are visually pleasing, easy to clean and essential to maintaining a healthy bite. If you are unhappy with crooked or misaligned teeth, Dr. Jack Manikowski, a Chicago cosmetic dentistry provider and an active member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, recommends Invisalign. Dubbed “invisible braces” by the cosmetic dentistry industry, Invisalign is vastly superior to traditional orthodontic systems. The aligners are more comfortable and easier to wear and clean. They are a better overall solution for moving the teeth in proper position and alignment.

Is Invisalign Right for Me?

You may be a candidate for Invisalign if you dislike your smile for any of the following reasons:

• Your teeth are crooked.
• You have mild to moderate crowding.
• Because of their spacing or position, your teeth are hard to brush or floss.
• You had braces as a child, but didn’t wear your retainers and your teeth have shifted over time.
• As a clever “pre-treatment” to porcelain veneers that could ideally position your teeth so that no prep veneers could be used.

How Does Invisalign Treatment Work?

Invisalign uses a sequence of clear plastic aligners to gradually move your teeth into the desired position. The aligners come in sets of two — upper and lower aligners — and look similar to teeth whitening trays. They are very easy to wear, removable for eating and brushing and extremely discreet. The first step of treatment is for Dr. Jack to fit you for your aligners by collecting information about the position and spacing of your teeth. Impressions and X-rays will be taken and used by the Invisalign lab technicians to design and fabricate your aligners to the desired specifications.

When your aligners are ready, Dr. Jack will give you comprehensive instructions for wearing them. In general, you will need to wear your aligners almost all day (20 to 22 hours per day) and remove them when you eat, brush and floss. The aligners will need to be cleaned, too. If you have any questions about caring for your aligners, please call our office at 312-337-1665 or send us an email.

You will wear one set of personalized upper and lower aligners for a specified period of time (usually several weeks). Then, you will swap them out with the next set in your series.

For the best result, we advise you to be diligent about wearing your aligners. This has a significant impact not only on the results you achieve, but also the duration of your treatment. The length of Invisalign treatment varies, but most of our patients achieve their desired results after about a year.

Adjusting to Your New Smile

With straighter, evenly spaced teeth, your self-confidence will improve tremendously. You will feel more comfortable speaking and smiling in front of other people, and you may even find yourself pursuing new social or professional opportunities with your beautiful new smile.

You will experience some health benefits, too. Straight, properly positioned teeth improve your bite (making chewing and biting easier). They also reduce the strain on your jaw and muscles, preventing you from experiencing TMJ pain and other complications. It will be easier to maintain good dental hygiene, because there is more room for your toothbrush bristles and floss to get between the teeth.

Learn More about Invisalign

If you’d like to learn more about treatment with Invisalign, contact Dr. Jack, in Chicago. Please call LPS Dental at 312-337-1665.