Top 10 Most Important Reasons to Use Invisalign

Invisalign is not all about vanity. It’s ironic that such a powerful product that has made leaps and bounds in orthodontics is marketed using such frivolous principles.

It’s not about the convenience of being able to eat candy or play football while you straighten your teeth or about forgoing a “metal-mouth” smile in photographs.

Near-invisibility and convenience aside, here are the top 9 most important reasons to use Invisalign, starting with the most important.

1. A good bite

So what’s so great about a good bite?

This is what orthodontics and braces were invented for – not to give you a pretty smile, as you may have been told, but rather, to improve your overall health and live without pain!

We, Orthodontists, study this as a science, but when we bring it to our patients, we fail to educate them about the bite and the complications that can develop due to a bad bite and, instead, sell it to them totally for aesthetics. No doubt that a beautiful smile brings confidence and self-esteem, but without good physical health, the former is hollow!

Only teeth that fit together and are balanced will last.

On an iTero scan, we can see the bite marks showing how heavy the occlusion is which helps to plan a treatment that will relieve the area of heavy contacts.

2. Proper positioning of the lower jaw in relation to the upper jaw

The jaw is like a door with two hinges – one hinge at each ear and the door jam and the strike plate being your teeth. In an ideal mouth, you want the door to be able to open smoothly and easily and close without effort. The door hits the strike plate and the door jam at the same time without any undue friction or sticking.

Those of us who have had doors that we’ve had to force to shut? The door that doesn’t close properly will eventually pull the screws out of the hinge plates and, one day, will not be able to close.

The equivalent in the mouth is TMJ or TMD, pain in the joints, clicking and popping, misaligned jaws, inefficient and painful chewing, or the inability to chew. Perfectly aligned teeth will allow that door to open and close freely without slow deterioration of the jaw and without pain.

A bad bite can cause TMJ pain and earache.

3. Better digestion by more efficient chewing and breakdown of food in the mouth

The mouth is responsible for the first stage of the digestion of food. Improper mastication of food in the mouth has ramifications for the entire process of digestion and absorption of nutrients throughout the body. To put it simply, you will get less nutrition out of the food you eat without a proper bite.

4. Proper tooth positioning leads to better bone architecture and gum positioning, which promotes a self-maintaining mode for oral health

It’s not just what’s above the surface! When the teeth are crooked, the bone that’s supporting the tooth is also crooked, leading to complications. This is referred to as bone architecture and without optimal bone architecture, it is almost impossible to have good gum and tooth health.

Without proper bone support and adequate bone level, the teeth won't have the required bone and hence will be lost prematurely.

5. Invisalign aligners can fix facial, jaw, and neck pain.

Patients that suffer from sore facial muscles and from the effects of grinding can not only benefit from a better bite, but they can also benefit from wearing an aligner over several months. As long as there is no joint pathology, wearing an Invisalign aligner is a great way to deprogram the muscles involved in grinding and relieve TMD symptoms.

6. Misaligned teeth are prone to food impaction and make brushing and flossing difficult.

When teeth do not fit up against each other tightly enough, it is likely that, at every meal, a piece of stringy meat or vegetable will get caught in between the teeth and will stay there until removed by floss or by vigorous brushing.

This condition is called food impaction and can cause great harm to the gums and teeth. The food is held in place by the misaligned teeth lets the bacteria feast upon it. Facilitating their growth in your mouth will bring about accelerated gum recession and dull, throbbing pain in the mouth resulting in premature loss of teeth.

Proper positioning of the teeth facilitates easier and more efficacious flossing and brushing. If your teeth are all lined up correctly in the proper position, there is less for you to do and less to worry about to have good oral health.

7. Speech and phonetics – better speech and pronunciation

Your ability to pronounce words properly is largely determined by the position of your teeth.

Invisalign has helped several of my patients by fine-tuning their speaking voices.

For example, if your two upper front teeth are too long or if you have an open bite, you may lisp or have difficulty pronouncing certain words, or even whistle a little bit as you speak.

8. Shorter, more efficient dental cleanings

Teeth that are properly aligned tend to be more self-cleaning and more self-maintaining. They’re easier to floss and they’re easier for the hygienist to clean!

Crooked teeth are very hard to clean. For example, when teeth are twisted and crowded, the instrument that the dental hygienist uses is rendered ineffective, allowing the bacteria to evade removal during the cleaning process.

9. Aligners double as the protective gear you can use for the rest of your life

You can whiten and protect your teeth from grinding at night or during sporting events (like mountain biking and lifting weights) using your Invisalign aligners – the device has many functions!

10. Aligners do not change your lifestyle in any way

You can eat your favorite food, and play your favorite sport without the worry of breaking a bracket. Apart from being invisible, they don’t interfere with your lifestyle in any way.

BONUS: Invisalign for Aesthetics

I know you may be surprised by this, and I know the people marketing Invisalign may be a bit perturbed, but improvement in aesthetics is icing on the cake!