Invisalign clear aligners

How does Invisalign straighten teeth?

Invisalign straightens teeth by applying steady, gentle pressure through a series of custom plastic aligners, each shaped slightly differently from the last. You wear one set for a week or two, then move to the next, and the teeth follow the plan a fraction of a millimeter at a time.

Most plans call for small tooth-colored bumps, called attachments, bonded to a few teeth. They give the aligners something to grip so a tooth can rotate or move upward when the plan calls for it. They come off when treatment ends.

You’ll come in every several weeks so we can check that each tooth is tracking the way the plan predicted. If one lags behind, we adjust before it becomes a problem.

What can Invisalign correct?

Invisalign can correct most of the crowding, spacing and bite problems that adults and teens come to us about. Some cases are simple and quick. Others take longer and need more attachments, rubber bands or a second round of aligners near the end.

A small number of bites, usually ones driven by the position of the jaws themselves, are better treated with traditional braces or with a specialist’s care. If yours is one of them, we’ll tell you plainly at the consultation. For the terms you’ll hear along the way, our orthodontic dictionary explains them in plain language.

• Crowded or overlapping teeth
• Gaps between teeth
• Overbite and deep bite
• Mild to moderate underbite
• Crossbite
• Open bite
• Teeth that drifted after braces in childhood

What happens at an Invisalign consultation at Stone Falls Dental?

Your consultation starts with a look at the health of your teeth and gums, because moving teeth that have active decay or gum disease isn’t wise. If something needs care first, we’ll explain it and plan the order.

Then we scan. An intraoral scanner records your teeth in three dimensions in a few minutes, with no trays of impression putty. That scan lets us show you a detailed preview of how your smile could look when the plan is finished, and it moves your treatment forward without waiting for impressions to be mailed off and processed.

You leave knowing what Invisalign would correct, roughly how long it would take and what it would cost you. The consultation is free, and there’s no obligation to start. To book one, call (618) 624-2800 or send a request through the appointment form.

What does Invisalign ask of you each day?

Invisalign works only while you wear it, so the daily habit matters more than anything we do in the office. Plan on wearing your aligners 20 to 22 hours a day and taking them out only to eat, drink anything other than plain water, and clean them.

• Brush your teeth before putting the aligners back in, so food isn’t sealed against the enamel.
• Rinse the aligners in cool water; hot water can warp the plastic.
• Keep them in their case when they’re out, never wrapped in a napkin.
• Expect a day or two of pressure with each new set; it fades as the teeth settle.
• Wear a retainer when treatment ends to hold the result.

How do the Invisalign offer and financing work?

We’ve run an offer of $1,500 off full Invisalign cases, open to new and existing patients and paired with a free consultation and our Best Price Guarantee. Offers change through the year, so ask the front desk which are current and what the guarantee covers before you plan around one. You can see the practice’s other offers on our new patient offers page.

Some dental plans include an orthodontic benefit, and our treatment coordinators will check yours at no charge. For the balance, we accept CareCredit, which offers 0% promotional plans on approved credit, plus extended payment arrangements; the details are on our financial options page. Immediate family of active and retired military receive a discount on all procedures with a military ID.