Dr. Noah's Dentistry Blog

Questions About Dentistry Answered

Archives for April 2014

Fitting in with Invisalign

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Americans are obsessed with their teeth. I’m from a country where it is not as much a priority. However, I am moving to the United States and realize that I need to do something about my teeth to fit in. They are healthy, but they are quite crooked. Any recommendations? I can’t wear braces, becasue my employment is quite public and I don’t think that would fit with the image my company wants to portray.

Abhay- India

Abhay,

I’m sure our country would welcome you regardless of the state of your mouth, but it is nice you’re trying to blend with the culture of your new home. If the only problem is they are crooked, you may be a good candidate for Invisalign. These straighten your teeth and are so “invisible” that no one will even know that you are wearing them. They have a very high satisfaction rate and generally work in half the time as more traditional braces.

I will mention one other thing. Americans tend to whiten their teeth pretty fanatically. I know a lot of Indian spices are pretty good at staining your teeth. You may ask your dentist if he’ll allow your aligners from Invisalign to double as whitening trays. That way you can knock out two birds with one stone.

Welcome to the United States.
This blog is brought to you by Tulsa Dentist Dr. Ryan Noah.

Give me wine or give me death

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I need a plan.  I got invisalign to straighten my teeth. I was excited about the idea that I could fix my teeth invisibly. I was excited about the fact that it works in half the time of braces too.  I didn’t realize that it would severly limit my wine intake.  I feel like I am dying. What will happen if I drink wine during my treatment? Will it truly ruin everything?  My dentist acts like I will be ending all chance for world peace if I consume.  Give me something to take back to him that contradicts this horrid dogma.

Brandon K. – Kansas City, MO

Brandon,

Let’s see if we can’t find a way to restore balance to the world.  You know that for treatment to be effective you need to keep your aligners on for the full amount of time—ideally about 22 hours a day. So, that leaves a full two hours for eating, drinking, etc…. I’m assuming you are in need of a plan to drink throughout the day and not just at meal time. So, let’s get to work.

You cannot drink any type of red wine (or other colored beverages) while you are wearing the aligners. It will stain them and then all hopes of invisible treatment will be out the window. Therefore, limit your red wine to when your aligners are out. As to white wine, it will not stain your aligners so you can drink it while they are in. However, I have some precautions for you to take. It is inevitable that at least some wine will get in your aligners. You don’t want to let the wine pool there for any length of time. The alcohol will eat away the enamel from your teeth. So, I suggest you excuse yourself after partaking and rinse off both your teeth as well as the aligners.

Invisalign has one of the highest satisfaction rates in dentistry. I’m confident if you follow the guidelines, you will be thrilled with your results. You’ll also get to indulge in wine, so you should be equally happy with life.

This blog is brought to you by Tulsa dentist Dr. Ryan Noah.