I have two differing opinions about whether I should use Invisalign. My dentist said Invisalign will be fine for my case, but when I went to see an orthodontist about it he said traditional braces were a better option for me. I do want to fix my teeth but I’m not too keen on the whole metal mouth thing. Is my dentist or the orthodontist correct?
Mandie
Dear Mandie,
Please bear in mind, I don’t know your specific case. I can’t give you a definitive yes or no, but I can give you some guidance.
First, the orthodontist you went to see said that traditional braces would be better. What he didn’t say was that Invisalign wouldn’t work in your case. My experience has been that orthodontists are specialists who are protecting their specialty. As such, they tend to downplay Invisalign.
I’d ask yourself if your dentist has always been honest and trustworthy in his dealings with you. Has he been the type of dentist to try to talk you into procedures to get more cases or does he just give you your options and let you decide? Have you ever doubted him? Has he ever misled you? If he’s trustworthy and he says it will work for you. Then, you may just want to believe him and go with Invisalign.
If you have any doubts, you are perfectly within your rights to get a second opinion from another Invisalign dentist. Let them know up front they won’t be doing the procedure, you just want to know if you’re really a good candidate because of conflicting opinions.
If you do get a second opinion, you can double the input by going to a dentist who does both Invisalign and traditional braces in their office.
Invisalign and Teeth Whitening
While most patients know the benefits of Invisalign, such as comfort and invisibility, they may not be aware of one that is rarely advertised.
If you turn out to be a good candidate for Invisalign, the aligners can double as teeth whitening trays. That means you can simultaneously whiten your teeth while you straighten them.
Your dentist will simply need to provide you with the gel and give you instructions as to how long to wear the gel. Instead of putting it in your whitening trays, you’ll put the gel in your aligners to the exact same effect.
Be aware that even professional teeth whitening will only whiten natural tooth structure. Therefore, if you have any dental fillings or any other dental work, those will remain the color they currently are.
This blog is brought to you by Dr. Ryan Noah.