Invisalign®
Invisalign® in Eagan, MN
Straighten your teeth without metal braces
Are you unhappy with your smile, but also unhappy at the thought of wearing braces? Let our team of dental care professionals at Now Care Dental help you find joy in your smile through the use of the invisible aligners known as Invisalign®.
How Invisalign® works
Invisalign® clear aligners are an orthodontic alternative to braces. To determine if these retainers are the right solution to your dental concerns, you will first need to meet with one of our Invisalign®—trained dental professionals. We will perform a full assessment of your situation and then make a determination as to whether Invisalign® is right for you.
If it is decided that you are a good candidate for Invisalign®, the first step is to obtain a full workup of your teeth, including X-rays and dental impressions. Your dentist will also want to take close-up pictures of your teeth. Invisalign® will use all of this information to print 3D versions of your upper and lower teeth.
Your dentist will then create a tailored treatment plan based off of your 3D models. This includes the creation of a series of clear aligners that are custom-made to your teeth and to the movements your dentist wishes to make. You will work through each aligner at a pace set by your dentist.
Most patients want to know how long Invisalign® takes. Timing greatly depends on your specific dental concerns. To make the process move as quickly as possible, ensure you wear your Invisalign® aligners a minimum of 20-22 hours each day. That means removing them for meal times only.
Once your treatment is over, we can set you up with the Vivera Retainer® made by the makers of Invisalign®. This retainer helps you maintain your straight, bright smile throughout your life.
More and more people are choosing Invisalign® over traditional braces. Here’s why. With Invisalign®, you can:
Get straighter teeth without the metal mouth:
Invisalign® retainers are practically invisible. Most people will not know the aligners are there unless you tell them. This is in stark contrast to the bright metal wires and brackets that make up traditional braces.
Continue to brush and floss normally:
Daily dental care can become quite difficult with braces. With Invisalign® you get to avoid the extra costs associated with buying professional-level tooth brushing and flossing tools. Just remove the retainer, brush and floss like usual, and pop the retainers back in.
Prevent gum disease and tooth loss:
Misaligned teeth can lead to a variety of health conditions, including increased risk of periodontal disease (gum disease) and tooth loss. You have a greater ability to protect your teeth and gums during the straightening period with clear retainers, as you can clean your teeth normally and your dentist can provide full teeth cleaning and care services throughout the straightening process.
Have a more pleasant teeth-straightening experience:
Metal braces and their corresponding brackets stick out all over the place. They can burrow into your cheeks and gums, causing extreme discomfort or pain. Invisalign® aligners, on the other hand, are made of smooth plastic, so you’ll find no wires or brackets gouging your cheeks.
Eat whatever you want:
With Invisalign® retainers, you need not worry about any food restrictions. You can eat what you want, when you want. All you do is remove the retainers while you eat, brush and floss right after, and then put your retainers back on your teeth.
Anyone with crooked teeth—referred to as malocclusions by dental professionals—can benefit greatly from Invisalign®. Crooked teeth can come in many forms:
- Crowding (teeth don’t have enough space to grow)
- Uneven spacing (gaps between a few or several teeth)
- Excessive overjet/overbite (upper teeth protruding over lower teeth)
- Under bite (lower teeth protrude over upper teeth)
- Cross bite (misalignment of upper and lower jaws)
- Deep bite (upper teeth hide the lower teeth)
- Open bite (a gap between your top and bottom teeth)
Whether you want Invisalign® for an overbite or to fix crowded teeth, turn to our team of experienced, friendly dental professionals.
Invisalign® for Adults
Invisalign® is a great alternative to braces for adults. Among the many benefits listed above, adults also find that Invisalign® allows them to:
- Spend less time at the dentist’s office. Office visits are generally 4-6 weeks apart, so you have fewer appointments than you would with traditional braces. Appointments are also shorter than those associated with traditional braces, as there are no wires to adjust or brackets to fix.
- Gain a more professional teeth-straightening appearance. Most adults require a certain professional appearance for their daily working life. Braces may not fit that bill. But Invisalign® retainers do, as they are practically invisible to the naked eye.
Invisalign® for Teenagers
Clear aligners are a fantastic braces alternative for teens with permanent teeth. They are just as effective, have similar costs and take about the same amount of time as traditional braces. Moreover, Invisalign® retainers help teens:
- Avoid bullying (slurs such as "metal mouth" still exist)
- Play sports without worry of damage to the braces
- Improve confidence due to straighter teeth
Most parents worry about their teens potentially losing or breaking one or both retainers. By signing up with Invisalign Teen®, Invisalign® will provide you with up to six free replacement aligners should your teen lose or break any during treatment.
Treatable Cases
From mild cases of crooked teeth and protruding teeth, to much more difficult dental problems involving serious malocclusion, overbite, or underbite, Invisalign® effectively corrects a wide variety of dental problems. Whether your teeth are widely gapped, overly crowded or somewhere in between, Invisalign® has an affordable teeth straightening option for you.
Crossbite
Gapped teeth
Open bite
Overbite
Overly crowded
Underbite
Before & After Photos
Our brains process images much faster than they do words. So if you feel like all of these words are a bit too much to take in while considering whether Invisalign® is right for you, just take a look at these before-and-after pictures.
While the results Invisalign® can achieve in your case may not be exactly the same as what these patients experienced, you can trust that you will find yourself with a healthier, straighter, happier smile.
Crossbite: This 27-year-old female was unhappy that her upper and lower jaws seemed to be misaligned. This caused her upper teeth to bite on the inside of her lower teeth, and she could tell it was causing excessive wear. Her doctors told her this issue could also cause gum disease and bone loss. Her Invisalign treatment lasted approximately nine months.
Gapped teeth: This 56-year-old male was concerned that his teeth were abnormally spaced and very far apart. His doctor told him that, while this might just seem unattractive, spacing issues in teeth can also cause some periodontal diseases. His Invisalign treatment lasted approximately 10 months.
Overbite: This 38-year-old female was concerned that her upper teeth overlapped her lower teeth too much. Not only is this a cosmetic issue, but it can lead to health problems later in life, so she was anxious to get it fixed. She was treated with Invisalign in approximately 20 months.
Overly crowded: This-26-year old female believed there wasn't enough room within her jaw for all of her teeth to fit normally. Her doctor told her that when left untreated, overly crowded teeth can cause dental decay, and increase in the chances of gum disease, and can prevent the normal function of teeth. She was treated with Invisalign over the course of approximately 10 months.
Costs
So how much does Invisalign® cost? Most cases fall between $3,000 and $7,000. But costs can and do vary from that range. The exact answer depends upon your unique situation and the goals you have for your smile.
Generally, the fewer concerns you have and the easier your case, the less Invisalign® will cost. But if you have a more complex case, the price of Invisalign® will increase.
To determine how much Invisalign® will cost you, we will perform an initial records appointment and then send your information to Invisalign® for treatment planning. We will provide you with your personalized Invisalign® pricing only once your full treatment plan is in place. Your plan will include full length of treatment, number of aligner trays needed and any additional treatment support required.
When considering the price of Invisalign® treatment, we encourage you to consider the many ways in which you can offset your costs:
- Work with insurance to obtain any included coverage
- Create a monthly payment plan to help spread out costs
- Pay with pretax dollars through your Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
A set of Vivera® Retainers are included free in each Invisalign® treatment plan.
Insurance
Once our patients hear about the many benefits of Invisalign®, the next question they ask is: "Is Invisalign® covered by insurance?" While this is a fairly straightforward question, the answer is not always clear. In fact, the answer is highly dependent upon your own dental insurance plan.
We can help you determine if your insurance covers Invisalign®. When you come to our offices for your initial consultation, we will collect your insurance information. We will then perform a complimentary benefits check. We will not perform any billable work related to your Invisalign® orthodontic treatment until you are certain of your coverages and costs.
With our new iTero® element scanner, not only does it reduce our carbon footprint by using less plastic impression trays and materials, it will cut down on the time you wait between appointments for your Invisalign® retainers. We'll be able to review your digital case with you immediately and when we are both satisfied your custom digital records will be sent to my lab specialist to prepare your case.
Call Now Care Dental to learn more about Invisalign® today.
Yes, Invisalign® really does work. To learn just how it would work in your case, give our Eagan dental office a call at (651) 686-6800 or request your appointment online. We answer our phones 24 hours a day, and our clinic hours run from 10am to 8pm daily.
Call (651) 686-6800 to schedule an appointment or complete our appointment request form.