Invisalign Teen


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It is not easy being a teenager, and many teens are highly conscious of their appearance. It is no surprise that many are put off wearing braces due to the massive aesthetic impact they can have. Until recently, the only option for Orthodontics was ugly metal braces with highly visible brackets and wires. Luckily, due to innovations in dentistry, there is now a wide range of orthodontic options for teens. Invisalign Teen is a product geared specifically towards the needs of teenagers, minimising the aesthetic impact of the brace whilst still providing effective results.

Conventional braces are composed of metal wires, arches, brackets and elastics which put small but constant pressure on your teeth. The Invisalign series of aligners are designed with aesthetics in mind and try to minimise the aesthetic effect of wearing a brace. As such it is quite hard to tell when someone is wearing an Invisalign brace unless very close. The brace is very slim, making it much more comfortable than traditional braces. Instead of using elastics to put the necessary pressure on your teeth, Invisalign makes use of plastic aligners which provide comparable results to conventional braces.


Invisalign is an adaptable product and can be used to treat a range of orthodontic issues including, crooked teeth, gaps or crowding. Unfortunately, for the more severe orthodontic issues, Invisalign can't be used and you may have to resort to another style of brace. Invisalign has the added benefit of being ideal for patients allergic to the metals used in traditional braces.

Invisalign teen uses a process modified from the original Invisalign, geared specifically toward teens. In the past, most dentists were reluctant to use Invisalign with teenage patients due to the fact the brace was completely removable. This meant that the patient had much more responsibility for treatment and, if the patient didn't wear the aligner enough, treatment times and costs could be drawn out. Similarly, many braces were lost or damaged which meant that replacements were needed, leading to extended treatment times and increased costs.

In order to solve these problems, the Invisalign Teen kit comes with several free aligners which can act as instant replacements for aligners which have been damaged or mislaid. A marker tab is also used to show when it is time to move to the next set of aligners. These features mean that treatment time is reduced as there is no need for replacement aligners to be commissioned. The markers also let your dentist check that the treatment is progressing as scheduled and reveals if the aligner has been worn enough. Through using these features, treatment is a lot more likely to be achieved on schedule and it will also lessen the need for follow up visits.

Fitting Invisalign Teen

Before you are fitted with Invisalign Teen, your dentist will give you a thorough oral examination, take a mould of your mouth in dental putty, and take some photographs of your mouth. From this mould, a 3D model of your teeth is created and your aligner is derived from this. Your dentist will then fit the aligner and talk you through caring for the aligner and the other details of the treatment.

Like the standard model, Invisalign Teen is completely removable so that you are able to eat or drink whatever you like during treatment. This has the added benefit of allowing you to brush your teeth and floss normally. Because of the lack of metal wires and brackets, Invisalign is reportedly much more comfortable than a standard brace. No brackets and wires also reduces the need for follow up visits for adjustments. The aligner will move the teeth in much the same manner as a traditional brace, using gentle but constant pressure. Invisalign controls the timing of the force however, only allowing certain teeth to be moved in each stage.

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