Are Invisalign Aligners Comfortable to Wear?
By Ronald Cass | Published on August 17, 2011 | 0 Comments
Invisalign is ideal for anyone who is hesitant to try out traditional orthodontic braces for fear that the metal brackets and wires will be uncomfortable. According to Dr. Ronald B. Cass DDS, PA, an Austin dentist who offers Invisalign and other cosmetic dentistry options for patients of all ages, Invisalign aligners are extremely comfortable to wear.
Although Invisalign aligners do stimulate a shift or movement of the teeth, this movement is done in a gradual way that causes patients to feel minimal discomfort. This is markedly different from metal braces, which pull and yank teeth into the correct alignment in a way that can be quite traumatic and painful.
Of course, Dr. Cass is quick to emphasize that Invisalign may not be right for everyone. Of the hundreds of patients he has treated with Invisalign, the Austin dentist has come across just a few who felt that the plastic aligners were too uncomfortable to wear. He says that it can take time to become accustomed to the aligners, but that he also sees many patients who take to the Invisalign aligners right away with no adjustment phase at all.
Dr. Cass estimates that he has only worked with four or five patients who could not get past square one with Invisalign. The Austin dentist explains that some patients with small children at home, or those who do not like any discomfort, may not be able to cope with the “newness” of the aligners. Invisalign aligners must be worn at all times—except when a person is eating—in order for them to be effective. A person who does not think that he or she has the diligence necessary to wear the aligners at all times should look toward other orthodontic alternatives.
Nonetheless, Dr. Cass is an Invisalign dentist in Austin who says that patients who have been able to get past the initial hurdle of wearing Invisalign aligners have had extraordinarily high success rates. Within weeks, taking the aligners in and out becomes very routine and is not difficult or uncomfortable in any way.
In order to be a good candidate for Invisalign, a person needs to have at least his second molars in place. Recently, the Invisalign company came out with a product called Invisalign Teen, which has tried to replicate the eruption of second molars. However, Dr. Cass says that the Invisalign patent is based on the idea that ideal candidates should have second molars that have already erupted before their treatment with Invisalign begins.
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