The Invisalign journey

At Quayside Orthodontics we are specialists in Invisalign orthodontic treatment.

The Invisalign system moves the teeth into place using a series of virtually invisible, removable aligners which are worn by the patient at all times except when eating, drinking and brushing their teeth. 6 million patients have been successfully treated with Invisalign braces across America since the year 2000 and we are proud to have the vastly experienced Dr James Davies as our resident expert in Invisalign technology here at Quayside Orthodontics.

Here’s a little on what to expect on your Invisalign journey.

Assessment and treatment plan

Before treatment, every patient has a full case assessment and x-ray. We then talk about the different options available.

If you want to go ahead with Invisalign treatment, we create very accurate silicon moulds which get sent to the USA to be digitally scanned using ClinCheck software.

This software allows us to create a treatment plan digitally. Using the software we experiment moving your teeth into different positions virtually to see how they would look at each stage and plan the course of treatment accordingly.

The Invisalign technology allows us to see where the teeth started, where the teeth will end up, and how many aligners will be needed to get to the desired endpoint before we begin any treatment.

Once you decide on your desired endpoint and a treatment plan for this is confirmed, it takes 6 weeks for your Invisalign aligners to be manufactured.

Fitting Invisalign aligners

Although the aligners are invisible, little attachments are fixed on your teeth. These are tiny pimples made of white filling material to allow the aligners to grip to your teeth and rotate to get your teeth to their end result.

These are far from the metal or ceramic brackets associated with fixed braces. From a patient’s perspective, it is a much friendlier way to move your teeth – there are no sharp wires to dig in or breakages like can happen with fixed braces.

During treatment

You receive an aligner for every movement to be made during treatment and change aligners every two weeks.

Aligners are removed for eating, drinking & brushing teeth but otherwise need to be worn at all times. If worn as prescribed, 20-22 hours per day, you will get the results you are looking for.

Multiple aligners are provided in advance. This means that after the initial flurry of appointments we may not see you for 4 to 5 months providing you keep following your plan.

We value our trust relationships with each patient. We trust that you are following your plan as instructed and are here for you for any support or advice you might need between appointments.

Once your chosen endpoint is achieved, the little attachments are removed from your teeth and you are left with your confident new smile. A retainer is then created to be worn at night to keep your teeth straight for life.

Fitting in with your lifestyle

Invisalign’s virtual invisibility means you can carry on with your life without anyone realising you have a brace. For this reason, Invisalign is very popular with public speakers, musicians and singers, etc. They are also popular with people who are away for extended periods of time as several months of aligners can be provided in advance and regular appointments aren’t required.

Invisalign fits with your lifestyle rather than being a hindrance. Despite the fact aligners should usually be changed every two weeks, if a patient knows they have a special event one weekend where they won’t be wearing their aligner, they can wear it instead for a further couple of days at the end of that fortnight before changing to a new aligner.

Aside from its invisibility and flexibility, another main advantage of the Invisalign system is that you can eat & drink whatever you want. Aligners are removed for eating and drinking so you don’t have to avoid certain foods like you do with a fixed brace. Removing them to brush your teeth also allows you to maintain excellent oral hygiene throughout treatment.

5 year guarantee

For peace of mind, Invisalign covers you for 5 years of treatment.

If for any reason you are not happy when you reach your end point, e.g. a tooth is still slightly off, we take a refinement impression, and provide you with the appropriate aligners to fine tune it.

You can keep having refinements for up to 5 years at no extra cost. This covers you whether you have 5 years of continuous treatment or if you have 1 year’s initial treatment and come back after 4 years because something isn’t right.

Between Quayside Orthodontics exceptional customer service and Invisalign’s cutting edge technology, you are only a few steps away from a confident, satisfied smile. Get in touch today to book your initial consultation and discuss the options available to you.

The fixed brace journey

At Quayside Orthodontics we are committed to giving you a positive experience from the very outset of your treatment journey. Ensuring you know what to expect along the way is a really important part of this so we’ve outlined the main stages involved in fitting, wearing and removing a fixed brace.

Referral & assessment

The fixed brace journey begins with a referral from your dentist. In Wales, everyone under the age of 18 is entitled to a free orthodontic assessment on the NHS.

At your assessment you meet a Quayside specialist who assesses your teeth to see if you qualify for NHS orthodontic treatment. Qualification is measured on a scale called the index of treatment need.

If you hit the threshold, you can have fixed metal braces on the NHS as long as you were referred before you were 18.

If you don’t qualify for NHS treatment, your orthodontic journey doesn’t need to be over. Numerous private treatment options can be explored.

First appointment

Your first appointment in the brace fitting journey takes about half an hour. Here you will meet your orthodontist, nurse, and others from our friendly team who will be involved in your fixed brace journey.

An oral examination will be made and an x-ray taken. The x-ray allows us to check if any problems need to be addressed before starting the orthodontic treatment.

We also check your oral hygiene. It is really important that good oral hygiene is maintained prior to fitting the brace because once your brace is fitted, brushing becomes more difficult. Getting this right at the outset eliminates the problems that can arise from poor oral hygiene later on.

Following your assessment we plan your course of orthodontic treatment, including if you need to have any teeth taken out.

We take a set of impressions using clay to cast a mould of the teeth. This provides us with a set of models to show us how the teeth were before beginning treatment.

Brace fitting

Once a plan is in place, we schedule you in for your brace to be fitted. This may be delayed if any teeth need to be removed first.

Brace fitting is a simple, painless procedure which takes about half an hour.

It simply involves putting a little bit of glue on your teeth, putting a bracket on each tooth, and setting them in place with a blue light.

We then connect a wire into the brackets and hold them in place with ties. These ties come in different colours which you can choose from.

Ongoing care

You will have a brace check-up approximately every 8 weeks where your teeth will be checked and your brace adjusted as needed.

When your brace is fitted, we provide you with a care pack which includes everything you need to keep your brace clean. It is absolutely vital that you look after your teeth and brace during the course of your orthodontic treatment. As well as good oral hygiene, you must avoid hard, sticky foods while you have your brace. This helps prevent breakages which slow your treatment down.

Brace removal and after care

When the teeth are in the right position, a debond appointment is scheduled.

Your brace will come off a lot quicker than it went on. A simple click, click, click, and the brace is removed simply and painlessly. Any remaining cement is then smoothed off the teeth.

Once your brace is removed, we take another set of impressions and make a retainer. The retainer helps keep your teeth in the right position and needs to be worn every night to guarantee straight teeth for life.

After 12 months you will be discharged from treatment with your brilliant, confident new smile. A lot of people opt to order more retainers at this stage so they have a spare back up. Your Quayside specialist will discuss these options with you in due course.

 

If you have any questions about the fixed brace journey our team of friendly specialists are always happy to discuss them with you. Drop us a line or give us a call using the details on our contact page.