How Much Do I Wear My Invisalign

How much do I wear my Invisalign aligners?

           Patients that are moving teeth and are wearing Invisalign appliances should wear their aligners anywhere from 23-22 hours everyday to get the best optimal wear. 

           This amounts to taking them out only to eat or to brush.  One nice thing about Invisalign though is if you have a special occasion or a meeting or even photo shoot you can take them out and just make up the time you lost at the end of your two week process.  

           Certain days you may not want to risk losing them so you can just keep them in a safe place and just add a day at the end.  The one thing that you must always do is wear them for the full two weeks.  Each aligner is only designed to do 100% of its job it can not do anymore than that so if you aren't wearing your aligners enough you will build an in correction into your future aligners.  

Smiles Change Lives (message from a Patient)

This is a letter from one of our Smiles Change Lives Patients.  (Smiles Change Lives is an affordable nonprofit orthodontic program)

Smiles Change Lives

When I saw smiles change lives I didn't think that a brand new smile could actually change a person's life, but I know now for a fact that it can.  Having braces for the past year and eight months has been a life changing experience for me.  I went from not wanting to ever smile or laugh to smiling and laughing all the time.  Sometimes people even ask, "Jasmine why are you smiling for no reason?"  I used to envy people with pretty smiles.  I've been waiting on this day for a long time and now that it is finally here I can't believe it.  I just want to thank everyone who is a part of the reason why I can smile and laugh without being afraid; having a new smile is a brand new beginning.

Thanks,
Jasmine

"Shopping" for Orthodontics?

Would you pick a heart surgeon on price alone? Now teeth are not quite life and death, but they do play a huge part in your appearance and well being!

Braces and Invisalign are simply tools. The results that are achieved are entirely dependent upon the skills of the doctor and staff. When evaluating your options, this is the most important factor to consider in your buying decision.

Our doctors are specialists in the field of orthodontics. Trained in all aspects of orthodontic diagnosis and correction, they have the ability to utilize many different techniques to get the best possible results in the minimum amount of time.

Our practice was a pioneer in the use of Invisalign since its inception in 1999 and our disignation as an Elite provider puts us in the top Invisalign practices in the country. Only 1% of orthodontics reach this status.

How We Practice

 Unlike most group practices, treatment at our office is a mutual collaboration, with Dr. Waxler and Dr. Cavanaugh jointly  diagnosing, treatment planning, and treating most of our patients.  We feel that the advantages of multiple insights has been extremely beneficial for our patients.  We do understand, however, that certain patients may desire or require a particular doctor. 

 Where We Come From

Our practice has been around for a very LONG time, over a century.  Dr. Edward Angle is considered around the world to be the father of modern orthodontics.  Among his many accomplishments were the invention of the edgewise appliance which are the "braces" used by the majority of the world's orthodontists, establishing the world's first school for orthodontic education right here in St. Louis in the year 1899 and finally founder and first president of what has become the American Association of Orthodontists which has its headquarters here in St. Louis.  As we traced our origins, we were pleased to discover that our founder and predecessor was this very same Dr. Angle, who started his private orthodontic practice in 1896.  His practice has changed hands and moved locations through the years but has always remained intact.

 

How do I know if I have a type of gum disease?

Gum Disease-

You may not have pain or any “problems,” but there are a few ways to tell if you need to go see your dental professional.  

            Some ways to know are your gums bleed when you are brushing or flossing, your gums are red and swollen, and/ or  you have mouth sores or bumps that will not go away.  
         
         When you are at the dental professional’s office, it is important that you ask what steps to take to improve your oral hygiene.  Even though you maybe brushing you may be doing it incorrectly or not brushing or flossing long enough.

Clean teeth & Gums, What's the point?

Keeping your mouth healthy and clean is an important part of your overall health. When teeth are not being taken care of, they tend to build up plaque and tartar. This build up creates bacteria that causes irritation to the gums causing bleeding and a low grade infection. This infection is called gingivitis. People who have gingivitis are more likely to have heart problems, suffer a stroke, or heart attack. You are also more likely to have a hard time controlling blood sugar and blood pressure problems.

Helmets and Mouth Guards

Sports safety is a very important thing to think about when getting involved with any sport. In the past it was seen as un-cool to wear a helmet when riding a bike. In some cities in the US laws are passed to enforce the importance of wearing one for your safety. By spending $20 on a bike helmet, you could not only save yourself from a concussion but also your life. Helmets keep players alive and prevent 1 head injury every four minutes. A face guard is attached to the helmet completely covering the face. This makes players 35% less likely to have a facial injury.

When playing any sports where the player could get hit in the mouth, a mouth guard is needed. People don’t realize that by wearing a mouth guard this decreases the odds of injury to your lips, teeth, and even your brain. When protective mouth wear is being worn correctly, it can decrease the chance of getting a concussion. Mouth guards can range anywhere from $5-$150, but rehabilitation costs for a single tooth knocked out can surpass the price of a custom made mouth guard by 20 times. Most of the sports related injuries happen at practice. So that means not only do you have to wear a mouth guard and helmet during the games but also at practice. In orthodontics we have lots of teens who play a wide variety of sports and extra activities. Some of the most dangerous sports are not ones that you would think would be dangerous. Cheerleading and gymnastics as well as horseback riding are all activities where we have seen a lot of broken brackets and mouth injuries. We see a lot of these injuries because people don’t see them as dangerous and don’t take the precautions that they would for football or hockey. This year alone 5 million teeth will be knocked out while people are playing sports. We at Century Orthodontics hope that you do not become part of that statistic.

No More Goopey Mess

Invisalign Intraoral Scanner

Our goal at Century Orthodontics has always been to be the St. Louis Leader in Invisalign treatment. We were the first in the Missouri to use Invisalign and we have consistently been one of the top Invisalign providers in the country. That's why we are the first orthodontic office in St. Louis to acquire the iOC Invisalign intraoral scanner. The scanner will allow us to do away the gooey impressions that are normally used to created 3-D models of the teeth. While this machine costs as much as a nice new car, we feel that our patients are worth it!

The benefits of a 3-D dental scanner:

-no need to have impressions taken, leading to a much more comfortable experience and no gagging

-increased accuracy leading to better fitting appliances and thus better control of tooth movement

-elimination of rejected impressions and redo’s

-ability to see the 3-D image of your teeth immediately following the scan

-Ability to view Invisalign tooth animation in a few days vs. a few weeks, allowing us to start treatment 50% faster

The scans generally take between 15-20 minutes, which is comparable to the time required for a full set of impressions. Unlike other scanning systems, iOC is a laser and optical scanner, so there is also no concern about any radiation.

Our office has scheduled 3 days of hand-on training and will begin using the scanner for most Invisalign and Invisalign Teen patients shortly. We think this is going to really improve the overall Invisalign experience and look forward to helping you smile without braces!