Invisalign®

Invisalign® clear aligners give teens and adults the opportunity to straighten their teeth, improve their smile, and correct alignment problems without wearing metal braces. Thanh Lam, DDS FAGD, at North Rockville Dental, has extensive experience in mapping customized treatment plans that ensure your Invisalign aligners produce optimal results. To learn more about Invisalign, call the office in Rockville, Maryland, or book an appointment online.

Invisalign Q & A

What is Invisalign?

Invisalign is a dental appliance that does all the same things as traditional braces. With Invisalign, you can straighten teeth, eliminate spaces between teeth, and correct misalignment problems like overbite and underbite.

The big difference is that Invisalign does the job with clear plastic aligners that are virtually invisible. That means you can get the smile you want without worrying about wearing metal braces.

The smooth aligners fit over your upper and lower teeth much like a mouth guard. They’re snug enough to stay in place, yet they’re easy to remove when you need to brush your teeth or eat.

How does Invisalign work?

Dr. Lam creates a three-dimensional model of your mouth and uses it to precisely plan how each tooth must move to get into proper alignment. The information is then sent to the Invisalign technicians who produce a series of plastic aligners customized for your mouth and treatment plan.

You’ll wear each aligner in the series for one week or two, beginning with the first one and then replacing it with the next aligner in the series until you finish the entire series.

Each aligner has a slightly different form that progressively places pressure on your teeth, moving them into the prescribed position one step at a time. By the time you finish the series, the aligners have successfully realigned your teeth.

How long will I wear my Invisalign aligners?

Most patients have a series of Invisalign aligners that last 9-15 months. Your treatment time depends on the extent of the changes needed to align your teeth.

You can remove your aligners to eat, brush, and floss; otherwise, it’s essential to wear them for 20-22 hours every day. Your teeth will only move into their proper position with consistent pressure.

If you leave your aligners out too long, your treatment won’t proceed as planned. Dr. Lam schedules routine appointments throughout your treatment to be sure your teeth are realigning as expected.

Will I need to wear a retainer?

It takes time for your teeth to acclimate to their new positioning within your jawbone. It’s important to wear a retainer to prevent them from going back to their original positions.

The good news is that Invisalign also makes retainers from the same clear, invisible material, so you can wear retainers that don’t affect your appearance. Retainers only need to be worn while sleeping after treatment is completed but they do need to be worn for perpetuity.