Invisalign FAQ - And a Holiday Discount!

Here are a few questions we get from patients about Invisalign.  If I don’t answer your question here, please leave it in the form of a comment and I’ll respond!

Is it possible for me to picture how my teeth would look after cosmetic dental treatment?  Yes. Our office offers the latest technology in computer imaging, so we can give you a good idea of what your teeth will look like after cosmetic dental improvements.

Does Invisalign really work?  Yes.  Invisalign is clinically proven to straighten teeth without metal or wires.  There are plenty of before and after case studies and satisfied clients as well.

What do the aligners look like and what are they made of?  The aligners are made of medical-grade clear plastic and custom shaped to fit your mouth perfectly.  They are difficult to notice when worn.

How much does Invisalign cost?  The cost of Invisalign varies according to the extensiveness, but can cost anywhere from $3500 to $5500.  Currently Crabapple is running a special for $1000 OFF Invisalign Treatment + Free Whitening, if you and a friend become fans of our Facebook page.

Will insurance cover Invisalign?  If you have Orthodontic coverage, Invisalign should be covered just like traditional braces, but coverage varies from policy to policy.

How does Invisalign work?  Whereas traditional metal brackets and wires pull our teeth in the desired direction, Invisalign gently presses directly on to the teeth, moving them in the direction of the aligners.  For this reason, it is very important to keep your aligners in between 20-22 hours per day.

Will my teeth stay straight after treatment?  Yes.  We offer several different types of retainers, so we can chose the type that works best for you.

Keep Your Smile Sparkling During the Holidays!

You want your smile to be beautiful all year round, of course.  Especially during the holidays, nothing says festive like a sparkling, healthy smile!  Yet the holidays can pose some of the biggest threats to keeping your teeth white and healthy.

During the holidays we tend to eat more candy and sweets in the form of cakes, pies and other desserts, which can cause tooth decay and other problems.  Holiday cocktails and red wine flow freely, potentially staining our teeth.  To make matters more precarious for our mouths, the holidays are so busy that in our rush we may be tempted to skip important steps like flossing, or cut down on the amount of time we spend brushing our teeth.

Ideally, we would steer clear of all of these sweets and drinks that aren't good for our teeth.  Realistically, we all indulge a little during the holidays!  With the inevitable in mind, we have a couple of tips for how to keep your smile healthy during the holidays.

The first thing to consider is the condition your teeth are in now.  If you have a history of weak or breaking teeth; you have fillings, crowns or bridges; or you have metal braces, you will want to be that much more careful about what you eat.  Each year around the holidays, we notice an increase in loose or pulled out crowns and bridges.  Try to avoid excessively sticky, chewy, or hard candies, such as taffy, peanut brittle, candy canes or caramels.  Instead have peanut butter cups, chocolate kisses, and fruit.  Floss and brush as soon as you can after eating.

When sipping a cocktail, don't crunch on the ice after your drink is gone, especially if your teeth are already prone to chipping.  Chose white over red wine if you don't have a strong preference for red; otherwise try to brush your teeth immediately afterwards. A small travel toothbrush is a great idea.

Follow these tips and you'll be taking good care of your teeth and gums, which means you'll be a healthier, happier you during and after the holidays!

Let's Talk About Invisalign.

     I haven’t seen patients this excited about dentistry in a long time. 

     -Dr. Doug Bowman Freemont, OH

Invisalign is a relatively new form of straightening smiles, yet it’s been around long enough to achieve real technological progress.  Within the past year Invisalign Assist technology has made vast improvements in order to benefit a wider range of patients and teeth issues.  Just a few of the advancements include:

1. Ability to achieve anterior teeth extrusions and canine rotations and perform lingual root torque when up-righting retroclined upper incisors.  In other words, patients who may have previously needed braces can achieve the same or better results with Invisalign.

2. A way for doctors to accurately track smile-straightening progress to ensure the desired outcome.

3. Feature enhancements that make routine appointments go faster, smoother, and easier for patients.

      I had several patients who I initially told that Invisalign wouldn’t do for their cases and       that they needed braces.  But it turned out Invisalign could work for them very, very        well.

     Dr. David Hamer, Charlottesville, VA

This is good news, for several reasons.  First, a straighter smile is a healthier smile.  For example, straighter teeth tend to have tighter gums, which reduce the risk of periodontal disease.

Second, Invisalign is often preferred to braces as a method of smile beautification, because patients find it easier to floss, brush, chew, and speak with Invisalign than braces.  Not to mention the appeal of the clear, inconspicuous tray versus the clunky metal brackets.

All this means more patients are seeing more results, through more user-friendly means.

Ten Tips for Maintaining a Beautiful Smile

It’s our very first blog post here at Crabapple Dental, and we thought we’d start with a few pieces of expert advice for a beautiful, healthy smile.

Ten Tips for Maintaining a Beautiful Smile.

1. When we say a healthy smile, we mean it.  Few people seem to realize just how connected to your physical health your teeth and gums are. Just as you wouldn’t want disease in your skin, heart, or other body parts and organs, you don’t want disease in your mouth.  If your gums bleed, that’s periodontal disease, and you should see a dentist immediately.

2. Get a Waterpik.  We know those were popular in the 1970s, but they actually really work to prevent bad breath and cavities.  Each tooth has a pocket of saliva surrounding it.  A Waterpik washes away that saliva each day, so it can be replaced with fresh saliva.  Just rinsing your mouth with mouthwash won’t work as well.

3. You are what you eat, and your teeth absolutely reflect your eating habits.  So limit sugar, which causes cavities.  Eat vitamin- and calcium-rich leafy greens. Stop drinking soda. You may as well soak your teeth in acid.

4. Proper oral hygiene requires ten minutes of brushing and flossing every day.  The average adult spends two or three minutes total, and kids spend even less.  So reevaluate the time you allot to brushing your teeth.

5. Floss every day. Period. Flossing has such an enormous impact on your dental and overall health, it makes no sense to consider it optional.

6. Replace your toothbrush every two to three months.  The bristles get worn over time, rendering them less effective, and sometimes just having a brand new toothbrush in a fun color can invite you to brush your teeth!

7. Buy a travel toothbrush. Keep it in your purse. Take a few minutes after lunch and brush your teeth.

8. Using baking soda in place of your toothpaste every so often can help remove stains. Don’t overuse though, or else you risk removing enamel.

9. Brush your tongue, the roof of your mouth, and the insides of your cheeks. Bacteria collects there as well as on your teeth and gums, yet many people skip these places.  Brushing your entire mouth reduces bacteria and keeps your breath fresh and clean.

10. Visit your dentist at least twice a year – the recommended minimum for patients with healthy teeth and gums.

Crabapple Dental's New Blog

Crabapple Dental provides state-of-the-art dental care for families in Atlanta, Georgia.  We'll be adding a blog and social media initiative to keep you informed and educated about what's going on at Crabapple and in the dentistry field in general.  We'll teach you how to keep your and your families' smiles bright, white, and healthy!

Please feel free to weigh in with any thoughts on what kind of content you'd like to see, what would be helpful and/or entertaining for you to read, or with any questions.

We look forward to a New Year and a new blog!  Happy Holidays everyone!