When determining whether Invisalign® Teen is right for their child, parents should consider their child's needs, responsibility, pain tolerance, and age. Invisalign Teen can help patients achieve straighter smiles without visible braces. These clear aligners use the latest materials to move teeth comfortably and discreetly.
If your child wants straighter teeth but does not want visible wires and brackets, Invisalign Teen may be a great alternative. Our team at Oak Tree Dental in Poway and the surrounding area can determine whether or not your child is a candidate. Call us today at (858) 748-2101 to learn more about our services or schedule an appointment.
Understanding a child’s needs
Parents should understand their child's individual needs before seeking Invisalign treatment. Every child is different and will require personalized treatment to produce optimal results. Parents should have a consultation with our team to make the right decision regarding a child's smile.
We will conduct a thorough examination of the patient's teeth to determine their orthodontic needs. These consultations are also a great time for parents to discuss their child's smile goals and how our team can help reach them. This information is a crucial part of helping parents understand their children's needs and whether Invisalign is the right choice.
“Parents should understand their child’s individual needs before seeking Invisalign treatment.”
Conditions Invisalign Teen treats
Invisalign Teen can treat a broad range of orthodontic conditions, including:
- Crowded teeth
- Widely-spaced teeth
- Overbite
- Crossbite
- Underbite
Invisalign Teen remains effective at correcting mild to moderate cases. Patients who opt for this system most often have crowded teeth, gap teeth, or misaligned teeth. Invisalign Teen is not always suitable for children with more severe orthodontic issues, such as missing teeth or major malocclusions. Children must also be ready for the level of responsibility that comes with using Invisalign Teen.
“Invisalign Teen can treat a broad range of orthodontic conditions, including crowded teeth, widely spaced teeth, overbite, crossbite, and underbite.”
Responsibility is key
The Invisalign system requires patients to wear their aligners for at least 20 to 22 hours each day to be effective. This means that responsibility is a key component of producing optimal treatment results. Invisalign Teen is good for children who can adhere to instructions and care for their aligners properly.
Treatment adherence includes wearing aligners at all times except when brushing teeth or eating, cleaning aligners thoroughly, and keeping them safe in a protective case when not in use. Children must be mature enough to understand the importance of maintaining and wearing their aligners. If a child is not responsible enough to do these things, then traditional braces may be necessary instead.
“Children must be mature enough to understand the importance of maintaining and wearing their aligners.”
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Wearing traditional braces may cause your child some minor pain and discomfort. The metal brackets may irritate gentle tissues in the mouth and cause mouth sores. Patients can expect to feel some pain during and after adjustments, too, as the teeth shift into new positions.
Invisalign Teen is a suitable alternative for patients with a low pain tolerance, helping them achieve the smile they desire with minimal discomfort. While a child may feel pressure from each new set of aligners, it should never be enough to cause significant discomfort or pain. A child's treatment plan will set the aligners enough to straighten the teeth but not enough to be overbearing or unbearable.
“Invisalign Teen is a suitable alternative for patients with a low pain tolerance, helping them achieve the smile they desire with minimal discomfort.”
Questions answered on this page
Q. What conditions does Invisalign Teen treat?
Q. Is Invisalign Teen painful to wear?
Q. Why is it important for parents to understand their child's orthodontic needs?
Q. Why is it important for children to be responsible enough to have Invisalign?
Q. What is the best age to consider Invisalign Teen?
People also ask
Q. What are the differences between Invisalign and traditional braces?
Q. How long will it take to see results?
Q. Are braces or Invisalign aligners more effective?
Best age to consider orthodontics
There is no minimum age to receive Invisalign Teen treatment. However, patients should have most of their adult teeth. They should also be old enough to have the maturity needed to properly wear and take care of their aligners.
Parents should speak with our team to discuss whether their child is ready for Invisalign Teen. Invisalign patients range in age, and no age is considered the best. Furthermore, it is never too late to get orthodontic treatment for your child.
“There is no minimum age to receive Invisalign Teen treatment.”
Frequently asked questions
After receiving Invisalign Teen, children will need to have check-up appointments about every four to six weeks. Appointments for Invisalign are less frequent than for traditional braces. We will check the patient's teeth to ensure that the treatment is progressing correctly.
Once a child gets Invisalign aligners for the first time, it may take some time for their mouths to adjust. This is normal for any orthodontic appliance. Children may have a slight lisp at first, but it should disappear quickly.
The effects of forgetting to wear aligners will depend on how long the patient has gone without wearing them. If it has only been a short time, their aligners should still fit. If it has been a longer amount of time, patients will need to speak with our team.
If a patient loses their aligners, they should contact our team as soon as possible. Patients may need to revert to their previous aligner or move on to the next set. Our team will help patients choose the right option to keep treatment progressing.
Children must clean their aligners properly every day. We recommend using the Invisalign Cleaning System or brushing with a soft-bristled toothbrush and rinsing with lukewarm water. Patients should also soak their aligners to get rid of bacteria.
Invisalign® terminology
With Invisalign® treatment, the patient will receive a series of aligner trays and swap out each one for the next one in the series every two weeks in order to gradually straighten the teeth.
The blue compliance indicator is a small blue dot on the aligners that will fade from blue to clear in order to indicate if the patient is wearing the aligner for the proper amount of time and where the patient is in the Invisalign® process.
ClinCheck® software allows professionals to map out the straightening process the patient’s teeth will go through with Invisalign® in great detail.
The gum line is the line in the mouth where the teeth and gums meet. If a patient struggles with gum recession, then the gum tissue around the teeth may begin to wear away.
Incisal ridges are the portion of the crown of the tooth that makes up the incisal portion and can be a direct cause of overbite if they are extended too far.
An iTero Element® scanner allows professionals to create a 3D image of the patient’s teeth in minutes and predict what it will take to move the teeth into proper alignment.
Malocclusion is the condition in which the upper and lower teeth do not meet properly when the bite is closed. Conditions of malocclusion can include overbite, underbite, crossbite and open bite; all of which are treatable with Invisalign®.
An overbite is a type of malocclusion that occurs when the upper teeth jut out over the lower teeth, covering them and causing other issues.
Polyurethane Resin is a USP Class VI medical grade, high molecular weight compound that makes up the Invisalign® aligners.
SmartForce attachments are small attachments that professionals place on the patient’s teeth before placing aligners to help move the teeth.
Smart Track® material is in Invisalign® aligners to increase comfort, improve control of movement, increases the speed of treatment and applies a gentle force to the teeth over time.
Learn more about Invisalign Teen today
Fortunately for your teens, straightening your teeth no longer has to be a painful endeavor. We at Oak Tree Dental can help. If you are located in Poway or the surrounding area and would like to learn more about Invisalign Teen, call us at 858-748-2101 to learn more.
Individual results vary. How long a treatment lasts, and how it looks and feels, depends on each patient.