Having crooked teeth can affect your self-esteem. Even if you are confident when your mouth is closed, you may feel unattractive whenever you speak or smile. 

Even if you didn't have your dental misalignment corrected as a child, you are not automatically destined to live with misaligned teeth for the rest of your life. You can have your teeth straightened as an adult.

One popular option among adult orthodontic patients is Invisalign. Here is a bit of information about Invisalign to help you understand the application:

Is Invisalign for everyone?

Although Invisalign can effectively straighten your teeth, the application is not for everyone. In order to use Invisalign to realign your teeth, your palate must have already stopped growing. As a result, Invisalign is usually only prescribed for teenagers and adults.

Do you have to keep your Invisalign trays in place for effective straightening?

Invisalign aligners can be removed as desired, but they will only effectively straighten the teeth if worn for the majority of the day. In fact, you should not leave your aligners out of your mouth for more than a couple of hours daily. Still, an hour or two is more than enough time for you to eat, brush, and floss throughout the day.

How do Invisalign trays work?

Invisalign trays are actually plastic mouth trays that apply pressure to the teeth to reposition them. The trays are made from a mold of your mouth, and each progressive set takes you closer to perfectly aligned teeth.

Your Invisalign application will consist of multiple sets of aligning trays. They are designed to be worn in order, and each set is only used a couple of weeks before it is replaced by the next set of aligners in the series.  

What are some of the advantages of the Invisalign system?

Invisalign has multiple advantages, such as the following:

• The aligners are made of clear plastic, so they are difficult to see when worn.
• The aligners are removable, so cleaning your teeth is not more difficult than it was before your orthodontic treatment began and there is no need to worry about food particles becoming trapped in the appliance as you eat.
• The aligners are not as expensive as some orthodontic options, such as lingual braces.

To learn more about Invisalign and to determine whether or not aligning trays are right for you, schedule an appointment with an orthodontist in your area.