Ugh! Invisalign Question

[sport302]

So I finally decided after a few years of thinking about it to see an othro about getting Invisalign. So I went to the Invisalign website to search for the Premier Providers in my area around Chicago.

My issue with Invisalign is why can't they make it so if you just have a couple to teeth that bug you to fix just those teeth!

My teeth are actually all pretty straight except my top two lateral incisors stick out just a little bit and look kindof like fangs. My goal would be just to have those two teeth pulled in so they were not sticking out like fangs so much. The ortho even said there was room for the two teeth to be pulled back and straightened, but I would still have to have all my other teeth perfectly straightened as well.

This is what drive me nuts. Why can't they just make me trays to move my 2 teeth sticking out back in line? I could understand if teeth needed to be moved to make space, but that is not my case. My 2 top teeth could literally just be pulled straight back into the open space as they are now. Ugh!

I just can not justify paying $5,400 dollars and the hassle of wearing aligners for 15-18 months to fix 2 teeth! Just seems like there should be an easier less expensive way.

Any Thoughts,

Chad

[Sunny]

I agree it seems a bit strange if you have space beside these teeth, but maybe you'd be better looking at the 'six month braces', rather than invisalign. Six month braces are designed to correct appearance problems and not to take in to account the correction of bite issues and other tooth movement, like traditional orthodontic treatment and invisalign is.

Visit a few orthodontists and ask your question about why you'd need more treatment ... you may find someone who can offer you what you want.

Where I work, the orthodontists' would not correct only a couple of teeth, as usually when they move, they do affect the teeth around them and the persons bite.

Good luck!

[MCOMarkhamOrthodontist]

My issue with Invisalign is why can't they make it so if you just have a couple to teeth that bug you to fix just those teeth!

Invisalign requires coverage of all of your teeth, not just the ones that require movement. Other teeth need to be used as anchors to help push other teeth into the correct position. Moving one tooth may require movements of other teeth in the same or opposite jaw so that they fit together properly. Furthermore, if other teeth do not have occlusal coverage, they may overerupt, causing additional problems with your bite.

Often times, we have patients come in with a concern over one or two teeth , or comments like "I just want to fix my bottoms". These are their main concerns, but really there are almost always other teeth that can use movement.

You are making an investment in yourself. Speak with the orthodontist or seek alternative opinions about your options. If Invisalign is not the right fit, consider alternatives such as partial fixed braces or cosmetic dentistry to close the space.

Good Luck!

[Lisa Jane Fox]

Hi Chad,
I have the same problem as you. My teeth are straight but two teeth were rotated backwards and caused severe gum recession. In order to allow the gum to be grafted to help the recession the two wayward teeth had to be moved. I had to get Invisalign on my upper and lower teeth. The good news is the treatment is short- less than a year. When they move a couple of teeth it changes your bite and this can cause lots of problems. When I am done with treatment I'm going to have a perfect bite. I wanted to save the two teeth that were causing the problems so I decided to go for it. If you are unhappy with your smile you should do the treatment, too. It will probably be fast like mine. Good luck!

[Shawn]

I know this is way old, but there's a lot of options for what you need. In case someone else comes across this post I just wanted to say that i think six month smiles might be the way to go.. There was an invisalign site in falls church when i was living in that area that had a lot of info about it, and i think somewhere on there it said that was the maximum time it takes for treatment. I'm sure if it's a lesser of an issue than when i had full on braces (1.5yrs) it should only take 6-8months. The thing is all your teeth will be effected by trying to adjust the few that actually need to be moved.

If there's an update I'd love to hear what you decided to go with. My cousin is deciding on what type of braces he's going to get.