Does Invisalign Work with Missing Teeth?

I was never able to get braces as a child. Now that I am more financially independent, I am hoping to get Invisalign, but I am missing a few teeth on my bottom arch. Will Invisalign work in this type of situation? My dentist doesn’t think it will, but I am wondering how much that has to do with the fact that he doesn’t do Invisalign himself.

Janice

Dear Janice,

I am glad you wrote. Invisalign does a fine job working around missing teeth. However, even among dentists who do the Invisalign procedure there are varying levels of comfort in which cases they would feel comfortable handling.

One thing I would suggest is that you talk to an orthodontist who also uses Invisalign. Plus, there is more than one brand of invisible braces. Another one is Spark aligners. This brand can only be done by an orthodontist. Sometimes Invisalign requires buttons to be added which is not the case with the Spark aligners. Plus, their scalloped design reduces irritation.

It is important that you do not try and force a dentist into a procedure they are not comfortable doing even though you are a good candidate. The results rarely work out how you’d like.

You are better off finding a dentist or orthodontist who can do the procedure with training and confidence.

This blog is brought to you by Bee Cave Orthodontist Dr. Alberto Tostado.