Will Invisalign Correct Misalignment?

I went to see an orthodontist hoping to get Invisalign to straighten my teeth.  A couple of my friends did it and you really couldn’t tell that they were wearing braces at all!  At my age, that is encouraging! However, when I went to see the orthodontist he said it doesn’t work for misalignment and I will need to go the traditional braces route. That was a bit disheartening. Plus, I’ll admit a bit confusing. Should I seek a second opinion or am I stuck with braces?

Madison

Dear Madison,

I am glad you wrote. The whole point of Invisalign is to fix misaligned teeth. I definitely recommend a second opinion because I see three different possibilities here. The first is that the orthodontist you saw has not kept up with the advancements in his field. Many still “only do braces” because that is what they were trained in. There are orthodontists, however, that have kept up and received training in Invisalign as well as other invisible braces type of systems. When you get your second opinion, call and find out if the office does Invisalign before going in. Some won’t recommend a service they don’t offer.

A second possibility is that your case has some complicating factors. If so, then the dentist should have mentioned that to you. However, I’m leaning toward that not being the case because you didn’t mention anything unusual about your bite, just basic misalignment.

A third possibility is the orthodontist does not realize how much Invisalign has improved. This also goes along with not keeping up with their field. When Invisalign first came out, it was only useful for the most ideal cases. That is not true any longer. These days, Invisalign can handle all but the most complicated cases.

Barring that, I feel confident you can get Invisalign to straighten your teeth.

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