I live in Alaska and the nearest Invisalign dentist to me is over two hours away. Would it be absolutely necessary to return every two weeks for new aligners? That would be quite a hardship with me for work.
Rose
Dear Rose,
Much of how often you’d need to go to the dentist will depend on two things: First, the philosophy of the dentist and second, the complexity of your case. Each dentist is a little different in how they handle the distribution of Invisalign aligners. For instance, some dentists will only want to see the patient once a month and prepare them two sets of aligners. Others are more sticklers.
Given the distance you have to travel and the state you live in, I suspect your dentist will be rather flexible. The exception being, as I mentioned earlier, is if your case is more complex. Some teeth don’t cooperate as well as others. In that case, it would be in your best interest to see him or her more often.
That doesn’t mean it has to be in person every time. With today’s modern technology, he could probably do some of your check-ups through Zoom. Ever since the coronavirus hit, many of us have had to adapt to doing things a bit differently and are becoming quite adept at distance treatment.
I cannot speak for the particular dentist you will be seeing, so please bear in mind this is not me saying you can go less often. I’m just saying it is possible.
A Fun Side Benefit to Invisalign
I don’t know if your dentist has mentioned this to you yet or not, but I thought I’d let you know a little benefit to using Invisalign that has nothing to do with straightening your teeth. Because the aligners are custom fit to your particular bite, they can double as teeth whitening trays. This will allow you to straighten and whiten your teeth at a fraction of the cost. Your dentist can provide you with the professional strength teeth whitening gel.
This blog is brought to you by Marietta Dentist Dr. Cristi Cheek.