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If you have “a mouth full of teeth,” as many prospective orthodontic patients have, it may be difficult to see how your crowded teeth will have room to align correctly. Many patients with crowded teeth assume the only way to straighten their teeth is by pulling one or more teeth out completely to make room for the rest, but luckily, that’s not the case! Invisalign dentists in NYC will rarely pull teeth as part of their orthodontic work. Instead, they’ll use one or a combination of techniques to spread your teeth out:
Evening the Spread: Tools of the Trade
There are several ways NYC Invisalign dentists can make room for each and every one of your crowded teeth.
Palatal Expanders:
These devices help “spread” the roof or your mouth (also known as the palette) outwards, widening your dental arch to make room for crowded and mis-aligned teeth. These appliances are minimally visible to others, and your Invisalign dentist will usually recommend wearing these appliances for several weeks before your Invisalign braces.
Facebow Headgear:
These are wide “bows” that attach to your traditional metal bracket braces and are used to move your upper molars back in your mouth to create room for crowded teeth. Headgear is usually only worn at night, where pressure from the headstrap eventually creates backward movement in the upper teeth set.
Are Your Teeth Really That Crowded?
Oftentimes, patients with crowded teeth don’t require special tools to correct crowded teeth. Invisalign braces are well-suited to correct most mild to moderate crowded teeth symptoms; gradual pressure applied through a series of personalized aligner trays will eventually help even out and straighten crowded teeth without the need for tools such as palatal expanders or headgear.
Pulling teeth is rarely necessary, and NYC Invisalign dentists will do whatever is possible to avoid removing teeth before orthodontry.
Learn more about how Invisalign works on our blog, or visit our Invisalign NYC info page to learn about our services!
Ready for an Invisalign consultation of your own? Make an appointment with 212 Smiling online!
You may know exactly how to clean your Invisalign braces already: you rinse them regularly, you brush and floss your teeth twice-daily, and you even use a dab of toothpaste every night to make sure the aligners are fresh and clean. But what do you do if you’re out and about in the city? You may not carry toothpaste, baking soda, or floss with you every day (though kudos if you do!), but it’s still in your best interests to keep your aligners sparkling.
Portable Cleaning Solutions for your Invisalign Braces
If you’re continually on the go, you need another solution to keep your Invisalign trays food-free. Luckily, many of the same products used for on-the-go mouth cleaning work for your Invisalign braces, too:
- Oral B Brush Ups: these are textured clothes that you can use anywhere to clean residue from your teeth and freshen your breath. They work even better on your Invisalign trays!
- Colgate Wisps: these are miniature toothbrushes with “freshening beads” of liquid that mean you don’t need a faucet around to feel fresh and clean. Works on teeth and Invisalign braces!
- Pocket Mouthwashes: one of these is good to keep around even if you’re not wearing Invisalign braces. If you are, mouthwash is a good way to clean and disinfect your aligners; try to swish the mouthwash underneath your aligners too, if possible.
Caring for Your Invisalign Braces: Some Last Things to Remember
DO NOT chew gum to freshen your mouth while wearing your Invisalign braces; though many gum brands claim to “clean your mouth as you chew,” the chewing pressure can damage your aligners and should be avoided.
And whatever you do, don’t forget your aligners in a napkin! Many Invisalign braces patients take their aligners out while eating, only to forget them at the table when they leave.
Find out more about using Invisalign braces in NYC on our blog, or visit our NYC Invisalign info page for more information!
Thinking About Getting Invisalign In NYC, But Suffer From Crossbite?
 If you suffer from crossbite, Invisalign could be the solution you’ve been looking for. Many people with crossbite put off correcting the problem because they do not want unsightly metal braces. Invisalign for crossbite is a great way to fix crossbite quickly and discreetly.
What is a Crossbite?
Crossbite is an irregularity in tooth positioning. In crossbite cases, teeth are shifted forward or backward. This causes certain top teeth affected by the crossbite to fall inside the bottom teeth. Teeth may be tilted toward the cheek or the tongue.
Crossbite can result in the following complications: 
Invisalign Braces: What Are They, And Should I Pay More For Them?
Invisalign braces are an orthodontic treatment that is a more comfortable teeth straightening option. If you need braces, but don’t want the obtrusive look of metal braces, Invisalign may be the best option for you. Invisalign straightens your teeth using a customized set of clear plastic trays that gently straighten out your teeth over time. When worn, they go practically unnoticed. Since they can be removed, they do not get in the way of brushing and flossing.
Invisalign braces in NYC can be slightly more expensive than traditional braces, but their benefits more than outweigh the cost. These are just some of the benefits of Invisalign braces:
- Comfort – Invisalign pain is minimal compared to traditional braces
- Discreet – Invisalign braces are virtually invisible
- Clean – Invisalign braces make it easy to maintain a high level of oral hygiene
For those who want to know how to get new teeth, dental implants are an excellent choice for replacing teeth that have been lost. Dental implants are devices used to take the place of a tooth root in order to support dental restorations that replace teeth. If you are missing teeth or have teeth that need to be removed, dental implants can help you keep a perfect smile. Traditional dental implants involve complex surgical procedures and a long painful recovery, but with the advanced Teeth-in-an-Hour procedure, you can achieve the same effects without the painful surgery and lengthy recovery period.
Missing or ineffective molars can make it very hard to chew efficiently, which can greatly impact one’s quality of life. That’s why most of the dental implants we place in our NYC offices are “posterior” dental implants, or replacement molars towards the back of the mouth.
Placing dental implants in the back of the upper jaw can be a more complex procedure since there are additional nerve structures and increased proximity to the sinus cavities. Some patients experience minor dental implant sinus problems after the procedure, which can be corrected fairly easily.
Placing Posterior Dental Implants: Sinus Augmentation
To place dental implants effectively, they must be securely anchored. Normally, the anchor posts should be as long as the crown itself – much like normal root structures. This 1:1 ratio is dependent on the amount of bone naturally occurring in patients’ upper jaws, and sometimes there is not quite enough bone to fully surround the post.
There are many ways to remove stains from your teeth. Solutions for teeth whitening in NYC include drugstore whitening strips, at-home gel kits, professional teeth whitening services, and laser teeth whitening. Laser teeth whitening is becoming more and more popular with cosmetic dentists in Manhattan because it offers patients the most convenient way to brighten teeth.
Does Laser Teeth Whitening Work?
There are many trademarked laser teeth whitening (or more accurately, “light-accelerated bleaching”) systems available to patients, and most dentists generally agree on Philips ZOOM! Whitening as most effective formulation. The benefits of ZOOM! laser teeth whitening include:
- Reduced chair time (effects in as little as 30 minutes)
Looking the Part of a Professional
 As much as you wouldn’t like to believe it, appearance counts in the workplace. And it’s not just your clothes that make an impression – your coworkers and clients observe many aspects of your appearance, including how you smile. That’s why more and more working adults in NYC are turning to Invisalign.
The Association for Psychological Science has found that it takes just a tenth of a second to form an impression of a stranger from their face. And according to an Invisalign survey, 74% of Americans believe that an attractive smile is important for getting their dream job. Scientists and economists even back this up: one study has shown that less attractive workers earn 10-15% less per year than their more attractive counterparts.
If you’re hoping to advance your career, it seems that it’s vitally important to make the best professional impression you can from the minute you enter any room. That’s why many adults choose to help improve their overall appearance with orthodontic intervention in the form of Invisalign braces.
 With Invisalign. you can brush more thoroughly. Have you resolved to straighten your smile this year? It turns out, getting Invisalign in NYC may be the best thing you can do for yourself in 2012, for both your health AND your appearance.
The Health Benefits of Correcting Your Teeth with Invisalign in NYC
When your teeth are aligned correctly, there are much fewer hiding places for food and bacteria. Teeth straightened with Invisalign make it easier to brush more thoroughly, which helps prevent gum disease, periodontal disease, and cavities.
Avoiding cavities and gum disease is the just the beginning, too – research has shown that gum disease can be associated with heart disease, which is America’s biggest health problem and its leading cause of death. Consider these statistics from New York Presbyterian Hospital and the Journal of Periodontology:
- People with periodontal disease are almost twice as likely to suffer from coronary artery disease as those without periodontal disease.
 Photo by Tony Buser, Flickr There are many lifestyle causes of yellow teeth that might prompt you to consider teeth whitening services in NYC. If you think your smile could be brighter, it may be time to consider asking your dentist about teeth whitening.
Should I Use Professional Teeth Whitening, or an At Home Kit?
Most whitening toothpastes can lift surface stains, but deeper stains may need to be removed with stronger bleaching agents.
You can use at-home teeth whitening agents found in most pharmacies if you’re looking for the most cost-effective solution. However, professional teeth whitening visits with your NYC dentist will always be the most effective solution, and may save you money in the long run:
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