Transform your smile with Invisalign teeth straightening in Los Angeles

A beautiful smile full of straight, pearly white teeth sends the message that you are happy, healthy, and confident. With Invisalign teeth straightening treatment, you can achieve the smile you’ve always wanted without unsightly, uncomfortable metal braces. Dr. Don Mungcal, dentist at Downtown Dental in Los Angeles, CA, is an expert in working with patients to understand their cosmetic dental goals and using Invisalign to transform their smiles.

Benefits of Invisalign

Invisalign is an orthodontic treatment that straightens your teeth to get similar end results as traditional braces, but instead of using metal brackets and wires that are affixed to your teeth, Invisalign straightens your teeth with a series of transparent removable trays.

There are many benefits of Invisalign treatment over traditional braces.

• Nearly invisible: The Invisalign trays are clear and thin, so they are nearly invisible to others when you are talking and smiling.
• No restrictions on what you can eat: With traditional braces, you need to avoid crunchy, sticky, and hard foods, but the Invisalign trays are completely removable, so you don’t need to limit what you eat.
• Fast treatment time: The average treatment time for Invisalign is between 12 and 18 months, whereas traditional braces can often take up to 3 years.
• Better oral hygiene during treatment: Since you can fully remove the Invisalign trays, you don’t need to brush around brackets and wires and can properly brush and floss all your teeth during your treatment time.
• Comfortable: The Invisalign trays are more comfortable than braces since they don’t involve any metal or wires that can bend and poke your mouth.
• Whiten your teeth at the same time: The aligners can serve the double function as teeth whitening trays so you can straighten and whiten your teeth at the same time. Dr. Mungcal can provide you with a professional grade whitening gel to use with your aligners for great results.

How Invisalign works

At a consultation appointment, Dr. Mungcal takes a series of highly precise images of your mouth. These images are used as a starting point for your discussion with the dentist about what you like and don’t like about your teeth and what your goals with the Invisalign treatment are. Then, the dentist uses the latest software technology to create images that show you what your end results will look like with Invisalign treatment. Dr. Mungcal takes a shared approach to decision-making about your Invisalign treatment so that your end results will match your goals and you are completely satisfied.

Based on your current mouth and your projected end results, a series of Invisalign trays are then custom-made for your teeth. The first trays will begin to slightly shift your teeth into the correct position. You will then switch out the trays for the next set of trays approximately two weeks later, which then further shift your teeth. This process is repeated with new sets of trays every two weeks as your teeth progressively shift into their optimal position, which typically takes about 12 to 18 months total. The total amount of time it takes depends on your initial tooth position and the way your jaw bites down.

During the time that you are being treated with Invisalign, you will see the dentist about once every six weeks to check on your progress and receive your next batch of trays. When you put new trays in, you may feel some slight discomfort. This typically goes away within a couple of days and any pain can be managed with over-the-counter medications like Tylenol. You may also feel like your teeth are slightly loose. The loose tooth sensation is normal and occurs because as your teeth move, your gums take time to shift their position around the teeth. Once your teeth are in their final position, your gums will permanently affix to them and your teeth will no longer feel loose.

The cost of Invisalign is similar to the cost of traditional braces. Dental insurance typically covers a portion of orthodontic treatment, and Invisalign treatment is typically covered under this category. The team at Downtown Dental can help you determine whether the treatment is covered and if so, how much of the cost will be covered.

Dr. Don Mungcal is committed to helping you achieve the smile you’ve always wanted. Take the first step in transforming your smile by calling Downtown Dental at 213-863-9464 to schedule your appointment today.

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