Straight Summer: 4 Reasons to Start Invisalign This Season

Many people long for perfectly straight smiles, but very few people come by them naturally. Fortunately, your dentist can address mildly gapped, crooked, overcrowded, or misaligned grins with Invisalign. Instead of metal brackets like traditional braces, this alternative orthodontic treatment uses clear plastic trays that fit snuggly over your teeth to guide them to their ideal placements.

If you’ve been on the fence about when to begin the Invisalign process, continue reading to learn 4 good reasons to consider starting this summer!

Reason #1: More Flexible Schedule

Whether or not you or someone in your family is still in school, daily routines tend to be more relaxed during the summertime. Plenty of people request time off work to travel or take a vacation, so you won’t feel singled out for taking time off for dental appointments. You’ll have more time to book your initial consultation with your dentist, as well as the necessary follow-up appointments every 6 weeks or so, to stay on track with your treatment timeline.

Reason #2: Time to Adjust

Although Invisalign is considered more comfortable and discreet than standard braces, it can cause some tenderness. Any process that exerts enough pressure over your pearly whites to move them has the capacity to leave you feeling tender and sore as they shift. You’ll need to be patient with yourself as your tongue and the supporting ligaments in your mouth adapt to wearing the trays for 22 hours every day. Thankfully, there’s lots of free time during the summer months for you to acclimate, so you’ll already be well-adjusted by the time things pick back up in the fall.

Reason #3: Establish a Routine

It can also take some time to get used to your new at-home dental hygiene routine with Invisalign, making summer a great time to get started. If you take the trays out of your mouth for too long, your teeth could revert to their starting positions. There are about 2 hours available every day that you don’t need to wear your trays, so you should try to manage that time effectively. For example, you might want to designate how long you remove Invisalign for each meal, so you know how many minutes are left for daily cleanings.  By establishing consistent habits over the summer, you’ll already be prepared for when things get busy again later in the year.

Reason #4: Start to See Results

Every one to two weeks, you’ll switch to a fresh set of aligners to account for the ongoing movement of your teeth throughout your treatment. That means you’ll actively be able to see your smile straightening as you go. If you begin the process during the midsummer months, you’ll already see improvements in your appearance by autumn. You’ll be ready to kick off a new fiscal year with an already upgraded grin.

You can start Invisalign anytime, but the flexibility provided by more relaxed summer schedules makes this the perfect time to do so!

About the Author

Dr. Christopher Capehart has 10+ years of experience helping people build and maintain happy, healthy smiles. He graduated from the University of Texas at Dallas before achieving his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. He understands that enhancing your teeth can boost both your oral health and your self-confidence, and he is happy to learn more about your dental goals so he can create fully individualized treatment plans. If you’re interested in Invisalign, you can request a consultation on the website or call (972) 436-1325.