The Whole Tooth and Nothing But the Tooth

Chronic gum disease is a real nuisance to go through. You can take the best care of your gums and only beat back the symptoms a little bit, even with the help of a dentist. If you have chronic gum disease, you might be wondering if there's any hope for you to get braces at all. The good news is, yes, there's a solid chance you can get braces, and all you need to do is turn your attention to invisible braces or Invisalign.

How to Treat Chronic Gum Disease

As you already likely know, treating chronic gum disease is a difficult task. You have to floss and brush everyday, and in some cases, dentists will also recommend additional treatment modalities, like using a water flosser, brushing with a baking soda peroxide paste, or manually massaging your gums with a gum stimulator. These activities can be time-consuming and difficult enough on their own, but when paired with standard metal braces, they can become far more difficult.

Why Invisible Braces Are a Good Choice

Invisible braces are a great choice not only because they look good and let your teeth shine through but because they make your gum treatment just as easy as if you weren't wearing braces. This is because invisible braces can be removed, and dentists want you to remove them every day when you're taking care of your teeth and gums. So it'll be like you don't have braces at all, at least when it comes to caring for your teeth and gums.

What to Expect

Getting invisible braces is an easy, streamlined process. There are a few steps to go through, but it's well worth the time.

The first appointment will be to discuss invisible braces and to ensure that you're a good candidate for them. Dental scans like x-rays may be taken in order to ensure that your jaw alignment and teeth alignments are appropriate for invisible braces. If they are, these images will also be used to generate your new invisible braces.

With the scans in-hand, your dentist will also take a mold of your teeth. This allows them to create a perfectly fitting set of invisible braces that will comfortably snap onto your teeth and pop off again when you don't need them.

At this point, it's time for your invisible braces to be manufactured. Your dentist will call you in when they're ready. You'll try on your first pair, which will already start the process of moving your teeth in the right direction.