Toronto Orthodontists

Do Orthodontics Provide Dental Bridges? How Long Does It Take?

I have a couple questions pertaining to the one above as well. First off, do orthodontics provide dental bridges? If so, how long does it take to produce the fake teeth?

Orthodontists do not provide permanent bridges - that would be something your general dentist or a prosthodontist (specialist) can do for you. 

If however, you have a missing tooth in the front while doing braces - your orthodontist can (if he/she deems it feasible) put a fake tooth onto your wire or Invisalign tray to help conceal the fact that you are missing a tooth.  This is temporary while you are doing your orthodontic treatment.  Then your dentist can take care of the rest for you and give you a permanent solution like a bridge or implant. 

Shervin Abbaszadeh, DDS

Toronto Orthodontist

Why Do I Have to Wear my Invisalign Every 6 Weeks? The Standard Seems to Be Every 2 Weeks.

I change out trays every six weeks. I asked my dentist and he says that 6 weeks is the standard.

The standard wear times for each aligner may vary from 1 week to 3 weeks, with 2 being for the majority of patients.  This is going to depend on the amount of movement, type of movement, and time/day the aligner is being worn. 

That being said, 6 weeks per aligner may be slightly long, as the aligner plastic may lose its ability to keep shape following this type of interval.

Again, speak to your doctor to figure out why your plan involves 6 weeks of wear per aligner.  Good luck!

Jason K. Tam, DDS

Toronto Orthodontist

Getting Cavities Filled While Wearing Invisalign

I have been wearing Invisalign for 6 months and have about 9 months remaining. I have been informed that I have some small cavities and my dentist would like to fill them. He said that this could cause some issues with the trays fitting and that I might have to have new ones made. I do not want to pay for new trays as I have already paid for the remaining 9 months. What would you suggest? I have never had a cavity before this time and I am 44 years old.

It is possible that getting fillings may affect your Invisalign treatment in a couple of ways.

The first is that the filling may be overfilled and therefore affect the fit of your aligner.  This would be like an improperly fitting attachment.

The other possibility is that the tooth is underfilled and a key surface that is required for the aligner to push against is no longer present.  In this case, the movement will not occur as planned.

Bring your aligners to your filling visit and have the dentist try to fill the tooth to match the original shape as much as possible.

Jason K. Tam, DDS

Toronto Orthodontist