Deborah Petronio, DDS

You can't know for sure how long the treatment will take until you see the "Clincheck" which is the treatment plan made by Invisalign and your Dentist. That being said, a dentist with a lot of experience should be able to give a fairly close estimate. Ask the dentists how many cases the have done. You can also choose a doctor according to experience on the Invisalign website.

I agree that it would have to be worked out ahead of time. I don't think you will find a dentist to work on your case unless the case is "transferred" over from Invisalign. Then the original dentist looses his records. It may be better to just work with the dentist in the state that you spend the most time in and see if you can spread out the appointments and maybe travel once in between. I sometimes keep in touch by cell phone photos when patients are out of town. If you are strict about wearing the aligners and keep in touch and get approval to continue by the dentist it could work. Otherwise you will end up wearing the aligners for a longer time and having to correct the problem when you get back in town. I hope this helps. It's better to work with one dentist.

Yes you can widen arches with Invisalign. It works by uprighting the teeth that are tipped in. Afterwards it is important to wear your retainers to maintain this, but I tell everyone who has braces or Invisalign to wear retainers long term. If you want to be absolutely sure nothing is going to shift, wear retainers. Invisalign has a great program for retainers that your dentist can explain.

You look like a great candidate for Invisalign!

Yore dentist may need to redo the whole tooth part to fix this. Sometimes the screw loosens and you just need a new screw, and sometimes you have to start over. Ask him if he thinks ordering a new screw from the manufacturer is a possibility. It's hard to tell without actually seeing it.

No

Orthodontic coverage is separate from your regular dental insurance and exclusive to orthodontics (including Invisalign though)

Bands will work to close a gap between your front teeth. The unwanted effects of these may be that the angle of the teeth is not right after closing the gap. Also, you may hit your lower front teeth against the backs of the upper teeth when done with the band. Lastly, how will you keep the gap closed in the future? You may end up having to wear the bands long term to retain the space closure. That is bad for your gums and can cause bone loss and gum recession. Invisalign is a refined and controlled method to handle all these unwanted side effects. It cost more, but the results will be worth it in the long run.

When your records are sent off to the Invisalign lab the dentist makes specifications for your treatment on a prescription. At the lab, the impressions are digitized and are placed through a program which "roughs out" the treatment. There are highly trained technicians who then proceed to make sure the dentist's guidlines are followed. The case is a collaberation between you, your dentist and the technician at Invisalign, and takes good communication to make sure your goals are met. The software Align has produced is very powerful and intuitive, and is backed by years of research on tooth movement data. Together these things all work to make Invisalign a dependable and predictable way to achieve straight teeth.

Both options have advantages and disadvantages. All else being equal, Braces (or Invisalign!) is a better choice because you are not altering the surface of the teeth or creating a restoration which needs maintainence. Also, If the space it too large, the Lumineers may be very wide and make the teeth look awkwardly square.

In my office there is no difference between Invisalign and regular braces. There are different fees for both depending on complexity of the case.

I am not a CEREC user, and haven't decided as a clinician whether the CERAC restorations are of the same quality as lab created restorations. As with everything else, the answer is in the hands of the technician. All the materials CEREC uses are the same materials that a lab uses, but a lab has more choices. This way, the dentist can decide which material and prep design is appropriate, and instruct the lab which material to use. If there is a problem, the lab technician and the dentist can consult and possibly change materials to get a better result. You lose this colaberation with CERAC. There are limited materials available with CEREC, and all of these require more agressive reduction of your teeth to use. The other issue with CERAC is that not all dentist are able to finish their restorations as well as a lab. To be able to stain and glaze (seal) a restoration the dentist needs to have his own porcelain oven. This would be a good question to ask. I routinely have my patient meet with the lab tech so the patient's expectations are communicated. This also gives the technician a chance to see the teeth up close and adjust for color. Food for thought. I wouldn't do CEREC unless I knew I could get as good results as a great lab.