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Invisalign in Queens, NY

Are you tired of feeling self-conscious about your misaligned teeth? Are you interested in straightening your teeth discreetly? Look no further than Invisalign in Queens, NY.

Invisalign align technology is virtually invisible and a popular alternative to traditional metallic braces for those with mild to moderate orthodontic issues. Maintaining good oral hygiene is essential for achieving the best results with Invisalign aligners. Here are four tips for keeping your teeth and Invisalign aligners clean during your treatment:

#1 Brush Your Teeth Daily

First and foremost, brushing and flossing your teeth at least twice daily is essential. It is especially crucial when wearing aligners, as they can trap food particles and bacteria, leading to plaque buildup and tooth decay. Also, brushing and flossing will help keep your aligners fresh and clean. Consider using an interdental brush to clean between your teeth and aligners.

#2 Clean Your Invisalign Aligners Regularly 

The aligners should be cleaned with a gentle, non-abrasive cleaner, such as clear Invisalign cleaning crystals or mild hand soap. It would help if you avoided toothpaste, as it can scratch the aligners and make them less clear. After cleaning, rinse the aligners thoroughly with cool water and dry them with a lint-free cloth.

#3 Remove Aligners While Eating 

Removing Invisalign will prevent food particles from getting trapped and allow you to properly clean your teeth and aligners after eating. It is also essential to avoid eating or drinking anything that could stain your aligners, such as coffee, tea, and red wine.

#4 Practice Good Oral Hygiene 

While wearing Invisalign aligners, it is critical to keep up with your regular dental check-ups and cleanings. Your orthodontist will monitor your progress and ensure that your teeth and gums are healthy during treatment. They can detect any potential issues, such as tooth decay or gum disease, and address them promptly.

In summary, it is crucial to maintain good oral health and hygiene while undergoing Invisalign treatment. Brush and floss your teeth and aligners at least twice a day, remove them while eating, avoid staining foods and drinks and keep up with regular dental check-ups. By following these tips, you can achieve the best results and maintain a healthy, beautiful smile.

Get Your Invisalign in Queens, NY

At Robert W. Bruno, DDS, we specialize in providing Invisalign treatment to help our patients achieve the straight teeth of their dreams. Dr. Bruno works with you to create a personalized orthodontic treatment plan that meets your specific needs and goals.

Don't wait any longer to take the first step toward your perfect smile. Contact us today to schedule your consultation and determine if Invisalign is the right choice. Our friendly dental staff will be happy to answer any questions and help you get started on the path to a straighter, healthier smile. 

Don't let crooked or misaligned teeth hold you back any longer. Take control of your oral health and appearance with Invisalign in Queens, NY. Call us today and schedule an appointment!

Invisalign in Queens vs. Braces in Queens

You finally made the big decision to straighten your teeth with orthodontics. But with all the options available, how do you know which type of brace is right for you? The two most obvious options are Invisalign in Queens, which use virtually invisible aligners to straighten teeth, and metal braces in Queens, using traditional brackets and wires. 

Both options have pros and cons that you need to weigh before deciding which is the best orthodontic treatment for you. Knowing which type is better or faster is essential in the success of your treatment..

Let's look at the pros and cons of Invisalign vs. braces.

Advantages of Invisalign Aligners

The advantages of an Invisalign treatment are pretty obvious. Aligners are practically invisible and removable, which is why most people choose them as the best option for straightening teeth.

You can remove the aligners for special events like weddings, family photos, or important speeches. Aligners are convenient when it comes to cleaning teeth at home. Hence, patients that choose Invisalign typically have better oral hygiene than those wearing traditional braces.

Disadvantages of Invisalign

Because aligners are entirely removable, they only work when they are on the teeth. It means that the majority of the responsibility for orthodontic success rests on you following your dentist’s instructions. You must wear them for at least 22 hours daily. Frankly, if you don't wear them, they don't work. 

Invisalign is not available for young children, and there are limitations regarding complex tooth movement in severely crooked teeth. 

Advantages of Traditional Braces

Traditional braces use brackets, wires, and rubber bands to move the teeth into the correct position. Because the brackets are cemented to the teeth, treatment success depends on the dentist. Patients who seem to struggle with consistency would have much better success with traditional braces.

Braces can achieve more complicated tooth movements than aligners. In many cases, braces may work faster than aligners and can treat all ages, including young children. Don't worry; you don't have to settle for metal; at Robert W. Bruno in Queens, we also offer tooth-colored ceramic braces and lingual braces.

Disadvantages of Metal Braces

Many orthodontic patients find the idea of wearing all that metal in their mouths embarrassing - especially those in their teens and adults. Besides that, brackets and wires rub and cut the insides of the cheeks, tongue and lips and can cause a lot of discomfort.

Brackets and wires also make brushing and flossing at home much more difficult. Many patients that don’t put in enough effort can suffer from excessive plaque buildup and stained teeth during treatment.

Invisalign or Braces | What's Best for You?

Call Robert W Bruno, your orthodontist in Queens, to schedule a consultation with our dental team. We will answer any questions about your options and help you tailor the best orthodontic plan for your unique teeth and your future healthy, beautiful smile. 

2022 IS COMING TO a close, and that means another year of insurance benefits is about to expire. If you haven’t taken advantage of your dental insurance yet, that’s okay, but the year is almost over, so the time to use them is now. To help you prepare, we want to give you an idea of how to use your dental insurance at Robert W. Bruno DDS, not just at your general dentist office.

Insurance Benefits Typically Don’t Roll Over to Next Year

Each year, your dental insurance provider probably gives you a maximum amount of available benefits. Since those benefits don’t typically roll over into the following year, you’ll want to contact us now to learn how to get the most of them with your orthodontist!

What Are Dental Benefits?

Dental benefits are the cost-free treatments you get from subscribing to a dental plan. Generally, most health insurance companies are straightforward and specify the type of services they cover.

What Does Dental Insurance Cover?

Oral insurance plans typically cover the cost of preventive care, fillings, root canals, oral surgery, and crowns. However, some dental procedures may include restorative and orthodontic treatments such as braces, dentures, Invisalign, and bridges.

Understand Your Maximum Benefit

When you pay for your dental insurance each month, you’re paying for coverage up to a certain point. That coverage amount is your annual maximum. When the year ends, everything starts over, and you start building back up to that max from zero again.

It means that the money you were supposed to use for essential dental treatments goes down the drain, which is a massive gain to the insurance company and a sad loss to you. That’s why you should never skip out on your dental checkups. Regular oral checkups help you maintain oral health and give you the most bang for your buck.

Understand Your Insurance Deductible

Your deductible also resets at the beginning of the new year. It is the amount that you must pay out of pocket before insurance kicks in. Most health plans use the 100-80-50 structure to specify their contribution to certain dental services. The amount will vary from plan to plan.

All this means that the cost of preventive care could be 100% covered, basic treatments 80% covered, and major dental procedures covered at 50%. Additionally, some insurance companies may not cover cosmetic treatments such as teeth whitening or crowns.

100% Dental Coverage on Preventive Dental Procedures

Your dental policy isn’t just for getting your teeth fixed. It’s about maintaining excellent oral health and preventing disease before it starts. Taking advantage of your dental benefits will always be a win for you. Most dental plans cover 100% of the following up to two times per year:

• Regular professional teeth cleaning: helps prevent cavities and gets rid of plaque and tartar you can’t remove with just flossing and brushing.
• A dental examination: this is more than just checking for cavities. Your dentist inspects your soft tissues and looks for suspicious areas related to oral cancer. They examine your thyroid, lymph nodes, and jaw joints.
• Dental X-rays: these show problems that aren’t visible to the naked eye. Small cavities between your teeth can be hard to detect, and abscessed teeth are sometimes only seen through X-rays.

Your Insurance Won’t Wait and Neither Will Cavities

While cavities may be inconvenient, it’s imperative that we get them treated immediately. Early treatment of cavities prevents long-term damage to our teeth and is essential to maintaining a beautiful, healthy smile! An easy way to effectively use your insurance benefits is to schedule preventive care visits early.

We Can’t Wait to See You!

At Robert W. Bruno DDS, we’re always looking out for our patients and want to make sure you’re taking the fullest advantage of your dental benefits! If you have any questions regarding dental insurance, stop by or call us today and we can help! Make sure to contact us to schedule an appointment so you can make the most out of your dental insurance before the end of the year. You can also learn more about us on our business page, and don’t forget to check the map before you head our way.

The greatest benefits are to your dental health!

Top image used under CC0 Public Domain license. Image cropped and modified from original.

The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.

I know what you are thinking - another baseless weight loss claim. It is easy to assume that Invisalign aligners might help with weight loss since they must be worn as much as possible and not while eating. However, despite claims of Invisalign and weight loss, the general consensus is that there is no link between tooth aligners and weight loss.

But, some patients are reporting side effects like minor weight fluctuations and as much as 10 or 15 pounds of weight loss due to the “Invisalign Diet” and orthodontic treatment. So what’s the deal, you ask? Why do patients see changes in their weight?

Below, we have hypothesized about what could lead some teens and adults to lose weight during their Invisalign treatment.

IT HELPS CUT DOWN ON SNACKING 

The Invisalign treatment plan requires you to wear your aligners for 22 hours daily. This rule allows only two hours for oral hygiene, eating, or other activities requiring removal.

Eating is impossible while wearing the trays because the pressure of biting down will break them. So, patients who tend to graze on snacks throughout the day notice the impulse is much less. Meals and snacks have to be carefully planned. Each time a patient decides to eat, they have to undergo a long process of removing the trays, eating, brushing their teeth and trays, and then replacing them back in their mouth.

Removing the trays is easy but typically done in privacy. If someone brought a dozen donuts to the office break room, pulling the aligners out to enjoy that sweet treat may not be worth it. And those who do indulge are highly advised not to slip the clear aligners over the food residue left on their teeth.

Dr. Bruno, your provider of Invisalign in Queens, NY, says wearing Invisalign causes patients to pause and think before eating something. From a nutritional point of view, this is not such a bad thing after all.

MORE SELF AWARENESS 

Even though the alignment trays are customized and practically invisible, patients still report being aware of the trays several times a day. It can lead to more self-awareness of their general appearance and spark an interest in improving other aspects of the body. Some may start diets as part of a general trend of overall self-improvement.

TENDER TEETH AFTER ADJUSTMENTS 

When a patient first gets a set of aligners or when they move up to the next stage of trays, many people report feeling soreness in the teeth and gums from the adjustment period. Although this usually lasts only for a day or two, some patients say the tenderness has led to a lack of interest in eating to avoid pain. It could lead to overall weight loss, but in most cases, appetites soon return as the mouth adjusts. Any weight loss during the adjustment period is usually balanced out as the patient feels more comfortable.

GET YOUR INVISALIGN IN QUEENS, NY

While Invisalign in Queens, NY, is not scientifically linked to weight loss, treatment does offer the opportunity to reexamine your diet while straightening your teeth. It can be a successful way to promote oral health and increase confidence. And because treatment can take several months to a few years, why not use that time to develop mindful eating habits? The more you can cut down on processed foods and sugar, the better.

Schedule an appointment for Invisalign in Queens, NY, with Dr. Robert W. Bruno, DDS.