12 July 2021
 Categories: Dentist, Blog

When it's determined that Invisalign is the best solution to your orthodontic problem, you're likely to have a few questions. Although they have a different configuration to traditional braces and slot over your teeth, as opposed to being bonded into place, Invisalign works in much the same way. Your teeth are progressively moved by a succession of different thermoplastic aligner trays until your teeth are in the optimal position. But does Invisalign still work on teeth that have required dental restorations?

Integration of Dental Restorations

Dental restorations generally don't disrupt Invisalign treatment. You may have had a cavity filled, a tooth fitted with a dental crown, or had the surface area of a tooth reinforced with dental composite bonding. These types of restorations don't pose a risk for your orthodontic treatment because they're integrated into the tooth's existing structure.

Part of the Tooth

When a cavity is filled or dental bonding is applied to a tooth, it becomes part of the tooth's overall structure. This means that the tooth (restoration materials and all) will move as predicted during your treatment. The same applies to dental crowns, where a protective shell (typically made of porcelain) has been fitted over a damaged tooth. Again, this addition becomes part of the tooth as far as Invisalign is concerned. The tooth's root is still intact, and this permits realignment, regardless of any synthetic restorations applied to the tooth's structure.

Restoration Work During Invisalign

The restoration work becomes part of the tooth, and as such, is accounted for when the dimensions of your teeth and bite are measured in order to make your Invisalign trays. This is only truly effective when the restorations are in place prior to beginning treatment. It's unwise to have restoration work performed during your orthodontic treatment. This will change the shape of certain teeth, however minutely, and will mean that your aligner trays will not fit as well as they need to. This can certainly disrupt your orthodontic treatment and you may require a whole new set of trays, so if you should have any dental problems that will benefit from restoration work, you must have this work performed before your orthodontic treatment can begin.

Dental restorations are so common that it would be surprising if they weren't compatible with Invisalign. Still, it's natural to have questions, but you can rest assured that your orthodontic treatment won't be disrupted by your dental restorations. Reach out to a professional for more information about Invisalign.