Reviewed by Dr. Benjamin Wright, board-certified orthodontist
Invisalign® clear aligners straighten teeth using a series of custom, removable trays instead of brackets and wires. At Wright Orthodontics in Severna Park, every aligner case is planned and monitored by Dr. Benjamin Wright, a board-certified orthodontist. Consultations are complimentary, and most adults are candidates.
Adults ask for clear aligners for a reason that has nothing to do with orthodontics. They do not want to spend a year of client meetings, school pickups, and photographs behind a mouthful of metal. That is a completely reasonable thing to want, and for most cases it is achievable. What matters more than the aligner brand is who is planning the movement of your teeth and who is checking it every six weeks.
How Clear Aligner Treatment Works
Treatment starts with a scan. We use an iTero digital scanner rather than the trays of impression putty you may remember, so there is nothing to gag on and nothing to set. The scan produces a precise three-dimensional model of your teeth in a few minutes.
Dr. Wright then plans the case. Every tooth is given a path, a sequence, and a timeline, and you get to see a preview of where your teeth are headed before a single aligner is made. Your aligners arrive made from Invisalign’s SmartTrack material, custom to your mouth and to that plan.
From there the work is yours as much as ours. You wear each set of clear aligners 20 to 22 hours a day, taking them out to eat, brush, and floss. Most patients change to a new set weekly. You come in roughly every six weeks so Dr. Wright can confirm the teeth are tracking to plan and adjust the plan if they are not.
When the teeth are where they should be, we fit a retainer. Vivera retainers are made with the same technology as the aligners, and they are what keeps the result you just paid for.
Why Have an Orthodontist Do It
A general dentist can legally provide Invisalign. Many do, and two of the practices ranking for clear aligners in Severna Park are general or cosmetic dental offices rather than orthodontic specialists. It is worth understanding what the difference is before you choose.
An orthodontist completes a full-time residency in orthodontics after dental school. Dr. Wright completed his at the Air Force Medical Service’s Wilford Hall program, an accredited orthodontic residency, and he has spent 26 years and roughly 5,000 patients doing nothing else. Dr. Wright is also a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics, which is a voluntary certification earned by examination after that residency.
That training matters most when a case does not go to plan. Aligners move teeth by tipping and rotating them within a predicted envelope, and predicting that envelope correctly is the whole skill. When a tooth stalls or a bite does not close the way the software expected, the person watching your case needs to know how to fix it, not just how to order the next set of trays.
What Clear Aligners Can and Cannot Do
They are not right for everyone. Severe bite discrepancies, teeth that need substantial vertical movement, and cases involving jaw surgery are often better and faster in braces. If your case is one of those, Dr. Wright will tell you so at the consultation rather than sell you an appliance that will disappoint you. Sometimes the answer is a combination, starting in braces and finishing in aligners.
Compliance is the other honest limit. Aligners only work while they are in your mouth. If you know you will not wear them close to 22 hours a day, braces are the more forgiving choice, and there is no judgment in choosing them.
Living With Clear Aligners
There is no food you have to give up, because the trays come out to eat. There are no wires to break and no emergency visits for a poking bracket. Brushing and flossing stay normal, which is one of the real oral-health advantages over fixed braces.
The adjustments are small. You will develop a habit of carrying your case, you will get used to a slight lisp for the first day or two of a new set, and you will learn to change aligners at night so the tightest hours happen while you sleep. Most adults report that the first week is the only one they really notice.
What Treatment Costs
Aligner fees depend on your case, so we quote yours after Dr. Wright has examined you. Payment plans are no-interest and arranged in house, and our cost, insurance, and financing page explains exactly how we handle insurance, HSA and FSA funds, and monthly payments.
Frequently Asked Questions About Invisalign
Why don't dentists recommend Invisalign?
Many general dentists do recommend it, and some avoid it because aligner cases can be harder to control than they look. Moving teeth predictably is a specialty skill, and a dentist who has not done a residency in orthodontics may reasonably prefer to refer the case out. The reverse question is worth asking too. If a general dentist is recommending aligners, ask how many cases they have finished and who plans the tooth movement.
What is the 30 minute rule with Invisalign?
It is a common rule of thumb that your aligners should be out of your mouth for no more than about 30 minutes at a time when you eat. The point is total wear time. Two hours of meals and brushing across a day still leaves you at 22 hours in, which is where treatment stays on schedule.
Do clear aligners hurt?
There is pressure for a day or so after each new set, which most patients describe as tightness rather than pain. It is generally milder than the soreness after a braces adjustment, and there are no brackets to rub the inside of your lip.
How long does clear aligner treatment take?
That comes down entirely to how far your teeth need to move, and honest timelines run from several months to well over a year. Dr. Wright gives you an estimate for your own case at the consultation, based on your scan rather than an average.
Can I switch to clear aligners if I already have braces?
Sometimes, yes. Finishing a case in aligners after starting in braces is a legitimate treatment sequence, and the reverse happens too. Bring your current records to a consultation and Dr. Wright will tell you whether the switch helps your case or just delays it.
Book a Complimentary Consultation
Call 410-544-0072 or request an appointment online. Wright Orthodontics is at 479 Jumpers Hole Road, Suite #203, Severna Park, MD 21146, and we treat patients from Severna Park, Millersville, Crownsville, Arnold, Severn, and Pasadena. We also serve Cape St. Claire.
Invisalign and the Invisalign logo, among others, are trademarks of Align Technology, Inc., and are registered in the U.S. and other countries.