At Delaware Dental Studio, we offer Invisalign because we are dedicated to helping our patients achieve their smile goals. Many patients are interested in correcting crooked teeth but dont want to commit to a highly visible treatment with metal braces. With Invisalign, you can straighten your teeth without any metal or rubber bands. Plus, treatment typically takes less than a year. Invisalign is the most conservative way to cosmetically enhance your smile.
Invisalign is an invisible, removable, and comfortable aligner that painlessly straightens your teeth. Instead of using brackets, wires, and rubber bands to move your teeth, Invisalign uses special clear aligners that are nearly invisible when worn. These aligners are designed to correct most minor-to-moderate orthodontic issues. Since Invisalign is discrete and does not affect speech, this method of orthodontic correction is very popular among adults who wish to avoid traditional braces.
Once youve been approved for treatment, Dr. Fee will work with Invisalign to develop a personalized, comprehensive treatment plan. When your aligners arrive at our office, youll wear each set for 20-22+ hours per day. About every two weeks, youll switch to a new set of aligners.
About every 3 months, youll come into our office for a quick checkup and to get your next few sets of aligners. Most patients require between 20-24 sets of aligners, making the average treatment time around one year.
Invisalign involves wearing a series of clear aligners for about 6 to 15 months. You wear each set of aligners for one to two weeks, removing them only to eat, drink, and brush your teeth (and floss!). As you replace each aligner with the next in the series, your teeth will move little by little, week by week until they have straightened to the final position as prescribed by Dr. Fees digital smile design.
The iTero is a state-of-the-art digital impression system that is unparalleled in the dental industry. In essence, it is a tool that enables Dr. Fee and her team to easily scan your mouth without having to use unpleasant goopy impressions. And the results are simply amazing: Three-dimensional dental images with perfect clarity.
For patients who are candidates for Invisalign aligners, an accurate impression is essential for the highest-level treatment planning and orthodontic care. The accuracy and detail of the iTero scan versus a putty impression (which most dentists use) is comparable to a black and white television versus a 4k ultra-high definition television, i.e., there is no comparison. The iTero enables Dr. Fee, an Invisalign specialist, to provide the highest level of Invisalign care to all her patients.
Time lapse technology enables you to take past digital impressions from Delaware Dental Studios iTero digital intraoral scanner, then compare them on one screen with a current scan to view tooth movement, tooth wear, and gingiva changes in one three-dimensional image.
The iTero is also an integral part of Dr. Fees laser carved all porcelain crowns. To provide the ultimate porcelain crown result and patient experience, Dr. Fee uses the iTero to scan her Wilmington patients teeth and send directly to the laboratory. The use of the iTero, a piece of technology few dental offices have, coupled with Dr. Fees years of experience offers the patients of Delaware Dental Studio the highest-level of care available in Wilmington, Delaware.
Almost everyone is a great candidate for Invisalign clear aligners, it simply depends on what you want to fix. Invisalign is not always the best option for the most complicated cases. Sometimes more advanced orthodontic procedures are required for issues like large overbites, or in cases where the jaws need to be shifted. Invisalign can treat the following type of cases:
Invisalign is perfect for older teenagers and adults of all ages. Patients especially enjoy Invisalign because of its transparency. The simple fact is no one wants to be seen with braces and deal with the associated discomfort; indeed, transparent, clear aligners are desirable by all age groups.
The efficacy of Invisalign depends largely on your commitment to wearing your clear aligners. Your clear aligners should remain in your mouth for 22+ hours per day. It is not the end of the world if that threshold number of hours is missed from time to time, but it may mean you have to stay in your Invisalign clear aligners a bit longer. For optimal results, you need to be committed to your treatment.
No! According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one out of every two American adults aged 30 and over has periodontal disease. And according to the American Journal of Cardiology, people with gum disease are 24-35% more likely to suffer coronary artery disease. Often gum disease can be attributed to some type of malocclusion (i.e., misaligned teeth). Properly spaced teeth are easier to brush and floss.
Yes! Thats part of what makes Invisalign so great. You can easily take out your clear aligners at any time. Big date or job interview? No problem, just take them out, but be sure to wear them at least 22+ hours if you can for optimal results.
There are multiple factors that can influence the time it will take, such as the alignment of your teeth and smile goals. If you are a candidate for Invisalign, the typical time range is between 3 and 24 months.
Dr. Fee graduated from California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo with a Bachelors of Science in Nutrition Science (cum laude). After spending a year working as a nutritionist, she matriculated to University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine earning her Doctorate of Dental Surgery in 2012.
Dr. Fee has extensive dental experience and has cared for thousands of patients. After graduating dental school, Dr. Fee spent three years as the lead dentist at a large emergency dental care clinic in Columbus, Ohio. As one of the top urgent care dentists in the region, she earned multiple awards and had the opportunity to practice the full gamut of general dentistry. She continued as the lead dentist for almost four years at a large group practice in Delaware County where she further expanded her technical skills as one of the highest performing dentists in the group.
In July 2018, Dr. Fee opened Delaware Dental Studio. Dr. Fee and her family have been living in Wilmington, Delaware since 2014. She loves spending time with her daughter and husband, cooking amazing meals for her family, practicing yoga, and spending time with friends.