Can you recommend an Invisalign doc in SF/SJ?

April 11, 2009 9:41 AM

I'm thinking about getting Invisalign to help correct my bite.

I had braces as a teenager, but my teeth are shifting and now my bite is really off (I clench my teeth, which probably doesn't help). Can anyone recommend a good orthodontist who does Invisalign in either San Francisco or San Jose? Also, do you know if clenching my teeth in my sleep will be a problem with or damage the Invisalign trays?

posted by doubtful_guest to health & fitness (9 comments total)

I had Invisalign a couple years ago (in Seattle, sorry) and have a teeth-grinding issue when I sleep. I'd asked the orthodontist about, specifically in regards to using a night guard, and he said not to worry about it. And I found that the trays held up fine -- but I did get a little bit of tooth wear.

The retainer I had afterwards, however, did not withstand my tooth grinding and broke a little bit.
posted by Strang at 9:55 AM on April 11

Look up the best local dental school. Find out who teach orthodontics there, and if you already know invasalign is appropriate for your problem (it's not appropriate for all orthontic issues), find out who teaches invisalign specifically. Then look through the yellow pages for that person's private practice.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 11:07 AM on April 11

You might want to look for a dentist who specializes in TMJ disorders - your clenching and change in bite could be jaw-related. They could provide a night guard or other treatment that could help with both.
posted by LolaGeek at 12:05 PM on April 11

Be advised that Invisalign does absolutely nothing for aligning your top and bottom jaw to each other. It's fine for straightening teeth and spacing *on the same jaw.*

I finished Invisalign about a year ago (same as you: wore braces as a youngster and wanted to fix some shifting) and despite endless amounts of additional adjustments—13 months worth, longer than the primary phase—it actually messed up my formerly perfect bite and I ended up having to move onto different appliance to fix it.

I recommend having a good orthodontist propose the best appliance to adjust your bite rather than getting wedded to the idea of a specific appliance which will not meet all of your goals.
posted by jamaro at 5:49 PM on April 11

seconding jamaro: please have an orthodontist (NOT a dentist who also happens to offer Invisalign) to assess your bite issues first. I had braces a second time several years ago (in conjunction with jaw surgery) to fix my bite, and my ortho said Invisalign really only works with a specific range of issues, even though my dentist's office had already rather breezily assured me that Invisalign would be sufficient. It's entirely possible that Invisalign might indeed work for you, of course, but don't get your heart set on it ahead of time in case you need more conventional appliances. (Sorry I don't have any specific recs in your neck of the woods; I had a great orthodontist, but he's here in Los Angeles.)
posted by scody at 6:43 PM on April 11

Invisalign is okay pretty much only for crowding or crooked teeth. It has a terrible compliance rate too. You have to wear them *all* the time, except eating or brushing, and it's really easy to forget for a few hours... which over time can significantly increase the length of your treatment.

I was pretty bummed out I wasn't a candidate; I'd had braces as a teen too and really dreaded the self-consciousness at my age. If it winds up not being an option for you either, I recommend clear, self-ligating braces, or lingual braces.

Self-ligating means they don't have to wrap the traditional 'band' around each bracket. With normal clear braces, the bands eventually stain from food, and your teeth look dingy till your next appointment.

Lingual means behind the tooth, so your teeth magically straighten without anyone having to know. However, it requires a certain degree of training for the orthodontist, so if they don't have it, they'll trash-talk linguals and try to sell you something else.

I got lingual (iBraces) on top and clear self-ligating on bottom. It was a financial sacrifice but I am soo glad I did it. I'm also in LA, but you can search for Invisalign docs here, or iBraces docs here. I'd google/yelp/insiderpages/citysearch a few candidates for recs. Also Archwired is dedicated to adults in orthodontics, the forums can be a good resource.
posted by for_serious at 7:42 PM on April 11

Dr. Chen did alright by me. I had invisalign and got great results. It is a pain in the butt though and it took 2 years.
posted by chairface at 9:58 PM on April 11

for_serious woudln't the iBraces affect your speech?
posted by radioamy at 11:09 AM on April 12

radioamy, I had been apprehensive about that but it was no big deal. For about two weeks I had to practice saying the Rainbow Passage and enunciate a handful of words carefully... after that it was all good. My mom has a different brand of linguals (can't remember the name offhand) on her top teeth, and had no speech issues at all.
posted by for_serious at 3:11 PM on April 12