The Benefits of Straighter Teeth

If you’re thinking of having your teeth straightened, you’re probably thinking about the cosmetic benefits. About a million adults in the U.S. wear braces, most of them because they want the look of perfectly straight teeth. Would it surprise you to learn that the benefits of straighter teeth go far beyond the way you look? Read on to learn more.

• Straight teeth are easier to clean. When your teeth are crooked or crowded, it can be hard to thoroughly clean them, getting between every space and crevice. This can lead to cavities, periodontal disease, and other oral health issues.
• Because they help you keep your mouth healthier, straight teeth are better for the overall health of your body. Cleaning your teeth removes bacteria, preventing infections from spreading throughout your body. Unhealthy mouths have been linked with a variety of health conditions like diabetes, heart disease, respiratory problems, and dementia.
• Straight teeth help your digestion. This is obvious if you think about it, because chewing is the first step of the digestion process. When you’re better able to chew your food, the rest of your digestive system doesn’t have to work as hard.
• You’ll speak more clearly with straighter teeth.Teeth that are crowded, gapped or protruding teeth can negatively impact your speech patterns. Lisps and other speech impediments are more likely with crooked teeth. When your teeth are straight, your speech will be clearer, boosting your self-confidence.
• Straight teeth last longer. They’re less likely to break, crack, or decay and fall out. When your teeth are straight, there’s less wear and tear placed on your teeth, gums, and jaw when you bite and chew. Improper alignment can prematurely wear teeth down, causing chipping and notching at the gum line, fractures in the teeth, and abnormal flattening of the biting surface.
• Neck, head, and jaw pain can be reduced when teeth are straightened. Crooked teeth can contribute to jaw misalignment, straining the joints of the jaw and leading to temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders, which can cause ear problems, dizziness, and chronic neck, face, and head pain.
• You’ll sleep better if your teeth are straighter. Crooked teeth can contribute to problems like sleep apnea and tooth grinding.
• Straight teeth can make you feel more confident. When your teeth are crooked or misaligned, it can make you feel insecure or unattractive. Havin them straightened can improve your self-esteem, which improves your mental and physical health. You’ll be less likely to feel depressed or anxious, and more likely to feel confident and sure of yourself.

At Park 56 Dental Group, we offer pediatric, prosthodontics, endodontics, oral surgery, Invisalign®, emergency, and sedation dentistry, all at the highest level of treatment. We serve the Midtown, Central Park, Upper East Side, Park Avenue, and all surrounding Manhattan and New York areas, with a patient-centered practice that has hours to fit your schedule. Schedule your complimentary consultation today by contacting us online or calling us at (212) 826-2322.

How to Care for Your Invisalign Aligners

One of the most significant benefits of Invisalign is that you can remove it to eat and drink. Unlike metal braces, this means there are no dietary restrictions, so you can eat whatever you want while straightening your smile with nearly invisible plastic aligners! Still, keeping the aligners clean is an important part of your treatment plan. With proper care, you’ll keep your Invisalign clear, odorless, and free of bacteria buildup. Here’s what you need to know.

Rinse Your Aligners Whenever You Take Them Out

Rinsing your aligners helps remove saliva, bacteria, and plaque before putting them in their storage case. This is an important step even if you’re not at home, so be sure to locate a drinking foundation or bathroom sink before removing your Invisalign.

Remember, you should take out your aligners to eat and drink anything other than water. Otherwise, the clear plastic is liable to stain. Still, you should wear your aligners for at least 22 hours a day to ensure your treatment stays on schedule, so refrain from snacking too often.

Clean Your Invisalign Morning and Night

When brushing your teeth before bed and after waking up each morning, clean your Invisalign as well. This involves brushing the aligners with a soft toothbrush (different from the one you use on your teeth) with clear, anti-bacterial liquid soap. It may seem counterintuitive, but you should not use toothpaste to brush Invisalign aligners. Doing so could cloud the plastic and make it appear more visible in your mouth.

Invisalign care also involves soaking the aligners in a cup of manufacturer-provided cleaning crystals dissolved in lukewarm water. Soak for 15 minutes once a day to keep your aligners sanitized and odor-free.

Brush After Eating

Proper Invisalign care isn’t just about cleaning the aligners—it’s also about having good oral hygiene. In addition to brushing and flossing each morning and night, Invisalign wearers should make a habit of brushing after each meal or snack before putting the aligners back in. This prevents trapping food particles against your teeth, which could lead to cavities and staining. If brushing isn’t an option, rinse your mouth out thoroughly with water.

Store Your Invisalign Aligners in a Dedicated Case

Whenever you remove your aligners, put them in their case immediately. Otherwise, you risk damaging, losing, or accidentally throwing away your Invisalign. This tip applies even when you’re out and about, so it’s helpful to have two cases—one for at home and one for on-the-go.

Remember to keep your Invisalign case clean as well. Once a week, brush the case with the same toothbrush and soap you use with your aligners. Let the case air dry before closing it again.

If you have more questions about caring for Invisalign, or you’re ready to straighten your smile using this cutting-edge technology, please contact Park 56 Dental at (212) 826-2322. We offer a complimentary consultation with our knowledgeable dentist so you can find the answers you seek before moving forward with your Invisalign treatment.

The Dos and Don’ts of Wearing Invisalign

Have you chosen Invisalign over traditional braces to straighten your teeth? As a fast, effective, virtually invisible way to get the smile of your dreams, Invisalign is popular among teens and adults alike. Just be aware that this tooth-straightening method has specific care requirements. Here are the basic dos and don’ts of wearing Invisalign to ensure the best results from your investment.

• Do soak and brush your trays daily: Start off each morning by soaking your aligners in denture cleaner or Invisalign cleaning crystals. Then, remove residue by brushing the aligners using a separate toothbrush from the one you use to brush your teeth. Rinse the trays and slip them back into your mouth. Do this again every night before bed.
• Do remove the trays to eat and drink: Apart from water, you should not eat or drink anything while wearing your Invisalign. Food and beverages can stain the clear plastic aligners and encourage particles to become stuck between your teeth.
• Do brush and floss after eating: When you finish a meal or snack, brush and floss to remove particles before putting your Invisalign back in. If you can’t do this while away from home, at least rinse your mouth out or chew sugarless gum for a few minutes.
• Do wear your Invisalign 20 to 22 hours a day: If you’re not eating or drinking, you should be wearing your aligners, including while you sleep. Failing to follow this schedule could delay your treatment.
• Don’t snack excessively: Are you accustomed to snacking or drinking soda and coffee throughout the day? You may need to reassess these habits. Every time you remove the trays to eat and drink, you must clean your mouth to prevent cavities and staining. Your oral health—not to mention your waistline—will thank you for cutting down on snacks and drinks between meals during Invisalign treatment.
• Don’t leave your trays lying around: To prevent losing or damaging your aligners, store them in their carrying case whenever you remove them from your mouth. This also protects against bacteria buildup. Help the case stay clean by rinsing your trays before putting them inside.
• Don’t leave town without your next set of aligners: Invisalign treatment involves swapping out the trays every few weeks. If you’re going on vacation, make sure you bring the next set with you to avoid delaying the results.
• Don’t smoke: Tobacco will quickly discolor your clear aligners, not to mention stain your teeth and cause numerous other oral health problems. If you are currently a smoker, consider quitting before you begin Invisalign treatment. Your overall health will improve if you do.

Park 56 Dental is a certified Invisalign provider in NYC. We can help you plan your smile transformation from the comfort of our spa-like office. Here, you’ll receive exceptional care during convenient hours that fit your schedule. To learn more about Invisalign, please contact us online or call (212) 826-2322 and schedule a complimentary consultation today.

Traditional Braces vs. Invisalign

Are you looking to improve your smile with straighter teeth? You have two primary options—traditional braces and Invisalign. Compare these teeth-straightening methods to help you decide which one is the best choice for you or your child.

Traditional Braces

When most people think of braces, they picture the metal brackets and wires of traditional braces. These are glued to your teeth and cannot be removed. Here’s what to expect from this option:

• Aesthetics: While they never fully disappear, traditional braces are available with enamel-colored components to make them less noticeable. Teens may also enjoy making a statement with brightly colored brackets and wires.
• Treatment time: The average patient needs braces for two years, though this varies greatly depending on the individual’s needs.
• Cleaning: Brushing and flossing with braces is more difficult and time-consuming, leading to an increased risk of discoloration and cavities.
• Comfort: Brackets and wires are notorious for causing lip and tongue sores.
• Effectiveness: Traditional braces are often the best choice for complex issues, such as correcting back bite issues, rotating canines or premolars, and moving teeth vertically.
• Lifestyle: Patients who wear traditional braces must follow certain dietary limitations to avoid damaging the brackets and wires with sticky, chewy, or hard food. Traditional braces are also not ideal for anyone who plays rough contact sports.

Invisalign

The premise behind Invisalign is to provide a more discrete teeth-straightening option. The dentist uses an impression of your mouth to produce BPA-free plastic aligners, which you wear for two weeks before moving to the next set. Here are some qualities of Invisalign to consider:

• Aesthetics: Invisalign aligners are virtually invisible. Unless you tell people, it’s unlikely anyone will notice you’re wearing them.
• Treatment time: The average patient completes Invisalign treatment in six to 18 months, depending on their needs. To maintain your treatment schedule, be sure to wear your aligners for 22+ hours per day, only removing them to eat or drink anything other than water.
• Cleaning: The aligners must be brushed and rinsed daily to avoid harboring germs. While this adds an extra step to your oral care routine, the ability to brush and floss your teeth like usual is a huge benefit.
• Comfort: Invisalign has a smooth surface that feels comfortable on your cheeks, tongue, and gums.
• Effectiveness: Standard Invisalign is best for treating relatively simple issues, such as overcrowding and bite problems. However, with the addition of clear buttons, it’s possible to achieve more complex corrections.
• Lifestyle: Because you remove the aligners before eating, you don’t have to give up your favorite foods. Of course, this requires extra care to avoid losing your aligners. We also recommend brushing your teeth after every meal to prevent staining the plastic.

To learn more about traditional braces vs. Invisalign, please call Park 56 Dental at (212) 826-2322 or contact us online. We proudly offer Invisalign in NYC, the modern way to straighten your teeth and improve your smile.

Invisalign During COVID Times

Are you working toward a straighter, more beautiful smile with Invisalign? Perhaps you’re interested in pursuing this wire-free tooth-straightening method, but you’re not sure where to start. After all, the COVID-19 pandemic has altered dental practices and left many patients wondering what procedures are even available at this time.

Rest assured that Park 56 Dental in NYC is open for business! We’ve made a few changes to ensure your safety and comfort while visiting our office. For instance, we provide a pre-visit health screening and contactless temperature check for all visitors and team members. We also offer masks and hand sanitizer upon request, and we maintain social distancing with staggered check-ins and zero wait times.

Whether you’re interested in starting Invisalign or continuing your existing treatment during COVID times, we can meet your needs. Here’s what you need to know.

Beginning Invisalign Treatment

With the safety protocols in place at our New York City dentist office, now is a good time to begin Invisalign treatment. Visit our office for digital X-rays and a scan of your mouth. Thanks to advanced computer technology and your dentist’s expertise, you’ll receive a roadmap of your path to a straighter smile before leaving the office.

Once the plan is finalized, custom aligners are made to fit your existing smile, along with 18 to 30 additional sets of aligners designed to gradually shift your teeth to the desired position over the next nine to 15 months or so. Pick up your aligners from us, and start wearing them to begin seeing a difference within a matter of weeks.

Continuing Your Invisalign Treatment

If you already have Invisalign aligners from before the pandemic, continue to wear them as usual. You should experience no delays in your treatment if you follow these tips:

• Wear your aligners for at least 20 to 22 hours per day.
• If you lose an aligner, move on to the next one.
• If you have any issues with loose or poorly fitting aligners, give us a call.

With today’s heightened focus on hygiene and avoiding illness, you should be extra diligent about keeping your Invisalign aligners clean during COVID times. Here’s how:

• Wash your hands before putting in or taking out your Invisalign.
• Rinse your aligners whenever you remove them, and clean them thoroughly morning and night.
• Never eat or drink anything except water when wearing your aligners.
• Store your aligners in a protective case anytime you take them out.
• Brush or floss before putting your Invisalign back in.

The skilled dentists at Park 56 Dental are ready to help transform your smile with Invisalign. If you’re still working from home during these COVID times, you’re sure to make an impression when you return to work a few months from now with straight, gorgeous teeth!

Want to learn more about the Invisalign process? Ready to schedule a consultation at our New York City dentist office? Call us at (212) 826-2322 or contact us online today.

Why our Teeth Shift or Become Crooked

Have you noticed a shift in your bite? You might think that your teeth are firmly attached, but it’s actually very common for them to shift, becoming crooked or misaligned. What causes teeth to move around in your head? And what should you do about it?

• Sometimes baby teeth become crooked. It doesn’t necessarily mean the permanent teeth will be crooked, but in some situations it does. Baby teeth may just be crooked because they’re too small for the available gum space. If a child sucks a thumb or pacifier for too long, the baby teeth may become crooked, and if there is trauma to the mouth or tooth decay that causes a baby tooth to fall out prematurely, the permanent teeth may grow in crooked. If the baby teeth are crowded, the permanent teeth probably will be too. Genetics and heredity play a role, and poor dental habits and poor nutrition are sometimes the problem.
• Your jaw size may be to blame. Some scientists believe that our teeth often become overcrowded because our jaws have evolved to be smaller than they used to be. Interestingly, the lower jaw grows forward continually, throughout a person’s lifetime. This can cause the lower front teeth to bump into the upper front teeth, which either makes the top teeth spread out or the bottom teeth become crowded. On the other hand, the width of your lower jaw diminishes over the years, which also contributes to crowding of the lower teeth.
• Teeth can lose enamel and change shape. Whether it’s because of an injury or acid erosion, sometimes enamel is lost from your teeth, changing their shape. This can cause them to move out of alignment. Grinding the teeth, a condition called bruxism, can change the shape of the teeth as well.
• As you age, your teeth may shift. Aging causes bones, ligaments, and muscles to grow weaker. What’s more, the constant pressure of moving against each other can wear teeth down, causing them to shift and crowd.

Sometimes, there’s no reason to do anything about teeth that have shifted. Your quirky, crooked smile may just be part of who you are, and there’s nothing wrong with that. There are some factors, though, that would make it a good idea to move your teeth back where they belong. If it’s hard to chew, to speak, or to keep your teeth clean, or your crooked teeth are diminishing your confidence, there are many options available for straightening them.

At Park 56 Dental Group, we provide personalized, quality dental care in a spa-like environment. We offer pediatric, prosthodontics, endodontics, oral surgery, Invisalign®, emergency, and sedation dentistry, all at the highest level of treatment. We serve the Midtown, Central Park, Upper East Side, Park Avenue, and all surrounding Manhattan and New York areas, in a patient-centered practice with hours to fit your schedule. Schedule your complimentary consultation today by contacting us online or calling us at (212) 826-2322.

The Stages of Invisalign Treatment

Do you want straighter teeth without having a mouth full of brackets and wires? Invisalign could be right for you! This innovative technology gives you the smile you have always wanted in a discreet, comfortable way. Three simple steps are all that’s standing between you and the smile of your dreams.

Step 1: Plan Your Invisalign Treatment

Whether you have mildly crooked teeth or a severe bite problem, Invisalign may be an option for you. The first step is to visit a dentist for digital x-rays and a scan of your mouth. Powerful technology and your dentist’s expertise combine to create a digital roadmap of your path to a straighter smile.

Once your plans are finalized, you can sit down with your dentist and view your virtual treatment plan. You’ll see exactly what your bite looks like now and how it will gradually shift, with each successive aligner, until your smile is flawless. Most patients agree to a treatment plan lasting nine to 15 months.

Step 2: Wear Your Aligners

Invisalign aligners are made using an advanced printing process that ensures a comfortable, streamlined fit. Once they’re ready, you’ll need to schedule a time to pick them up at the dentist’s office. You’ll try them on, have any questions answered, and receive specific instructions for wearing your aligners.

Rest assured that Invisalign fits your life—it doesn’t interrupt it. You can keep eating all your favorite foods, play the sports you love, and brush and floss without pesky brackets and wires getting in the way. The removable aligners are easy to clean, and with proper care, they don’t increase your risk of tooth decay.

Most patients wear each pair of aligners for two weeks before moving onto the next set. For your Invisalign treatment to stay on track, you must wear your aligners for at least 22 hours a day. This leaves time to remove them for eating, but you should wear them at all other times.

To make sure your teeth are progressing the way they should, you should schedule periodic checkups with your dentist. This is also when you receive your next batch of aligners.

Step 3: Wear a Retainer

While your aligners are a crucial step for straightening your smile, a retainer is what makes the results last a lifetime. Vivera retainers are made with the same advanced technology as Invisalign, meaning they are custom to your mouth and less likely to crack than other clear retainers. You may only need to wear your Vivera retainers at night, so you can continue smiling with complete confidence during the day.

Park 56 Dental is a certified Invisalign provider in NYC. We can help you plan your smile transformation in our spa-like office, where you’ll receive patient-centered care during hours that fit your schedule. To learn more about Invisalign, please contact us online or call (212) 826-2322 and schedule a complimentary consultation. We serve Midtown, Central Park, Upper East Side, Park Avenue, and the surrounding Manhattan and NYC areas.

Invisalign: Know Before you Go

If you’re thinking about getting Invisalign, you probably already know it’s a pretty amazing dental advancement. That being said, you probably also have some questions that you’d like answered before you commit. Here, we hope to answer your questions, and maybe some questions you hadn’t even thought to ask.

As you probably already know, Invisalign is a method of straightening teeth using nearly invisible aligners, made from impressions taken of your teeth. These impressions are scanned, and these digital scans are used to create a digital model that will tell your dentist how long your treatment should last and how your final results will look. Your dentist can modify the plan, based on your, and some dentists discuss the plan with their patients before modifying it so that the patient’s expectations and preferences can be considered.