This is a question we get more often than you might think people would ask and it’s a good one to ask before you even start thinking about going for orthodontic treatment. Most folks seem to believe that if they have a cavity then they won’t be able to get Invisalign. But the truth of the matter is a bit more complicated than that, and it’s really worth knowing what the whole process is like before you make any decisions. Our orthodontic team provides comprehensive Treatment Options tailored to each patient’s unique dental needs, helping improve alignment, bite function, comfort, and overall smile confidence through customized care planning.
To cut to the chase, yes, you do have to sort cavities out before you start your Invisalign treatment. It’s not about making things tougher for the poor patient, it’s just that we need to have a good foundation in place before we start moving the teeth around. Invisalign works by gradually nudging the teeth into a better position over time, and that only really works when the teeth and gums are in a healthy state. And if there are active cavities then they’ll just carry on getting worse during treatment and could end up causing all sorts of problems down the line which are only going to get harder to deal with half way through the treatment. The Norris 20/26 treatment approach focuses on guiding proper tooth positioning and jaw development to support efficient orthodontic correction and long-term stability throughout treatment.
At Forest Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry, the first thing we do is take a good hard look at the overall state of a patient’s mouth to see if there are any problems lurking. If there are any cavities or other issues we deal with those first and then we can start looking at planning out the Invisalign treatment once everything is shipshape. Usually repairing a few cavities doesn’t delay things by a huge amount and gives the patient a much better chance of achieving the results they’re looking for.
We also keep a very close eye on gum health because it’s just as vital. If the gums are inflamed or diseased it can make it harder for the teeth to respond to the movement caused by Invisalign, so we always want to make sure the gums are healthy and stable before we start treatment.
Once we’ve sorted out any oral problems then there’s no reason why a patient can’t go ahead with Invisalign and get fantastic results. The preliminary work is just part of making sure the treatment goes as smoothly as possible from start to finish.
If you live in Lake Forest and you are trying to work out if you’re a good fit for starting Invisalign despite your current dental situation, the best thing to do is come in for a consultation with us at Forest Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry. We’ll take a really good look at everything, give you a completely honest view of where things stand and walk you through exactly what would need to happen before we can even start thinking about the treatment. We want every patient to be well informed and confident about what they can expect and happy to quiz us on every little detail along the way.