Invisalign aligners have the benefit of being one of the sleekest, most convenient methods of straightening your teeth. However, just like any orthodontic appliance, some people aren’t a fan of wearing them.
If one arch of your teeth is straighter than the others, you may wonder whether you can wear Invisalign aligners on just one arch of your teeth. Here’s what you should know about whether that could be an option for you.
Can I Get Invisalign On Just One Arch?
While it’s fairly uncommon, it’s certainly possible for you to only need dental implants on one arch. The difficulty comes from whether straightening one arch of your teeth could potentially cause problems for the overall alignment of your smile.
When Getting Just One Aligner Can Be A Problem
As was mentioned, the problem with using just one aligner is that straightening one arch without touching the other can cause problems with your overall bite coming out of alignment. This is because straightening crooked teeth causes them to move forward, and gapped teeth to be moved back.
If you straighten just your top teeth, for example, you might develop an overbite if they were crooked or an underbite if they are gapped. If you’re dealing with serious misalignment of any kind, your dentist isn’t likely to recommend that you wear just one aligner.
Situations Where You Can Use Just One Invisalign Aligner
In general, this is only done when you need to correct minor misalignment, for example:
- The teeth in your smile zone
- Relapse after previous orthodontic therapy
- Slightly crooked front teeth
- A tooth tipped out of alignment
- Minor spacing or gaps
Fixing these issues is unlikely to change the overall position of the teeth, which means that you don’t have to worry all that much about developing a bite issue.
About the Author
Ever since Dr. Bradley Buchwald saw firsthand as a teenager what orthodontics can do for patients, he wanted to make that kind of difference in other people’s lives. He feels enormously privileged to be able to do that for every day. Dr. Buchwald received his degree from the Nova Southeastern University College of Dental Medicine and completed his three-year orthodontic residency at the Texas A&M University Baylor College of Dentistry in Dallas.
If you have any questions about Invisalign, we can be reached at our website or by phone at (972) 377-5940.