Invisalign straightens teeth with a series of clear plastic aligners instead of fixed metal braces. You take them out to eat and to clean your teeth, and most people you meet will not notice you are wearing them. It is not right for every case, and this page is honest about which.
We are at 115 Christopher Columbus Drive, Suite 200, two minutes from the Grove Street PATH. To find out whether it suits your teeth, call 201-425-8600 or request an appointment.
How it works
We take a digital scan of your teeth and plan the whole movement on screen, from where the teeth are now to where they should finish. That plan is turned into a set of aligners, each one slightly different from the last. You wear each for about a week, and every change nudges the teeth a fraction further.
You will usually also need attachments: small tooth-coloured bumps bonded to some teeth, which give the aligner something to push against. They come off at the end. Nobody tells you about these in the adverts, and they are the main reason aligners are less invisible than people expect, though they are still far less obvious than braces.
The part that decides whether it works
Aligners only move teeth while they are in your mouth. The instruction is 20 to 22 hours a day, which in practice means everything except meals and brushing.
This is the whole ballgame. Braces work because you cannot take them off. Aligners hand that responsibility to you, and the treatment fails slowly and expensively if you do not keep to it. If you are honest with yourself and think you will not wear them, say so at the consultation. Braces are not a punishment, and for some people they are simply the better tool.
Two practical things people find out late: you must take them out for anything other than plain water, including coffee and tea, so grazing all day becomes difficult. And you should brush before putting them back in, or you seal sugar against your teeth for hours.
How long it takes
For mild to moderate crowding or spacing, commonly six to eighteen months. Minor front-tooth corrections can be quicker. Complicated bite problems take longer or are better treated another way.
Expect a check-in every six to ten weeks, which is a short appointment. Near the end, many cases need refinements — a fresh scan and a small extra set of aligners to finish teeth that have not moved quite as planned. This is normal rather than a sign anything went wrong, and it is worth asking any practice whether their quote includes refinements. Ours does.
When Invisalign is the right answer, and when it is not
It usually works well for
- Crowded teeth, where they overlap and twist
- Gaps and spacing
- Mild to moderate overbite or underbite
- Teeth that have drifted back after braces years ago
- Straightening front teeth before veneers or crowns, so less tooth has to be cut away
Braces may be the better tool for
- Severe crowding that needs teeth removed to make room
- Large bite discrepancies, or jaw problems that need surgery as well
- Moving teeth a long way vertically, or rotating round teeth like premolars
- Children and teenagers whose jaws are still growing, in some cases
If your case is one of the second group, we will tell you, and we will tell you why rather than just selling you the thing we have.
A word about mail-order aligners
Aligners you order online, take your own impressions for, and receive with no dentist ever looking in your mouth are a different product from what is described here, whatever the price comparison suggests.
The problem is not the plastic. It is that nobody examines you first. Moving teeth that sit in gum disease loosens them. Moving teeth with untreated decay under them builds a problem in behind a straight smile. And when something goes wrong halfway through, there is no one to sit down with. We have seen the tidy-up work. It costs more than doing it properly in the first place.
What it costs
Price depends on how far the teeth have to travel, which decides how many aligners you need. A short front-tooth correction and a full-arch case are different treatments at different prices. A quote should cover the scan and planning, all the aligners, your check-up appointments, refinements, and your first set of retainers. Ask whether all of those are included, because they are not always.
We give you the full figure in writing before you start.
Insurance
Orthodontic cover works differently from the rest of your dental plan. Where it exists it is usually a separate lifetime maximum — a fixed sum, often between one and three thousand dollars, that you can claim once and never again. It does not reset each year like your normal maximum.
Some adult plans exclude orthodontics entirely. We will check yours and tell you exactly what it will pay before you commit. See the insurance and payment page for the plans we take. We do not accept Medicaid, plans through the state, or DHMO and DMO plans.
Retainers, and why this matters more than people think
Teeth do not stay where you put them. They drift back towards where they started, and they will keep trying to for the rest of your life. This is not a flaw in Invisalign; it is true after braces too.
So the end of treatment is not the end. You will need a retainer, worn every night at first and then a few nights a week indefinitely. People who stop wearing them are the people who end up paying for a second course of treatment a decade later. We would rather you heard this before you start than after.
Before we move anything
Teeth get moved through bone and gum, so both have to be healthy first. If you have untreated decay or gum disease, that is dealt with before aligners begin, not alongside. It is occasionally frustrating for people who came in wanting to start immediately, and it is not negotiable, because moving teeth through inflamed gum causes damage that is hard to undo.
Who does the work
Dr. Singal earned her Doctorate in Dental Surgery at the New York University College of Dentistry and plans and runs the treatment herself, so the person who told you what would happen is the person you see at every appointment. More about the practice.
We see patients from across downtown Jersey City, including Grove Street, Exchange Place, Newport and Hamilton Park. If a tooth is broken or painful rather than crooked, start with emergency care instead.
How much does Invisalign cost in Jersey City?
It depends on how far your teeth have to move, because that decides how many aligners you need. A short front-tooth correction costs considerably less than a full-arch case. Ask any practice whether the quote includes the scan, refinements and your first retainers, as those are often extra. We give you the complete figure in writing before you start.
How long will I have to wear aligners?
Commonly six to eighteen months for mild to moderate crowding or spacing. Minor corrections can be quicker and complex bites take longer. You wear each aligner about a week and come in for a short check every six to ten weeks.
Do I really have to wear them 22 hours a day?
Yes, and this is the single thing that decides whether treatment works. Aligners only move teeth while they are in. Twenty to twenty-two hours means everything except eating and cleaning your teeth. If you do not think you will keep to that, fixed braces may genuinely suit you better.
Will people notice I am wearing them?
Much less than braces, but they are not literally invisible. Most cases need small tooth-coloured attachments bonded to some teeth for the aligner to grip, and those are visible close up. They are removed at the end of treatment.
Does Invisalign hurt?
There is pressure and tenderness for a day or two each time you change to a new aligner, which is the feeling of the teeth being moved. Most people manage with ordinary painkillers, and it settles as treatment goes on.
Can I eat and drink with them in?
Only plain water. Everything else comes out first, including coffee and tea, which stain the plastic and can drive heat against your teeth. Brush before putting them back in, otherwise you seal sugar against the enamel for hours.
Will my insurance cover Invisalign?
Sometimes, but orthodontic cover works differently. It is usually a separate lifetime maximum, often one to three thousand dollars, claimable once rather than resetting each year. Some adult plans exclude orthodontics altogether. We check your plan and tell you what it will pay before you commit.
What happens when treatment finishes?
You move on to retainers, worn nightly at first and then a few nights a week for good. Teeth drift back towards their old positions for the rest of your life, so retainers are permanent maintenance rather than an optional extra. People who stop wearing them often pay for a second course years later.
Are mail-order aligners not cheaper?
They are, but nobody examines your mouth first. Moving teeth that sit in untreated gum disease can loosen them, and decay under a moving tooth goes unnoticed. There is also nobody to see if something goes wrong midway. Correcting the results usually costs more than treating properly at the outset.