Teeth and bite · Suitability · Daily responsibility
Clear aligners use a prescribed series of removable appliances to move teeth, but they are not appropriate for every tooth movement or bite. Start with an examination of your oral health, teeth, bite, goals, reasonable options, limits, daily responsibilities, retention needs, care roles, and expected fees.
For current pain, swelling, injury, or worsening symptoms: Call (403) 313-3000 during clinic hours for current urgent availability. Do not wait for a planned clear-aligner request response.
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Before you request
Four points shape the discussion before any treatment is planned:
Dental at the Bow offers Invisalign assessments. Call (403) 313-3000 or request an appointment to ask whether it suits your situation.
The Canadian Association of Orthodontists explains that clear aligners can address some orthodontic problems, but not all. The teeth, bite, jaws, oral health, goals, and movements being considered need individual assessment.
Aligners work only when they are used according to the prescribed plan. Wear, removal, cleaning, storage, aligner changes, and follow-up instructions need to be followed for the individual case.
Teeth can move after active orthodontic treatment. Before proceeding, ask what retention may be needed, who oversees it, what it costs, and what to do if a retainer is lost, damaged, or stops fitting.
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Reasons people request care
You may want to discuss crowding, spacing, a tooth that sits out of line, how the upper and lower teeth meet, a change noticed over time, or the appearance of the teeth. These concerns do not all have the same cause, significance, or treatment path.
An assessment may support clear aligners, another orthodontic approach, treatment of an oral-health concern first, restorative or cosmetic discussion, referral, monitoring, or no treatment. Asking about Invisalign does not mean that clear aligners are required or suitable.
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What is reviewed
Dr. Wu reviews the concern and goals, relevant health and dental history, teeth, gums, existing dental work, tooth position, and how the upper and lower teeth meet. Records may be recommended when they are clinically useful. The findings guide which options, limits, and care roles should be discussed.
Active decay, gum inflammation or disease, unexplained pain, loose teeth, or another oral-health concern may need assessment or care before elective tooth movement is considered.
Crowding, spacing, rotations, missing teeth, existing restorations, and the way the teeth meet can affect whether clear aligners, another appliance, combined care, or referral is more appropriate.
Some bite concerns involve more than the position of individual teeth. Age, growth, jaw relationships, and the movements required may change the available options. This page makes no age or case-scope promise for Dental at the Bow.
The assessment may require photographs, models, impressions, digital records, or X-rays when clinically useful.
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Confirm before proceeding
The steps below are general. The clinic confirms the proposed plan and care roles after assessment.
Review which teeth and bite relationships are being considered, what the treatment is intended to change, what may remain unchanged, and which functional or appearance goals matter to you.
Address active tooth or gum concerns and obtain the records needed to assess the bite and plan possible tooth movement. Ask why each record is recommended and how it will be used.
Ask why clear aligners are being considered, which movements may be difficult or unsuitable, whether another appliance or referral is reasonable, and what choosing no treatment would mean.
Ask who plans and monitors treatment, which aligner system is proposed, how wear and changes are prescribed, and whether attachments, elastics, enamel adjustment, other dental care, or referral may be needed. This page does not state that Dental at the Bow uses any particular tool, technique, or auxiliary.
Ask how progress and aligner fit will be checked, what could change the plan, how active treatment is considered complete, which retention approach may follow, and what is included in the estimate.
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Daily responsibilities
Clear aligners can be taken out, but removal does not make the treatment self-directed. Follow the individual instructions for wear, aligner changes, meals and drinks, cleaning, storage, oral hygiene, and follow-up. Do not advance, alter, replace, or stop an aligner sequence based only on general website information.
The provider determines how long each aligner is worn and when to move to the next one. No daily wear time or change interval is published for Dental at the Bow.
Follow the approved brushing, cleaning-between-teeth, aligner-cleaning, removal, and storage instructions. Contact the provider if cleaning is difficult or the gums, teeth, or mouth change during treatment.
Professional review helps assess oral health, aligner fit, tooth movement, and the bite. The plan may need to change if teeth do not move as expected, an appliance stops fitting, oral health changes, or another concern develops.
Contact the treating provider about a lost, cracked, warped, sharp, or poorly fitting aligner, persistent irritation, unexpected tooth movement, or pain that is not improving. For current swelling, injury, severe or worsening pain, or another urgent concern, call the clinic during clinic hours for current urgent availability.
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A comparison, not a default
The findings decide which of these deserves discussion.
Some tooth movements or bite corrections may be more appropriately managed with braces, another appliance, a combined approach, or referral. The Canadian Association of Orthodontists notes that clear aligners can treat some orthodontic problems, but not all.
Decay, gum concerns, damaged teeth, missing teeth, or existing dental work may affect the sequence. Treating or stabilising another concern may need to come before orthodontic movement.
Whitening or veneers change different features than orthodontic tooth movement. They should not be presented as interchangeable shortcuts. Compare what each option changes, what it does not change, and what preparation or maintenance it requires.
If the concern is mild, stable, or mainly visual, choosing to monitor it or not proceed may be reasonable. An alignment goal does not automatically require treatment.
Digital planning or simulation may help explain a proposed direction when available, but it cannot guarantee the movement, timing, bite, appearance, or final outcome.
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After active treatment
Teeth can shift after orthodontic treatment. The Canadian Association of Orthodontists advises that retention is important for holding the result and that retainers should be worn as instructed. The suitable retainer type, wear instructions, monitoring, replacement policy, and fee depend on the individual plan.
Review whether a fixed, removable, or combined approach may be considered, who provides and monitors it, and what is included in the estimate. This page confirms no retainer type or brand for Dental at the Bow.
Retention is effective only when the prescribed appliance is used and maintained as directed. Ask how to clean and store it and which changes should prompt contact.
A retainer that is lost, damaged, warped, painful, or no longer fits needs professional advice. Do not force an appliance or rely on a general website schedule.
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Cosmetic Dentistry covers the broader discussion of appearance goals, oral health, realistic options, and limits.
Cosmetic Dentistry09
Insurance and fees
Invisalign is offered at the clinic. Fees depend on the examination findings, the care recommended, and the treatment you choose. Assessment, records, case complexity, appliances, monitoring, additional dental care, lost or replacement appliances, changes to the plan, retention, and referred care may affect the estimate. Ask which provider and stage each estimate covers and whether additional aligners, replacement aligners, and retainers are included. No price, payment plan, financing claim, free consultation, or offer is published.
Orthodontic coverage may be separate from other dental benefits. Your plan determines eligibility, coverage, age limits, maximums, exclusions, predetermination requirements, reimbursement, and whether the insurer pays the clinic directly. We can help submit eligible claims or estimates. You are responsible for any amount not paid by your plan.
How Insurance and Fees Work
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Who provides the care
Dr. Michael Wu is a general dentist. This page does not call Dr. Wu an orthodontist, Invisalign expert, or certified provider. If your case requires care outside the clinic's scope, the team will explain the referral and how the stages connect.
Questions
If your question is not answered here, call the clinic and the team will answer it.
Invisalign is offered at the clinic. Ask who provides each stage, which records and tools are used, how treatment is planned and monitored, what retention approach applies, and what the estimate includes.
No. Clear aligners can address some orthodontic problems, but not all. The teeth, gums, bite, jaws, goals, movements required, existing dental work, and ability to follow the plan affect which options deserve consideration.
Records are selected when they are clinically useful for examination, diagnosis, and planning. Ask which records are recommended and why.
The treating provider prescribes wear for the individual plan. No daily wear time, removal schedule, or aligner-change interval is published for Dental at the Bow. Follow the instructions supplied for your care.
Clear aligners are removable, but removal and reinsertion need to follow the prescribed instructions. Ask how to manage meals, drinks, brushing, cleaning between the teeth, aligner cleaning, and storage for the proposed appliance.
No duration is promised. The concern, bite, movements required, oral health, treatment approach, appliance wear, monitoring findings, changes to the plan, and retention needs can affect the sequence and timing.
Related care
The broader discussion of appearance goals, oral health, realistic options, and limits.
View02Comparing tooth movement with a permanent tooth-surface restoration.
View03Estimates, claims, orthodontic-plan questions, limits, and direct-payment information.
ViewRequest an Invisalign assessment to review your goals, oral health, teeth, bite, clinically useful records, clear-aligner suitability, alternatives, prescribed wear, monitoring, retention, care roles, and expected fees. The clinic will contact you to confirm the appointment type, scheduling, and applicable operating details. Submitting a request does not reserve an appointment, confirm candidacy, or promise treatment or a result. For current pain, swelling, injury, or worsening symptoms, call (403) 313-3000 during clinic hours for current urgent availability.
