This happens when the gums in between your teeth have gone down a bit or receded. There are a lot of different reasons for gums to not fill all the way in between the teeth:
Bone loss
Thin gums
Shape of the teeth (triangular shaped teeth need more gums to fill in between)
There's really no problem with having these black triangles but patients don't like how they look and food might get trapped so they can cause a plaque trap. Sometimes, if teeth are very crowded and overlapping and you get them straightened with braces or Invisalign, black triangle spaces will appear that were not visible before. This means that there were some of the above problems but now you can see them.
Your orthodontist can fix these black triangles to some degree with some stripping of the teeth. It varies from patient to patient how much you can fix these. See Dr. Markova today so she can address your concerns.
One of the most common questions when it comes to starting Invisalign treatment is, “How will it affect my life?” There are several small lifestyle changes you will have to make when choosing Invisalign. For example, you may have to brush your teeth a couple more times a day, especially if you happen to be a “snacker” throughout a normal day. Unlike braces, the fantastic benefit with Invisalign is that you have no restrictions on what you eat every day since you are required to remove your trays to eat and drink. You may experience very minor soreness for the first day or two of each new tray which is normal and each person different, meaning you may experience no discomfort at all. Plus, with Invisalign there is no adjustment period or anytime to get used to any metal wires and brackets like you would with braces. The Invisalign trays are essentially invisible which makes continuing your normal day to day life unproblematic and able to do confidently.
There aren’t many negative things to say about Invisalign. The most important point to concentrate on is wearing your trays all the time, and all the time means the recommended 22 hours a day. The only way Invisalign works as it’s intended to is by wearing it. You take your aligners out to eat, brush, and floss and that’s primarily it. Eventually, after a week or two of habitually wearing your aligners like this it will become like second nature to you. The thing that gives you the reassurance of knowing that Invisalign will be worthwhile is the ability to view how your teeth will look at the end of your treatment virtually. You’re able to view alongside with Dr. Markova each stage of your treatment and where your teeth should be at each tray.
Choosing to straighten your teeth with Invisalign might just be one of the best decisions you will make. Not only will it give you a beautiful and stunning smile, but properly aligned teeth can also help reduce the risk of more serious oral infections and improve issues caused by improper bites, excessive wear on tooth enamel, and jaw problems. In addition to all the great health benefits that straightening your teeth with Invisalign with accomplish, one key advantage about Invisalign is that appointments to see Dr. Markova to ensure your treatment is progressing as planned are brief as long as everything looks great. How will Invisalign affect your life? It will give you a brilliant, healthy smile that you’ve always wanted!
The technical name for this is interproximal reduction (IPR). It is a very common procedure done with Invisalign. The purpose of this stripping is to make some space for crowded teeth to straighten out. Think of this as flossing with a sandpaper-like metal strip. The orthodontist will move the metal strip or use a very thin disk on the hand piece in between your teeth to take away about 0.1-0.4 mm of enamel. This is such a small amount that it is not noticeable and you will not experience any increased risk for cavities in the future.
Interproximal reduction is most often needed when you have crowding of your teeth. To straighten teeth out, the orthodontist needs some space to help align the teeth, and this space is gained in between the teeth. The video above shows the stripping done with a thin disk. The slenderizing is done quickly and you will experience no pain in your teeth. It's a weird feeling but definitely not painful. You do not need to be numb at all. However, you might have some slight irritation around your gums at the appointment. Your gums might feel sensitive for 1 day after the slenderizing. If you are wearing Invisalign trays right after the slenderizing, you might experience more discomfort, since the trays can hit the irritated gums. Again, this will go away in about 1 day but please discuss your concerns with your orthodontist.
