Your Invisalign Guide: Camp Humphreys And Osan Air Base
Welcome, Camp Humphreys and Osan AB communities! To help you achieve your dream smile during your time in Korea, we have gathered the most common questions our service members and their families ask about Invisalign.
Conveniently located near Camp Humphreys and Osan Air Base, Seoul USC Dental is proud to be one of Korea’s premier Invisalign providers.
Does Invisalign Take Longer Than Traditional Braces?
It depends on how long you wear the Invisalign trays. If you wear them 22 hours a day, your total treatment time is often comparable to or even faster than traditional braces.
Please note that insufficient wear time causes teeth to go ‘off-track.’ This slows down your progress and will extend your treatment time.
Dr.Kim has been succesfully treated hundreds of USFK community members with Invisalign during their short stay in Korea.
Can I eat and drink while wearing my aligners?
You should always remove your aligners before eating or drinking anything other than cold water. Hot beverages (like coffee or tea) can warp the plastic shape, and colored drinks can stain the clear aligners. Removing them also prevents sugar and food particles from getting trapped against your teeth, keeping your smile healthy and cavity-free.
Is Invisalign Right for Me?
1. The Aligner Discipline (22-Hour Rule)
Invisalign requires a strict daily commitment of 22 hours of wear time. If you love snacking or drinking coffee/tea throughout the day, constantly taking the aligners out can hinder your progress. Prolonged gaps in wear time cause teeth to shift back, leading to excessive pressure and potentially loose teeth when reinserted—especially in the lower front teeth.”
2: The Gum Health Constraint Healthy gums are a prerequisite for clear aligner therapy. For patients with advanced bone loss from periodontitis, the mechanical pressure of Invisalign can put a heavy strain on the teeth, making traditional or alternative treatments a safer choice.
How often will I need to visit the clinic?
Typically, follow-up visits are scheduled once every 4 weeks. Please note that during your second visit, we will be placing your attachments, which may require 40 minutes or more of clinic time.
How many sets of aligners will I receive at each visit?
We typically provide one extra set of aligners beyond what you need for the month (3 to 5 sets of aligners).
What if I decided to change to braces during Invisalign treatment?
In some cases, patients may need to transition from Invisalign to traditional braces. This shift usually happens if a patient struggles to wear their aligners consistently or if the treatment timeline needs to be accelerated to meet a specific deadline. In these situations, if your teeth have already achieved some alignment through Invisalign, we often use mini-braces—which feature a much more compact design than traditional braces.
The key advantage of mini-braces is their low profile, which minimizes irritation to the lips and cheeks. Additionally, by utilizing super-elastic titanium wires, they deliver a gentler force that significantly reduces patient discomfort.
If you need to transition from Invisalign to mini-braces, an additional fee of $100 per arch will apply.
The biggest advantage of Invisalign is the comfort during orthodontic treatment. Wire or braces will not poke your cheek or lips. You don’t have to rush to your orthodontic office to fix broken brackets or wire poking.
You can eat anything with Invisalign. You just need to take out the Invisalign trays when you eat. Invisalign is especially beneficial to adult orthodontic patients.
Why Seoul USC Dental for Invisalign?
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- Expertise in Invisalign
Dr. Kim opened his practice in 2018, building on a 30-month Invisalign training program during his orthodontic residency at St. Louis University. His extensive clinical expertise was highlighted in 2017 when he ranked 10th nationwide in South Korea for the highest volume of Invisalign cases. - Precision Planning with Virtual Tooth Setup
For every patient, a virtual tooth setup plays a critical role in treatment planning. It allows us to meticulously simulate multiple potential outcomes and guide you toward the most optimal alignment for your unique smile. - Combining Invisalign with Precision Resin Bonding
We do more than just straighten your teeth with Invisalign; we elevate your smile’s aesthetics through precision resin bonding, perfecting the symmetry of your front teeth and beautifully resizing peg laterals.
- Expertise in Invisalign