Can My Elgin Dentist Do Crowns During Invisalign Treatment?

I am seeing two different Elgin dentists; one is my regular office and the other is handling my Invisalign treatment. I am about six months into Invisalign treatment and was just told by my regular office that I need to have a crown done. It just hit me that this totally messes up everything with the orthodontist. Will I have to start all over from scratch or lose progress? I know the aligners I had made probably aren’t going to fit anymore. They made such a big deal about how they were custom-made for my teeth and now my teeth aren’t going to be the same. What’s going to happen?

-Sam

Dear Sam,

Relax, your Elgin dentists can work together on this one and it shouldn’t set you too far behind. There are a couple of ways to go about it, but you are correct, a crown will change the shape of your tooth and the aligners won’t fit right.

If it can be avoided, it’s best to hold off on the restorative work until after your teeth are in their final positions. This is because the shifting of your teeth will cause your bite to shift and the crown won’t be an exact fit later. Plus, the shifting of your teeth can change the shape of the tooth a little, in terms of what needs coverage, so it’s better if the tooth has reached its final destination before it gets a crown. Check with your general Elgin dentist to see if he can do a filling to tide you over until your orthodontic work is done. Ultimately, the tooth will need full coverage for the sake of strength, but, depending on the decay, you may be able to get by with that for a bit.

In the industry, orthodontists will do what they call mid-course correction. They’ll take new impressions and have your Invisalign trays remade to fit the new shape of your teeth. Because this isn’t something that most people have done and it deviates from your initial treatment plan, there may be an extra charge for it, but it will keep you moving forward with treatment. You’ll probably be delayed by a few weeks in treatment, considering that it usually takes two weeks to have your crown done unless he uses a method like E-4D or CEREC, and the impressions and new Invisalign aligners will require some time too, but if you plan ahead and book your appointments now, you can make sure you get back on track fast.

This blog is sponsored byElgin dentist, Dr. Steve Sirin.