Costa Mesa patients drive about 20 minutes to Safari Dentistry and Implants in Huntington Beach for Invisalign planned on an in-office scan with a periodontist checking gum and bone health first. Adults and teens are treated, the projected result is shown on screen before the first aligner, and the fee is written down with retainers and check-ins included.
Invisalign for adults who had braces years ago
A large share of Costa Mesa adults asking about Invisalign wore braces as teenagers and lost the retainer. Teeth that have drifted back over ten or twenty years usually need a short course of aligners, 6 to 9 months, followed by a retainer worn at night. The periodontist checks that the gums and bone have not receded in the meantime, and if they have, the gum is treated or grafted before the teeth are moved.
Invisalign for teens
Teenagers are good candidates once the adult teeth are in, and aligners fit around sports, band and photos better than braces do. Compliance is the main risk: the aligner only works while it is in. The office reviews wear time at each check-in and can see from the fit whether the aligners are being worn.
What Invisalign fixes and what it does not
- Fixes well: crowding, spacing, mild overbite or underbite, teeth that rotated or tipped, relapse after braces.
- Sometimes: moderate bite problems, often with small attachments or elastics.
- Usually not: severe skeletal bite problems, which need an orthodontist and sometimes surgery. You will be told this at the scan rather than sold aligners that cannot do the job.
Why Costa Mesa patients choose Safari for Invisalign
Costa Mesa patients are often comparing Invisalign quotes from several offices and from mail-order companies. The difference here is supervision and the gum check: a periodontist confirms the bone can take the movement, the dentist reviews tracking at every check-in, and a tooth that is not moving is dealt with rather than left. The fee covers the whole course, so there is nothing to add for refinements.
How much is Invisalign near Costa Mesa?
A short course for mild crowding costs less than a full 18-month case, so the fee is quoted only after the scan shows how many aligners are needed. It is given in writing with retainers included. PPO orthodontic benefits are applied, and monthly payment plans cover the rest for Costa Mesa adults and teens.
What to bring to your first visit from Costa Mesa
- Old retainers or records from previous braces, if you have them.
- Your insurance card; the front desk checks for an orthodontic benefit before the plan is priced.
- A sense of your timeline, for a wedding or a move, so the plan can be sequenced around it.
- Questions about wear time and eating; the answers decide whether aligners suit you.
Getting to the office from Costa Mesa
Safari Dentistry and Implants is at 16511 Goldenwest St, Unit 101, Huntington Beach, CA 92647, about 10 miles from Costa Mesa and usually about 20 minutes by car. From Costa Mesa take the 405 north to the Goldenwest St exit and head south about two and a half miles to Heil Ave. Without the freeway, Adams Ave or Talbert Ave west to Goldenwest St, then north, takes about the same time. The office is at the corner of Goldenwest and Heil with parking in front.
- Hours: Monday to Thursday, 10 AM to 4 PM. Same-day emergency time is held each open day.
- Parking: free, in the lot at the door, with a level entrance.
- Patients come from: Mesa Verde, the Eastside and Westside, the South Coast Plaza area and the neighborhoods around Orange Coast College and the fairgrounds.