Irvine patients drive 25 to 30 minutes on the 405 to Safari Dentistry and Implants in Huntington Beach for Invisalign that is planned with a periodontist checking the gums first. The aligner course is designed on an in-office scan, shown on screen before the first aligner, and quoted in writing with attachments, check-ins and retainers included, for adults and teens.
Invisalign or braces?
For most adults and teens with crowding, spacing or a mild bite problem, Invisalign clear aligners do the same job as braces without wires, food restrictions or a mouth full of metal, and they come out for brushing and flossing. Braces still win for some severe bite corrections and for patients who will not wear an aligner 22 hours a day. The scan at the consultation shows which category Irvine patients fall into, and the answer is given plainly.
- Mild crowding or spacing
- 6 to 9 months, about 12 to 20 aligners
- Moderate cases
- 12 to 18 months
- Wear time
- 20 to 22 hours a day
- Check-ins
- Every 6 to 10 weeks, Monday to Thursday
- After treatment
- Retainers nightly, indefinitely
Why gum health decides whether you can start
Aligners move teeth through bone, and if the bone is already being lost to gum disease, moving the teeth can make it worse. Mail-order aligner companies never check this. At Safari the periodontist examines the gums and bone on the first visit, treats any disease first, and clears you for aligners when it is safe. Adults who were told elsewhere that their gums rule out straightening are welcome to be re-examined.
Why Irvine patients choose Safari for Invisalign
Irvine adults sometimes come after a large practice declined to straighten their teeth because of gum recession or bone loss, or after a mail-order company sent aligners without ever looking at their gums. The periodontist here examines the bone on a scan, treats or grafts the gum where needed, and then clears a supervised aligner course. Check-ins every 6 to 10 weeks make the drive manageable.
Invisalign cost, insurance and payment plans
Irvine patients get one written fee that covers the scan, every aligner in the plan, attachments, check-ins and the final retainers, so there is nothing added later. The front desk checks your plan for an orthodontic benefit before you decide, and the balance can be spread over monthly payments across the treatment.
What to bring to your first visit from Irvine
- 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 Irvine
Safari Dentistry and Implants is at 16511 Goldenwest St, Unit 101, Huntington Beach, CA 92647, about 14 miles from Irvine and usually 25 to 30 minutes by car. From Irvine take the 405 north to the Goldenwest St exit, then head south about two and a half miles to Heil Ave. The office is on the corner at 16511 Goldenwest St with free parking. Outside rush hour the trip is 25 to 30 minutes; appointments are between 10 AM and 4 PM, so the drive rarely hits the worst of the 405.
- 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: Woodbridge, Northwood, Turtle Rock and University Park near UCI and the Irvine Spectrum and Great Park neighborhoods.