New Hanover County · Since 1987
Invisalign in Porters Neck, NC
Invisalign moves teeth with a series of clear removable aligners. Adults choose it because nobody has to know it is happening.
- Three doctors, one location
- Sedation available
- Most major plans accepted
- Written estimates before treatment
Understanding Invisalign
Each aligner is worn about 22 hours a day for a week or two, then swapped for the next. The sequence is planned digitally from a scan, so you see the projected end position before you start.
Patients from Porters Neck
More than a third of Porters Neck is 65 or older, and almost nobody moves, vacancy here runs around seven percent.
Adult orthodontics well past retirement is more common than people expect, usually to fix crowding that has slowly worsened since the twenties and now traps food and plaque.
Porters Neck Plantation and Porters Neck Village together hold much of the community's older population, and both are a straight run down Market Street.
Vacancy here is around seven percent, so patients tend to stay with a practice for decades rather than years.
A lot of the restorative work we do for Porters Neck involves replacing crowns and bridges placed elsewhere in the 1990s.
We see patients from across Porters Neck and the surrounding area, including Porters Neck Plantation, Porters Neck Village, Poplar Grove and the 28411 ZIP code.
New Hanover County is the built-out core of the region, growing around one percent a year, with roughly 21 percent of residents over 65 and the highest concentration of employer dental coverage in southeastern North Carolina.
For treatment at this level we do the planning properly before anything starts: records, a scan, and a written phased plan you take home and think about. Nobody signs anything at the first appointment.
This is the kind of restorative work we do most: patients who kept their teeth a long time and now want a plan that holds for the next twenty years.
You may be a candidate if
- Crowded or overlapping teeth
- Gaps you want closed
- A bite that has shifted since childhood orthodontics
- A teenager who will wear them
- Willingness to keep them in 22 hours a day
Your treatment, start to finish
- Complimentary consultationWe scan, look at the bite, and tell you whether aligners are the right tool.
- Digital treatment planYou see a simulation of the movement and the projected finish.
- Aligner seriesNew trays every one to two weeks, with short check-in visits along the way.
- RefinementMost cases get a short second series to fine-tune the finish.
- RetentionA retainer holds the result. Teeth move for life without one.
Afterwards
Wear the retainer. Every relapse case we see traces back to a retainer that lived in a drawer. Beyond that, clean the aligners daily and keep up your normal hygiene visits.
If getting to follow-up visits is difficult, tell us. We can often combine checks into fewer, longer appointments.
What it costs
Invisalign is priced by case complexity and length. Many dental plans include an orthodontic benefit that applies to adults as well as children, and it is worth checking even if you assume you have none. The orthodontic consultation itself is complimentary.
If you are on Medicare, note that it does not cover routine dental treatment. Many supplement plans include a limited dental benefit with an annual cap, and we will check yours before quoting anything.
In their own words
Hear from Dr. Barry Frazelle
Dr. Frazelle on why the injection is nothing to dread, and a cheap whitening habit he gives patients.
Questions we get asked
How long does Invisalign take?
Simple cases finish in four to six months. Comprehensive cases usually run twelve to eighteen.
Can people tell I am wearing them?
At conversational distance, generally not. They are noticeable in close-up photographs and you take them out to eat.
How far is your office from Porters Neck?
About 13 miles, or roughly 22 minutes via Market Street (US-17) or I-140 to MLK Jr. Parkway. We are at 1301 Physicians Dr in Wilmington, with parking at the door.
Do you see patients from Porters Neck?
Regularly. Porters Neck is part of our core service area in New Hanover County, and this is the kind of restorative work we do most: patients who kept their teeth a long time and now want a plan that holds for the next twenty years.
What are your hours?
Monday through Thursday, 8:00am to 5:00pm, and Friday, 8:00am to 12:00pm. Outside those hours, leave a message or use the appointment request form and we will come back to you with the first available time.
Invisalign · Porters Neck, NC
One trip. Everybody seen.
We block consecutive appointments so a family visit is one morning rather than three separate afternoons.
- General, cosmetic, orthodontic and surgical care under one roof
- Consecutive family scheduling on request
- Sealants and preventive care for children
- Most major dental plans accepted
Nervous child? Tell us before the appointment and we will slow the whole thing down.
Request an appointment
We reply the next business day.
Please do not include Protected Health Information. For anything urgent, call (910) 762-0958.
