Invisalign

The aligners are removable, allowing you to eat all your favourite foods and clean your teeth normally. Your aligners are changed every two weeks to focus your tooth movement precisely. Invisalign is virtually invisible, so only your dentist will know you are wearing them. Treatment time can vary from approximately six-twenty four months depending on the complexity of your teeth. Invisalign may not suit all individuals – it is best to come in for a consultation with our qualified Invisalign practitioner to see whether you are suitable for Invisalign teeth straightening.

Advantages and disadvantages

Advantages

The aligners are completely transparent, therefore far more difficult to detect than traditional wire and bracket braces.

Clinically, aligners avoid many of the side effects of traditional fixed appliances, for example the effects on the gums and supporting tissues.

All other types of orthodontic treatment will cause the roots of teeth to shorten (root resorption) for most patients, and demineralisation or tooth decay occurs in up to 50% of patients. Because (unlike Invisalign), they cannot be removed for eating and cleaning, and because they prevent accurate x-rays from being taken.

Aligners should be removed to eat, drink, to clean the teeth, or to have them checked by the clinician. Because patients are able to remove the aligners, there are no restrictions on foods that could damage the appliances.

Invisalign treatments have been claimed to be quicker than traditional orthodontics.

Disadvantages

Invisalign does not require a cephalometric radiograph. Orthodontists use this type of x-ray to find a treatment for the final angulation of the teeth, keeping in mind the patient’s facial profile. Invisalign does not take this into account and does not require a cephalometric radiograph, because an orthodontist plans treatment, not Invisalign (Align Technology).

Like traditional fixed braces, they are largely dependent on a patient’s habits and their cooperation. The success of the Invisalign aligners is based on a patient’s commitment to wear the aligners for a minimum of 20–22 hours per day, only removing them when they are eating, drinking, or brushing their teeth.

The system is also somewhat expensive, as conceded by the Align Company, and can be more expensive than traditional wire and bracket systems.

The aligners should always be removed when eating, and also when drinking anything that is not water or any cold, clear, non-sugary liquids. Sugars and other debris could become caught in the aligner causing cavities and other dental problems.

Because the aligners are removed for eating, they could be lost. Invisalign recommends that the patient keep the previous aligners in case this happens. Invisalign provides two plastic containers to keep the braces in, so they are less subject to loss or damage.

Certain teeth are slightly problematic for Invisalign aligners to rotate. Some lower premolars with their rounded shape can be difficult for the aligners to grasp and apply a rotational force to, so bonded attachments made from composite material may be required.

Also, due to the nature of the design, Invisalign treatment may require the use of auxiliary techniques for teeth that require vertical movement, such as teeth that are higher in the gum line than other teeth (known as intrusion and extrusion of teeth). The aligners (without composite attachments) work by applying pressure on teeth, whereas teeth that are too low or too high require pulling/pushing to be moved into place. This would require the use of different types and styles of composite attachments called Buttons on certain teeth with the use of elastics to accomplish the intrusion/extrusion.

Unlike traditional braces, if a patient grinds or clenches her or his teeth during the day or while sleeping, the aligners can become damaged, however this protects the teeth from damage which would otherwise occur. In practice, however, this problem is very rare and a new aligner can be ordered. Also, similar to traditional metal braces, aligners may cause a slight lisp at the beginning of treatment. This usually disappears as the patient becomes used to the treatment.

Should the treatment go off track, or patients fail to keep the aligners in for the required length of time, then the next aligner in the series will not fit, and a new set of impressions and aligners will be necessary, adding to the cost.

Treatment

The dentist begins by taking dental impressions, x-rays and photographs of the patient’s teeth and sending them to Align Technology. The impressions are put through a CT scan from which a computer creates a three-dimensional model. The information is sent to Costa Rica and is manipulated by non-dentist and non-orthodontist lay persons who individualize the teeth in the computer model and move them to their final position as prescribed by the orthodontist. Custom software then simulates the movement of the teeth in stages. The orthodontist reviews the simulation online using Align Technology’s ClinCheck via a web browser and approves or modifies the treatment. Once approved, a plastic resin aligner is manufactured for each stage of the computer simulation and shipped to the orthodontist.

Attachments are sometimes bonded to teeth that need to be rotated or moved more than other teeth. Patients can expect as many as fourteen attachments. They are tooth-colour and made of composite material (material is also used to fill cavities). Elastic wear (rubber bands) are also used to move the teeth forward or back relative to the jaw, thus accomplishing anterior or posterior corrections or intrusions and extrusions. Reproximation, (also called Interproximal Reduction or IPR and colloquially, filing or drilling) is sometimes used at the contacts between teeth to allow for a better fit.

Average treatment time is about one year, again depending on the complexity of the treatment. Simple treatments (minor crowding, minor spacing) may be as short as twenty weeks—this is known as the “Invisalign Express” program. Although the aligners are removable, they must be worn at least 20 to 22 hours per day to avoid delaying the treatment process. If they are not worn consistently, treatment time will increase.

After the regular aligner or braces treatment is complete, retainers composed of a similar plastic material are usually required to be worn, at least at night.

Like other orthodontic systems, the patient has some flexibility. The final position of the teeth is not completely determined by the last aligner. If the patient wants to change the end position because the actual position is not optimal, new aligners are ordered, which are usually included in the originally quoted cost, called a ‘Refinement.’

Invisalign has a teen line that is appropriate for patients who have shed all of their baby teeth and have second molars at least partially erupted.

At the end of the treatment, there are aretainers to be used to stabilised the teeth, example of the retiners is Vivera Retainer.

Vivera Retainers

Viverais a clear thermoplastic retainer designed to be used after completing orthodontic treatment. Vivera retainers are made from the same state-of-the-art technology as Invisalign aligners, using 3D digital imaging, proprietary thermoplastic material and advanced fabrication. This creates a strong retainer with an extremely precise fit and smooth finish that grips firmly and feels comfortable. Because Vivera retainers can be manufactured from a patient’s ClinCheck stage on file, a new set of PVS impressions or intra-oral scan, it can be prescribed to both Invisalign and Non-Invisalign patients. Vivera retainers come in a set of 3, delivered to you 1 shipment, providing you the convenience to dispense to your patients as you like.

There are many types of Invisalign Treatment:

InvisalignLite

• Aligners (per arch)
  • Up to 14
• Treatment parameters
  • Smile Improvements
  • Minor Crowding and Spacing
  • Aesthetic Treatments
  • Simple Corrections
  • Pre-restorative Alignments
  • Partial or Combination Treatments

Invisalign full

• Aligners (per arch)
  • No limitation
• Treatment parameters
  • Broad Applicability2 based on level of experience, including comprehensive treatments.
  • Per Doctor’s treatment plan.
  • SmartForce5 Features
  • Precision Cuts
  • Passive Aligners Class I, II and III

Invisalign teen

• Aligners (per arch)
  • No limitation
• Treatment parameters
  • Broad Applicability2 based on level of experience, including comprehensive treatments and two phase treatments for teenagers with erupting or erupted dentition.
• A-P Corrections
  • Class I, II and III