Things to Know Before Invisalign / Clear Aligner Therapy

6 Things To Know Before Orthodontic Aligner / Invisalign Treatment

In this video I highlight the 6 things I want patients to be aware of before beginning any clear aligner orthodontic therapy.
1] Invisalign is not the only aligner system available.
Just as Klenex is not the only tissue paper available, Invisalign is not the only clear aligner product available to straighten teeth. In fact, there are several companies that use this modality to use teeth. The principals are generally the same. A mold of your teeth is captured using either a traditional impression or intraoral scanner and digitized. On these digital teeth, they are moved through the expertise of your orthodontist, and a series of 3D models are printed to take you to the final destination: perfect teeth! Plastic is next melted onto these 3D printed models and polished to make a series of aligners.

2] Trays must be worn 20-22 hours per day
To achieve the ideal results, trays must be worn 20-22 hours/day. Aligners are no magic therapy and since they are removable, they require more effort on your behalf. Braces deliver consistent force for 24 hours a day, but with aligners, we require at least 20 hours of wear a day to achieve these similar results. The metaphor I use most often is that tooth movement is like pushing a ball up a hill. If you only do it for a little bit and let go, the ball will roll down the hill, however, if you wear it as prescribed, you will achieve ideal results.

3] Aligner therapy will usually require temporary attachments to be placed on the teeth.
As the teeth are very smooth and hard to get a grip of to move, we typically bond attachments onto the teeth that allow for them to be gripped by the aligner. Attachments are made from filling material that are added to the front side of the tooth and are removed after treatment is completed. They serve as handle bars and ensure that the movement planned by the orthodontist is achieved by the aligners.

4] Aligner therapy may require interproximal reduction (IPR)
IPR aims to slim down teeth by removing a small bit of tooth structure between the teeth. This allows for us to have more room to have teeth fit into the arch, or to optimize the overall anatomy of the teeth. Generally, your front teeth are fan-shaped and what IPR does is remove the tips of these fans to allow for them to fit together better. Generally, the procedure is painless but may cause some slight sensitivity afterwards.

5] Aligner therapy may require you to still wear rubber bands to fix your bite
Aligners work quite well to make your upper teeth and lower teeth straight, but what they can't do, nor braces can do, without your help, is to fix your bite. You and your orthodontist can work together to align your individual arches but with the use of prescribed rubber bands, it can help your upper and lower teeth to coordinate and fit together and make, not only a excellent smile, but a perfect bite.

6] Most of the time, with aligners, we will require a mid-course revision/refinement
Most aligners will provide you with a final tray #, such as "tray 3 of 15," however it may require more than 15 trays to complete your treatment. The first set of trays will definitely get you close to being done, however, generally a mid-course refinement is necessary to ensure you have the best results possible! This does not mean that your or your orthodontist did anything wrong, but rather is used to assess how well your teeth are following along with the trays and perfecting the small details.

As always, if you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact me via the comments below!

See you next time,

Greg Asatrian, D.D.S.
http://asatrianortho.com/
Instagram: www.instagram.com/drgregortho
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/gasatrian
This video may contain orthodontic appliances, devices and/or procedural content. The content seen in this video is provided only for education purposes and is not intended to be a substitute for professional dental advice, diagnosis, or treatment. For personalized advice, please be sure to visit a professional orthodontist near you!

Видео Things to Know Before Invisalign / Clear Aligner Therapy канала Braces Explained