Dentists are used to a certain look for moving teeth around, namely braces. There have been other kinds of devices on the market, but they mostly come down to fixed silver appliances.
Not anymore! With the advent of the Invisalign concept, what you see and what you get are different; Invisalign is one of the revolutionary dental developments of the 21st century.
When you first look at it, your reaction may be that it can’t work as well as the company says it will. After all, how can a bunch of plastic inserts actually move teeth like braces? Well, in a certain sense, they can’t. However, for most cases of crowding, midline shifts, rotations, and extrusions, Invisalign does a great job. If there are major movements, severe crowding, major midline shifts to correct, then the conventional methods may work better.
To begin with, “What is Invisalign?” It’s a system of clear plastic (the formula is proprietary) aligners that move teeth in increments. Dentists that want to use the system must be certified by the company. Certification requires 2-3 days of company training, and optional advanced seminars.
After providing Align Technologies with highly accurate models (small errors here will doom the system), a select series of photographs (both intraoral and extraroral), and a full set of x-rays and instructions, Invisalign technicians go to work to develop a series of laser-generated and computer-guided aligners. However, the provider dentist must first prescribe and approve the aligner setups in a process called Clincheck (described below).
Each aligner stays in a patients’ mouth for about two weeks. The patient is given three sets of aligners and the dentist will normally see the patient to monitor progress every six weeks. It takes about a year to complete most cases.
In some instances, the aligner technique may be augmented by composite buttons placed on teeth to speed movement, or elastics to effect such movements as extrusion.
What is particularly fascinating about Invisalign is Clincheck. The models are presented in animated form on a dentists' computer, downloaded from Invisalign. The three-dimensional animated models can be manipulated by any number of rotations and views to see how the teeth will move every two weeks. This allows dentists to view the future, and how the teeth will look along the way.
How can Invisalign be so precise about these movements, and do they really occur as presented? The answers are: “I don’t know—it’s in the computer programming,” and “yes, the movements do occur as forecast.”
Dentists will be amazed when they realize how many people refuse ortho because of the “braces” look (you must have all your permanent second molars in before Invisalign can be used). Many adults, younger and older alike, will jump at the chance to wear these aligners 24 hours a day (except for eating and brushing) and make the long-term commitment to wear retainers at night, just to avoid the look of silver.
Invisalign is a tool that patients want—they feel delighted by the results, and are motivated to see the entire process through, since results are tangible as they progress through treatment. It is truly a revolutionary dental product of our time. Copycat companies are hard at work trying to duplicate Invisalign results.
Review Synopsis
Product
Align Technologies - Invisalign
The Good
Excellent patient acceptance. Good, predictable results.Don’t need extensive ortho background to get started. Excellent company support and training.
The Bad
Has a longer learning curve than the company might lead you to believe. Clinchecks are difficult for beginners—company does provide third party support to help you out. Takes some skill to do interproximal reduction—tooth thinning—that is commonly needed for crowded cases.
The Bottom Line
A winning product and strategy to help patients achieve beautiful esthetic results, previously accomplished only through fixed silver wires and brackets.