Orthodontic treatment is the process of moving the teeth within the socket, within the bone to reposition them in a more hygienic and aesthetically pleasing way and in many cases a more functional way.
Invisalign is an orthodontic treatment that utilizes a set of aligners made from hard plastic. The aligners fit over the teeth and are designed by a computer with digital software to slowly, over time, reposition the teeth. The rigidity in the Invisalign plastic material is what allows for the pushing, torquing, or moving of the teeth to a more ideal position.
The aligners are worn for a matter of months or years depending on the severity of the correction. In order to retain the teeth and keep them in position, and to torque or reposition certain teeth, bonding is often placed on the front of the teeth, which is the same shade of the tooth to render them unnoticeable. This is the equivalent of a bracket on braces, the silver metal that you see on braces. Visible bonding on the front side of the tooth may be necessary, but typically it’s limited to the less visible premolar region which is farther in the back of the mouth.
When the treatment has been completed and the patient is happy and their teeth are straight and aligned, then the bonding is removed from the tooth. And they’ve got a nice, pretty, aesthetic, functional smile.
The Beauty of Invisalign
With Invisalign, if the patient is wearing the aligner as they should for 22 hours per day, then every two weeks they are replacing their current aligner with the aligner that is the next step in the adjustment.
The beauty of Invisalign is that the patient can change the alignment, resulting in less office visits being necessary. Our office schedules patients every six weeks, every month and a half, to ensure that the aligners are tracking as they should, that they are positioned where they should be, and that the patient is wearing them as they should. It’s important to have these visits to monitor the progress.
One of the major benefits of having Invisalign versus traditional braces is hygiene. Braces that utilize metal brackets and wire make it very challenging for the patient to floss and brush their teeth. With invisalign, the aligner can be removed long enough to floss and brush.
