One of our very satisfied Invisalign patients. Crowding was addressed on both the upper and lower arches, along with bleaching using the Invisalign trays. The total treatment took 17 aligners and 8.5 months.
Your smile is one of your most noticeable and forthcoming facial features. Naturally, you take great care of your teeth, brush and floss daily and possibly use whitening products. Still, there is one feature of smile and facial esthetics that cannot be addressed by home care: Orthodontics. If you are interested in having a straighter smile with minimal dental appointments, excellent predictability and discreet treatment, you may be a good candidate for Invisalign.
Invisalign is a system that uses dental impressions, advanced computer programs and clear plastic trays to provide virtually invisible orthodontics. The process is very simple. On your first appointment, we will take a series of impressions and pictures and send them to Invisalign’s headquarters. After that, a representative will send Dr. Kari a digital mockup of your smile, including the movements each tooth is predicted to make. After she approves and adjusts Invisalign’s plan, a set of aligner trays are shipped to our office.
You then return for your second appointment, where we use composites (same kind used in tooth colored fillings) and a special template tray to construct a series of tiny “buttons” on your teeth. These buttons allow the trays to latch and move teeth with extra torque, when necessary. This appointment lasts about 45 minutes and you leave with your very first set of trays!
From left to right: We use the blue trays to take a quick impression of your teeth, followed by a "bite impression" using the purple material in the applicator gun (called Regisil). After invisalign receives and processes your impressions, we receive your custom trays (pictured far right).
Most Invisalign treatment plans last around 9 months to 2 years, with about 15-30 included trays. You will be expected to periodically return to our office to ensure your treatment is going as planned. While this timeframe may seem lengthy, remember that the trays are invisible, comfortable in the mouth and removable. Any time you need to eat, brush or whiten your teeth, you can remove your appliance in a matter of seconds.
While Invisalign is an extremely predictable and effective process, not everyone is a good candidate. Those who cannot devote the majority of their day (awake and asleep) to wearing trays will encounter a delayed or entirely ineffective orthodontic treatment. For this reason, we do not recommend Invisalign for children, as “patient compliance” is especially difficult to obtain. Furthermore, certain tooth movements are impossible without traditional wire-and-bracket braces. Being a removable piece of plastic, there are limitations to the directions that Invisalign can precisely realign teeth. To determine if you are a good candidate, or address your questions and concerns, please schedule a consultation with our office.