Everything you ever wanted to know about Invisalign
What is Invisalign?
For patients looking to achieve a beautiful smile with an invisible option, we would suggest Invisalign.
This system allows the teeth to be gently aligned over time using a series of aligners (all of them invisible!) which when worn in series will gradually correct your teeth into their final position.
3D Scanning with iTero.
We offer iTero 3D imaging at our office which allows our patients to have their entire treatment plan processed and visualized in 3D space in just one visit. Patients love this system as we don’t have to subject them to taking multiple impressions of their teeth with goopy impression making materials.
3D scanning is also much more accurate than impressions. This allows for better fitting of the custom manufactured aligners which ultimately contributes to a superior, more predictable result for the patient..
What’s the difference?
With Invisalign there are no wires or brackets to deal with. The system is completely clear so people won’t even know you are wearing them. The aligners are also removable allowing you to eat whatever you wish and also making oral hygiene easier to deal with.
Over the life of your case, you’ll visit our office every 6-8 weeks to make sure everything is progressing properly and the entire process is usually completed in a year or less!
What Does Invisalign Provider Status mean?
The Invisalign Provider status, is awarded to Orthodontists who have completed a set number of cases directly speaking to their experience with the system. This acreditation is a non-medical designation given to Orthodontists directly by Invisalign. We wish to be clear, just because an Orthodontist may have a lower accreditation, does not mean they don’t know how to work with the system, but it does indicate that they have less cases completed, giving you some insight into how experienced they are at achieving optimal results using Invislalign. Currently, we are ranked a top 1% provider, which is one of the highest designations you can achieve.
How long does Orthodontic Treatment take with Invisalign
This answer varies, as every patients needs are different, however, a typical case can be completed in as little as a year. Depending on the goals of the treatment, sometimes even less. The great thing about Invisalign however is that during that year you enjoy all the benefits of the system, such as being able to remove the aligners to eat and the overall comfort and discretion that the system has to offer and this respect, it cannot be compared to having braces which have maintenance challenges and somewhat complicate your oral hygiene regime.
What’s are Invisalign Attachments?
Attachments are very small tooth-colored blocks that are bonded to the teeth and are placed at precise locations to allow the “invisible aligners” to grip the teeth as they are guiding them to their new locations. They are designed to work in concert with the Invisalign system allowing an experienced Orthodontist (usually with a higher provider status) superior control over optimal tooth movement. With attachments, even complex cases can be tackled with Invisalign, leveraging all the benefits of the system while giving the patient peace of mind. Many competing Orthodontists stear patients away from choosing Invisalign for those hard to correct issues, but in the hands of an experienced pratitioner, there really is no reason to not take advantage of this amazing system.