Invisalign FAQ.
Invisalign is the most chosen orthodontic treatment among our patients. This is due, fundamentally, to the fact that it offers some advantages – and differential elements – over other bracket-based methods.
Among the most important benefits over braces are the fact that it is more comfortable, removable and very discreet, as it is hardly noticeable.
Since among all the types of orthodontics that exist, Invisalign is the most different from all the others, patients often have many questions.
Below, we have compiled the most frequently asked questions:
What is Invisalign?
Invisalign is a type of orthodontics based on a system of “invisible” aligners that correct both the bite -occlusion- and the alignment of the teeth.
This method uses transparent “removable” splints that are renewed every two weeks.
In this way, each aligner is different from the previous one and allows new movements.
With these movements, the final result planned by the orthodontist is achieved progressively.
Questions and answers about Invisalign
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INVISALIGN ALIGNERS
How does this type of orthodontics work?
As we have just mentioned, Invisalign orthodontics is based on a system of “removable” aligners that are changed every two weeks to make movements on the teeth.
Broadly speaking, we can say that Invisalign works in the same way as bracket-based treatments, since its objective is to correct the bite and alignment of the teeth.
However, the force exerted by the aligners on the teeth is less than that exerted by brackets.
At this point, it should be noted that, in order to perform the planned movements, the splints need to be supported by elements called “attachments”.
In the following section we will detail exactly what the attachments are.
What are ataches or attachments and what are they for?
Attachments are small composite reliefs that are adhered to the tooth.
These attachments serve to make the procedure more effective, since the aligners cannot carry out the movements by themselves.
In other words, they need these small composite reliefs to be able to exert more force and rotate the teeth.
There are different types of attachments depending on their size, shape or purpose, i.e., the movement to be achieved.
The placement of these attachments is personalized, so not all patients wear the same number, nor in the same dental pieces.
It is also very common that a person does not wear the same attachments during the entire treatment. That is, they are changed according to the needs of each stage.
Once the teeth have been aligned and the treatment is finished, we will remove all the attachments from the teeth.
Invisalign orthodontic revision
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ORTHODONTIST Daniel Hernández
What are the advantages of Invisalign over braces?
As we mentioned at the beginning of this article, Invisalign has a series of advantages over other orthodontic appliances – Incognito lingual brackets, sapphire crystal brackets or conventional metal brackets.
The most important benefits would be the following:
Discreet
As they are transparent, the aligners are almost invisible. This means that they are practically imperceptible, even at short distances.
The only orthodontic braces that are even more discreet than Invisalign are lingual braces, since they are placed on the inside of the teeth and absolutely nothing can be seen.
Comfortable
It does not have metallic elements – as is the case with lingual or traditional brackets – so it does not hurt, rub or cause sores or wounds in the mouth.
Removable
As it is “removable,” Invisalign can be removed easily, such as for eating and brushing your teeth.
However, you can also remove it at specific times, such as to attend a social event where you don’t want anyone to see that you are wearing braces.
Hygienic
As it is removed to brush your teeth, it does not hinder hygiene. With any type of bracket, brushing is more complicated, since the appliance is an obstacle for the brush.
Predictable
Invisalign has a software called ClinCheck, which allows you to virtually simulate the movements of your teeth.
What is ClinCheck?
The ClinCheck is probably the biggest differential element of Invisalign with respect to other orthodontic systems.
We say this because ClinCheck is a software that brings a great deal of predictability to the treatment.
On the one hand, it makes it possible to recreate the movements that the teeth will make over time.
On the other hand, it allows the patient to see what the final result of his or her smile will be before the first aligner is placed.
How is Invisalign placed and removed?
Any orthodontic treatment requires a period of adaptation on the part of the patient.
Although with Invisalign this stage is especially short, there is something that the patient has to become familiar with: putting the braces on and taking them off himself.
For this reason, in our dental clinic it is the orthodontists who put the first set of aligners on the patient. In this way, he “learns” to put them on and take them off himself.
Although we dedicate a section to this point, the truth is that putting on and taking off the aligners is not complicated at all.
In other words, they can be removed at any time without any problem.
However, the first time it may be a little more difficult, since the patient is not used to doing it.
Therefore, they may have a series of sensations that soon disappear: that the aligner is too tight, that it does not fit well or that they may break it when putting it on.
If it is removable, how long do I have to wear the appliance?
When a patient decides to wear Invisalign, it is essential that he or she is aware of the time of use.
In other words, for the treatment to be effective and achieve the planned results, it is essential that the person wears the aligners 22 hours a day.
This means that they must be worn at all times – including sleeping with them – and that they can only be removed for eating and brushing teeth.
Invisalign FAQ: Can I eat and drink with Invisalign?
Unlike with braces, wearing Invisalign does not involve restrictions on eating or drinking.
As far as eating is concerned, Invisalign should always be removed before eating. Therefore, the patient can eat anything.
In the case of drinking, the ideal is to drink only water with Invisalign in place.
However, at this point it should be noted that if, for example, we drink coffee often, it will be preferable not to remove the splints.
We make this recommendation simply because if we constantly remove the appliance, at the end of the day we will have worn it for less than 22 hours.
How to care for and clean the aligners?
Since it is a removable appliance, Invisalign makes the hygiene routine much easier for people who wear it.
On the one hand, the patient can brush his or her teeth normally, since the appliance is removed to perform this task.
On the other hand, the aligners must also be cleaned every time they are removed. In this way, they will be clean when we put them back in.
It is best to clean them with a brush, neutral soap and lukewarm water.
But, in addition to this daily maintenance, it is very convenient to have the habit of immersing the splints in a glass of water with a tablet to clean dentures.
In this way, we will avoid the appearance of stains on the aligners or bad smells.
Once we have finished with the cleaning routine, we will store the aligners in the boxes that the orthodontist will have given us.
This is the best way to take care of them so that they do not get lost. Therefore, we recommend that you do not use a napkin -or any other similar item- to store them.
Sometimes, this is done and the aligners end up in the trash.
In what cases can Invisalign be used?
Invisalign can be used to treat any case of alignment and bite (crowded teeth, crossbite, overbite, open bite, gaps or diastemas).
It is true that a few years ago it was preferable to treat severe malocclusions with bracket-based appliances.
However, Invisalign has come a long way and today is just as competent in correcting complex bite and alignment problems.
Of course, of course, more complex cases will have a longer duration of time.
How many types of Invisalign are there?
Depending on the degree or complexity of the malocclusion and the age of the patient, we can distinguish three types of Invisalign:
Invisalign Lite
It is indicated for the simplest cases, whose estimated duration is a maximum of 12 months.
Normally, this is the version worn by people who have worn orthodontics in the past.
However, for whatever reason, they did not use the proper retention and their teeth became misaligned again.
These people usually need us to treat the alignment only, since the bite was corrected in the past and is still correct.
Invisalign Full
This version is the most appropriate when the patient has never had braces and needs to make corrections in both the alignment and the bite.
The estimated duration of this type of treatment is 12 to 24 months. However, if the patient needs to wear the appliance for a longer period of time, it is possible.
Invisalign Teen
This is the version developed especially for children and adolescents.
Like Invisalign Full, this treatment is designed to correct any type of malocclusion, so it lasts from 12 to 24 months.
As in the previous case, if the patient needs to wear the appliance for a longer period of time, it would be possible.
In addition, Invisalign Teen incorporates a series of elements that are very useful for the type of public it is aimed at: children and adolescents.
For example, the aligners have wear indicators, allowing parents to monitor the actual time their children are wearing the appliance.
How long does treatment with aligners last?
The answer to this question is closely related to the previous section.
That is to say, the duration of treatment depends fundamentally on the complexity of the malocclusion to be treated.
As we have indicated in the previous point, a mild malocclusion can be corrected in 12 months, while a severe malocclusion may require 24 months or even longer.
When does Invisalign start to be noticeable?
The answer to this question depends mainly on the duration of treatment.
That is to say, a person wearing the Lite version will notice the progress sooner than a patient wearing the Full version.
As a guideline, we can say that a person wearing Invisalign Lite will begin to notice changes after three or four weeks of treatment.
Can Invisalign be used on children?
Yes, Invisalign can be used from 9 years of age. Therefore, this orthodontic treatment can be worn by children, adolescents and adults.
In one of the previous sections we have already mentioned the three main versions: Lite, Full and Teen.
The Teen version is a mandibular advancement treatment designed for children between 9 and 11 years of age.
This solution is designed to correct Class II in patients who are still in the growth phase, when their bones are very malleable and it is easier to correct malocclusions.
At this point, it is important to remember that Class II is a malocclusion characterized by a backward position of the mandible with respect to the upper jaw.
Thus, the treatment aims to move the jaw bone forward in order to achieve a more harmonious and proportionate facial structure.
Is it possible to smoke with the splints?
In theory, the aligners should be removed if we are going to smoke.
However, in practice, this should not be done if the person smokes a lot.
This is simply because the person must wear the braces 22 hours a day.
Therefore, if it is removed a large number of times a day, at the end of the day the minimum wearing time will not have been met.
That said, it is important to know that tobacco yellows the splints and can cause stains to appear.
Invislign FAQ: Does Invisalign hurt?
As we have detailed in one of the previous sections, the adaptation period is shorter with Invisalign than with braces.
This is due to the fact that the aligners are more comfortable, since they do not have metallic elements, as is the case with brackets.
Therefore, there are no wires to dig in and cause sores, wounds or chafing.
Although Invisalign does not hurt, it is true that during the first few days it can be uncomfortable.
This is due to the simple pressure of the aligners on the teeth.
However, this discomfort gradually subsides and after 4 or 5 days with Invisalign we are completely familiar with it.
Is Invisalign noticeable?
As we mentioned in the first section, Invisalign is a system of “invisible” aligners.
They are called invisible because they are transparent. This makes them very discreet and practically imperceptible, even at short distances.
In fact, it is very common for people in the patient’s circle not to realize that he or she is wearing braces until the patient tells them.
How are these braces made and what material are they made of?
Invisalign is an orthodontic system that has an important technological base.
This technological base is clearly reflected in its manufacturing process, which includes the following steps:
Diagnosis and mold making.
The orthodontist diagnoses the patient and determines the technical aspects of the procedure.
Examples of these would be the duration of the treatment, the malocclusions that need to be corrected, the attachments that need to be placed, etc.
Records should also be taken.
This is essential when starting any orthodontic treatment, as it serves to obtain all the details of the patient’s mouth.
Sending records
Align Technology is the company that manufactures Invisalign and to whom we orthodontists send the technical instructions of the treatment, as well as the records of the patient’s mouth.
In our dental clinic, we send the records digitally, since we have a 3D intraoral scanner that allows us to do so.
If this type of technology is not available, it is necessary to send physical shipments to the brand -which is located in the United States-.
This implies a longer delay at the time of starting the treatment, since it is necessary to wait several days for the records to arrive in the United States.
Data processing
The technicians working in the Align Technology laboratory digitally reproduce the patient’s upper and lower arches.
In this way, they recreate the movement of the teeth following the instructions provided by the orthodontist.
Orthodontist review
Once the technicians have captured all the instructions provided by the orthodontist, they show the orthodontist – online – the treatment plan.
Fabrication of the aligners
If the orthodontist approves this planning, the manufacturing of all the sets of aligners that the patient will wear during treatment begins.
Shipping to DrAW Dental Clinic
Once the splints have been manufactured, Align Technology sends them to the orthodontists in our clinic.
Choose your orthodontist wisely
Although it may take longer, we recommend that you choose a dentist who is specialized, who practices orthodontics exclusively and who is recognized by Invisalign.
Who can fit me with Invisalign? – Invisalign FAQ
Despite the fact that the manufacturing procedure seems automated, the previous work is fundamental in this process.
There are many people who think that the weight of the treatment falls on the fabrication.
However, it should not be forgotten that in the fabrication process the orthodontist’s instructions are followed.
Therefore, the most important thing is the diagnosis and planning of the technical aspects of the treatment by the orthodontist.
If the diagnosis and planning are not correct, the manufacturing process will result in aligners that will not solve the patient’s problems.
For this reason, we recommend that when looking for an orthodontist to treat you with Invisalign you pay attention to the following three elements:
That he/she be a dentist specializing in Orthodontics (through an official master’s degree), rather than a general dentist: this ensures that he/she has more extensive training.
That he/she is an exclusive orthodontist: this means that he/she has more experience and more cases treated behind him/her.
Invisalign recognition: the brand awards the orthodontists with the highest number of cases treated.
As proof of the importance we give to these aspects, all the orthodontists who work on our team – Dr. Daniel Hernández, Dr. Andrea Becerril and Dr. Alberto Wintergerst – meet these requirements.
Firstly, they have specialized through the three-year Maxillofacial Medical Specialty at UNAM and Official Master’s Degree in Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics at the UNAM.
Secondly, they practice the specialty of Orthodontics exclusively.
Thirdly, the orthodontic team at our clinic has received Emerald Elite recognition, which is the highest category awarded by Invisalign to orthodontists with the highest number of cases treated.
For all these reasons, choosing an orthodontist may take a little longer than you thought.
However, it is essential to ensure that you are in the best hands and that the results of your treatment will be what you expect right now.
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