Invisalign Basics
It is possible to have teeth straightened as adults.
The Invisalign product acts exactly as traditional braces, only it is undetectable to the eye. Invisalign is a small plastic accessory worn by the patient for twenty hours a day for about a year, by which time the teeth are straightened.
What is involved in wearing Invisalign? There are around twenty thousand certified dentists and orthodontists in the United States who can provide the Invisalign products as treatment to their patients.
During an initial consultation a dentist or orthodontist assesses whether the product will adequately address the extent of alignment needed.
If the dentist determines that this would be a viable treatment approach, he/she will take a cast and photographs of the patient’s teeth and send them to Invisalign’s manufacturing facilities run by the company’s founding group, Align Technologies. A sophisticated computer designing program creates a series of aligning devices for each patient containing at least twenty to thirty sets. Each aligning unit is designed to incrementally alter the position of the patient’s teeth .25 to .33 millimeters each session and is to be changed every two weeks. The dentist or orthodontist will dispenses the aligners one or two at a time, depending on whether the monitoring visits are scheduled biweekly or monthly.
Patients undergoing Invisalign treatment must wear this device for not less than twenty hours a day, and not eat or drink anything except water while wearing them.
A patient should choose a dentist or orthodontist who is certified to use Invisalign products to treat their patients and attend regular check-ups.
What if a patient is not an acceptable candidate for the Invisalign system? Traditional corrective products are still used by orthodontists in the treatment of alignment problems, including the wire and metal braces for the more critical cases.
A dentist or orthodontist is ultimately the best judge of any dental condition and the optimal method of treatment to be followed.