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| For Adults Only! Align Your Teeth with Computer Imaging |
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Here's a happy product of computer technology--nearly invisible orthodontic mouthpieces to align your teeth. No wires, no brackets! As you perfect your smile with the Invisalign System, no one will be the wiser. You'll be able to eat foods often denied to braces-wearers--and easily brush and floss your teeth.
A 3-D Map of Your Mouth
If you and your orthodontist decide Invisalign is for you, he/she will begin by making a wax impression of your mouth. A computer program analyzes and maps your teeth in 3-D, creating an individualized treatment plan. Your doctor will give you a series of 8-60 customized mouthpieces. About every two weeks, you'll graduate to the next mouthpiece as your teeth gradually shift into place. Periodically, the orthodontist may make more dental impressions to track your progress via the computer software.
The transparent plastic mouthpieces, similar to retainers, are worn 24 hours a day, except for meals and teeth cleaning. Since they're removed for eating, there are no food restrictions. Being able to pop the aligners out means you'll be able to thoroughly floss and brush teeth--sometimes difficult with regular braces.
Because the mouthpieces contain no metal, you can benefit from the alignment system even if you suffer from metal allergies. And tooth straightening with the Invisalign System is gentle and gradual, so patients rarely complain of discomfort.
Too Good to Be True?
Does it sound so wonderful you're wondering why everyone doesn't go with Invisalign?
As with all good things, Invisalign has a few restrictions. While useful for many patients with mild to moderate crowding and spacing problems, Invisalign won't correct all alignment dilemmas. If teeth must be pulled to relieve crowding, this technique is probably not the therapy of choice. In fact, since tooth movement is relatively minor with Invisalign, it probably won't be used to correct a bad bite.
Currently, Invisalign is only for use with adults. The system's creators hope to be able to calculate aligners for still-growing children eventually.
The removable aspect can work against you--if you leave your mouthpieces out for extended periods. Not wearing the aligners as your orthodontist instructs may mean you're in for a longer overall treatment period.
If you're on a budget, you'll want to know that Invisalign costs tend to be generally higher than with regular braces. And, the more correction is needed, the more aligners you'll wear--raising the price.
Patients usually wear their final mouthpiece at night for months or years after realignment has taken place. This is similar to wearing a retainer after treatment with regular braces--to maintain the position of the teeth.
The Invisalign System is only available from practitioners trained in the technique. So if you believe this might be the perfect way to correct your moderate misalignment, you'll want to discuss these computer-generated aligners with an orthodontist certified by Align Technology.
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