Straightening Teeth With Invisalign Part II

Competing Products vs Invisalign

Invisalign was introduced to the world in the late 1990’s.  Prior to its arrival dental labs had been making plastic overlays to move teeth small distances, for many decades, and they still do.  But those labs do the work by hand on physical models of the teeth, actually cutting the teeth off the models and re-positioning them, and making aligners to fit those newly re-positioned models, and the reliability of that method was and is limited to moving front teeth only, and only for up to 5 stages.  The primary patent that gives Invisalign its advantage is that the tooth movement is first done virtually in the computer using unique proprietary software, and then they can manufacture a large number of progressive stage models, moving both front and back teeth simultaneously, and the method has proven to be very reliable in producing the desired results. 

 

©2011  James E. Eckhart, D.D.S.,  Inc.

www.eckhartorthodontics.com

1101 N. Sepulveda Blvd,  Suite 202, 

Manhattan Beach,  Ca.  90266  (310) 546-4724

21210 Anza Ave., Torrance, CA 90503 (310) 540-5911  

 

 

 

 

Straightening Teeth With Invisalign Part I

How Invisalign Works

 

Invisalign is a system of clear plastic overlay sleeves custom-made to fit your teeth, which gradually move your teeth from the beginning crooked positions to the desired straight positions. 

An accurate impression is made of your teeth by a doctor, and it is sent to Invisalign.  They scan the impression into a computer.  Using proprietary software, a computer technician then moves all the teeth simultaneously in a computer simulation from the beginning positions to the desired final straight positions as requested by the doctor, but the tooth movements are controlled by the software to be in very small increments equal to how far teeth can biologically move in two weeks.  There may be anywhere from 10 to 30 stages, depending on how far the teeth need to be moved overall.  The software then guides a machine to carve a new model of the teeth out of plastic for each two-week stage, and a plastic overlay sleeve (called an “aligner”) is made to fit over that model.  Each “aligner” is imprinted with the stage number, and packaged into a ziplock bag.  The entire group of aligners is then shipped to the doctor, who then delivers them in stages to you.  How many stages you get at a time varies with different doctors.

You wear the aligners full time, taking them off only to eat and brush your teeth.  You change aligners each 2 weeks.  As you near the end of the series of aligners, your teeth will look much better.  If you are satisfied, you will switch to wearing part-time retainers to hold the teeth in the new positions.  If you would like them even nicer, you can have a refinement, which is another series of aligners to produce more movement of your teeth, and then have retainers after that.

 

©2011  James E. Eckhart, D.D.S.,  Inc.

www.eckhartorthodontics.com

1101 N. Sepulveda Blvd,  Suite 202, 

Manhattan Beach,  Ca.  90266  (310) 546-4724

21210 Anza Ave., Torrance, CA 90503 (310) 540-5911