Straightening Teeth With Invisalign Part V

Future Advances In Invisalign

 

In the future, it is probable that impressions of the teeth will no longer be necessary for starting Invisalign treatment, but that instead the teeth will be scanned by an intra-oral device, and the data will be collected electronically instead of physically.

As technology improves, the plastic of the aligners will probably vary in stiffness depending on which tooth that section of the plastic is attaching to.The locations and shapes of bumps on the teeth (attachments) will continue to evolve, and the ability to correct certain types of overbites and underbites will improve as more use of elastics and bone screws are integrated in with Invisalign.

 

©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 IV

Differing Opinions Among Orthodontists Regarding Invisalign

 

Invisalign has evolved tremendously over the past 12 years.  One of the main tools Invisalign has developed to make the aligners more effective in moving teeth is the temporary addition of tooth-colored plastic bumps onto the tooth surface. These bumps are called “attachments”, and there are different sizes and shapes of them, but their purpose is to allow the aligners to grasp the tooth more effectively in order to produce the desired tooth movements.  These “attachments” have evolved in recent years into shapes that have proven to help produce otherwise difficult tooth movements.  They have been created by a team of nearly 200 engineers hired by Invisalign to find effective ways to move teeth with aligners.  Invisalign continues to study the most effective way to use attachments to control tooth movements, and averages 1-2 new software releases per year as knowledge accumulates.  Doctors who used Invisalign years ago and quit, or who have  only done a few cases (less than 100, say), probably have not stayed current with the advances made by Invisalign, and may not have developed the experience to see the wide range of applicability Invisalign now offers.  It is quite clear to this writer that the profession of orthodontics is evolving into much more of an Invisalign delivery system, and much less of a braces delivery system, over the next few years.

 

©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 III

Advantage of Invisalign Over Braces

 

 

Since aligners are removed for eating, you can eat whatever you want.  That is not true for braces, because braces can be broken off the teeth if you eat something too crunchy.

Since aligners are removable, it is easy to thoroughly clean your teeth after eating.  You can brush and floss without any brackets (braces) being in the way and trapping food.

Invisalign hugs the teeth closely and has a very low profile, so there is nothing protruding out from the tooth surfaces to irritate the inside of the lips or cheeks.  Invisalign moves

the teeth in tiny increments, so the pressure on the teeth is small and very controlled, whereas with braces the teeth are moved by wires and the forces are larger and harder to

control.  For this reason, Invisalign causes very little soreness of the teeth, and what soreness there is lasts only hours, not days.  Invisalign is clear and hard to see, and is therefore

cosmetically superior to even the “clear” braces.  Also aligners can be removed for close-up photos, but braces are not so easily removed.

 

 

©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 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  

 

Overbite Studies

There are 3 overbite studies I am initiating.

 

1. How much can the forward growth of the chin be enhanced during overbite correction using the MARA overbite corrector?

It is expected that adolescent teenagers will experience considerable forward growth of the chin using the MARA overbite corrector carefully, trying not to lengthen the face but to direct the growth of the lower jaw horizontally.  I will study whether there is a difference between boys and girls.  I will also study whether adults can experience some forward growth of the chin, even though they are “done” growing.

This study will be compared to an untreated group of adolescent teenage boys and girls, in order to understand how much change in the horizontal chin position the MARA produces.  These untreated teenagers have head xrays stored at the University of Michigan from years ago, and are available for studies such as this.

 

1. How fast can overbite correction occur and still be stable?

By combining braces with the MARA overbite corrector, and starting elastics wear earlier too, we will study whether the treatment time for overbite correction can be reduced from 33 months average to 20 months average.  The groups to be studied are adolescent boys, adolescent girls, and adults.

 

1. How reliably can overbite correction be accomplished using Invisalign instead of braces, along with the MARA overbite corrector?

A group of adolescent boys and a group of adolescent girls and a group of adults will be treated with first the MARA overbite corrector, and then after the MARA is removed, with Invisalign, to see how nicely the bite can be corrected without braces.

 

©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  

 

Can Braces Cause Cavities?

With Invisalign, the aligners can be removed for brushing.  Poor tooth brushing causes cavities.  Most orthodontists monitor tooth brushing carefully and reward good brushing.  The good brushing habits formed during braces last a lifetime.

 

A person seeing an observant orthodontist once every month or two is less likely to have new cavities undetected than a person who only sees the dentist once or twice a year.

 

Orthodontic patients get their brushing graded at every appointment, and they are provided brushes and other cleaning supplies.  They also get instruction on diet, fluoride rinses, etc.

 

In the old days with bands wrapped around the front teeth, sometimes loose bands were hard to detect and would decay underneath. Nowadays, with bonded brackets, it is easier to tell.

 

Today's orthodontic cements have fluoride in them and the teeth are sealed for protection before gluing the braces on.

 

If an orthodontist realized that a patient was not brushing adequately after  many lessons, he would just remove the braces and discontinue treatment, before any serious cavities developed.

 

 

©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