Invisalign™

One of the newest appliances available to orthodontists is Invisalign™. In short, it's a method of moving teeth without using braces.

The treatment consists of a series of clear plastic trays that the patient wears. Each tray is worn for 2-3 weeks and they gradually move the teeth from their starting position to the final, corrected position. Needless to say, they are VERY popular.

Advantages

  • They are clear. Few people will notice they are even being worn.
  • They can be removed during mealtimes and while brushing and flossing.
  • They are more comfortable than braces as they have a smooth surface and don't include any wires that may poke the cheeks and gums.

Disadvantages

  • THEY CAN BE REMOVED. The Invisalign™ process absolutely requires excellent patient compliance. The trays must be worn 20-22 hours per day. Mealtimes and cleaning are the ONLY times they are not worn. Non-compliance is a problem for all orthodontic treatments, however, with Invisalign™ the consequences are much more severe.
  • There are some tooth movements that Invisalign™ trays simply do not perform well. As such, more severe cases are not good candidates for Invisalign™ treatments.
  • They tend to cost more than braces. Invisalign™ is the company that fabricates the trays and their lab fees are substantial, but in my opinion, completely justified. A lot of effort and time goes into fabricating the custom trays.
  • In some cases, a short period of braces is necessary to finish the case properly. Sometimes the trays, even if worn dilligently, will not move the teeth quite as far as they should go. Other times the problem may be simply that the plastic trays prevent the teeth from touching for such a long time that they do not connect 100% properly once the treatment is done. These occurences are rare, but always a possibility.
  • Startup time is longer. The time between your first consultation and the delivery of the first trays usually takes about 6-8 weeks compared with as little as 2 weeks for braces.

Comparison

In many ways, braces and Invisalign™ are very similar:

  • Treatment time averages out to be pretty much the same for both braces and Invisalign™.
  • The teeth themselves will still ache. Moving teeth hurts a bit, regardless of the method used to do so.
  • Retainers to stabilize the final result are necessary for both treatments.