In 2011, Invisalign changed its material. The results are an even better technology to an already superior one. It got even better.
The nearly-invisible Invisalign aligner is faster, more comfortable and more effective for teeth-straightening than braces.
How is it faster and by how much?
At Shemen Dental, the average Invisalign treatment is 12-14 months.
Here’s how it works:
The Movement
The movement is dictated by plastic, rather than wires. We call it rocket science. The truth is, traditional braces require a complex system of movement controlled mainly by wires as the chief catalyst for aligning teeth. It’s an extremely intricate process involving tedious and hard-to-control components.
With Invisalign, all the movement is controlled by one piece of plastic. The design creates the right kind of pressure a more natural kind of pressure. We refer to this perfect pressure as “goldilocks” pressure. It’s not too much, not too little, but just right.
The timet frame is significantly less for teeth-straightening with Invisalign vs braces. The longest case we’ve seen was under two years (23 months). And that case was unusually difficult. The shortest case we’ve seen was 6 months.
Usually, it takes 2 years to straighten teeth with braces, for adults or kids. Adults who use braces can sometimes go much longer.
At Shemen Dental, the average Invisalign treatment is 12-14 months; that includes adults!
Surprisingly, teens and adults experience the same results with Invisalign. That means adults have even more reason to choose Invisalign. The net time savings is much larger than for kids and teens.
The reality is, the science of Invisalign makes teeth movement much faster.
The Process
Invisalign works by taking digital photos or impressions of a person’s teeth. Each case involves wearing aligners, or retainers, that are formed based upon the needs of each patient, as created by the digital impression.
Before a patient receives their aligners, they’re scanned using a digital machine. The general rule is, for every quarter of a millimeter of movement, a new aligner is needed. There are several profound benefits to this method.
First, patients no longer have to deal with brackets mounted on their teeth over the lifetime of the teeth-straightening process. Instead, they receive brand new aligners every one to two weeks, depending on the process recommended by Shemen’s Dental staff.
Once the patient begins, it quickly becomes obvious how fast the movement really is. If the patient is compliant (doesn’t break too many rules), their teeth will move fast enough to need a new retainer in under two weeks. A completely new aligner is created at that point, based upon the movement recommended in the aligning process. This creates a custom and dynamic teeth-straightening process.
And, to make things even more exciting, there are ways to accelerate the Invisalign process.
We’ve had patients who’ve needed teeth-straightening in under 90 days for a wedding event. It is possible with Invisalign! Though we cannot guarantee results without first seeing a patient in our office, the possibilities with Invisalign are vastly superior to traditional braces.
Less Pain, More Gain
Most patients using braces experience pain with each new set of wires. And, there are many dangers that could, and often do, cause pain while wearing braces like lip laceration, sporting impact, and many other things.
Braces tend to get in the way of many activities. Invisalign is completely different. There are no wires or brackets. The smooth plastic doesn’t cause a potential issue with impact to the mouth.
On the first day, most patients say the pain level is a “1” or “2” on a scale of 1-10.
We almost never hear of patients at Shemen Dental using pain relievers, even mild ones like Tylenol. Invisalign isn’t painful.
Even though Invisalign is a much faster teeth straightener than braces, it’s nearly painless. Even accelerated Invisalign isn’t more painful than normal Invisalign. How is that possible? The way Invisalign is designed makes for a much more natural movement of the teeth, resulting in vastly decreased pain levels during the process.
See real stories from Invisalign patients!
