If you are thinking about improving your smile, you may opt for orthodontic treatment with invisible aligners or Invisalign.
Invisalign it’s a highly aesthetic orthodontic system based on removable splints that perform small movements gradually to achieve an aesthetic and functional smile.
It is an effective treatment that is indicated to correct dental alignment or bite problems.
Have you ever made the decision to have a perfect smile and have chosen Invisalign to get it? What are the steps that you will take throughout your treatment?
Phase I: first visit and orthodontic study
When you arrived at Sonríe Dental Studio a specialist will assess with you your expectations and goals regarding your smile.
You will undergo a series of diagnostic tests that will be later analyzed in a clinical session by the medical team, made up of specialists in the different areas of dentistry.
In this way, we will obtain a comprehensive diagnosis and a personalized treatment plan tailored to your requirements that our orthodontist will explain to you during a second visit.
Phase II: ClinCheck and manufacture of Invisalign aligners
Once you have opted for orthodontic treatment with invisible splints – Invisalign – we will take impressions from your mouth.
A 3D model will be generated that will simulate the dental movements that must be done to achieve the desired results.
This simulation is possible thanks to ClinCheck, a software developed by Align Technology, the company that created the Invisalign brand, which allows both the patient and the orthodontist to know what the teeth will look like once the treatment is finished.
This possibility is a peculiarity of the Invisalign method: no other orthodontic system allows you to see the before and after of the smile before you have started the process.
Thanks to the impressions, we can send the splints to the laboratory, always tailored to the patient’s mouth.
Phase III: The beginning of the invisible orthodontic treatment –Invisalign–
The aligners arrive at the clinic within approximately 10 days. You will receive, then, your first set of Invisalign invisible splints.
You must wear the aligners for at least 22 hours a day and you can only take them off to eat or brush your teeth.
In some cases, it will be necessary to use attachments to carry out some micromotions successfully.
The attachments are small composite reliefs that adhere to the desired tooth and, through this adhesion, allow small movements that the splint, by itself, would not be able to do.
The placement of the attachments is, like the treatment, personalized. Each one is intended to make a specific dental movement and they do not have to remain in the same tooth during the entire treatment.
Each set of Invisalign splints is used for an estimated time in two weeks and will be replaced by the next one after this interval has elapsed.
The patient should come every 4 or 6 weeks to the clinic for review so that the progress of the treatment is controlled.
Phase IV: the refinements in Invisalign
In some cases, once the patient has used all sets of splints, the orthodontist considers that the result can be improved.
We call refinement to the sets of spurs requested to improve the aesthetics of the smile, in such a way that the result is optimal.
In this case, we must differentiate between the number of refinements to be ordered according to the invisible orthodontic treatment prescribed for each patient:
- Invisalign Lite, recommended in those cases in which only small malpositions should be corrected, includes only a refinement in the treatment.
- Invisalign Full, on the contrary, is indicated in patients who must correct more marked problems of alignment or bite and includes an unlimited number of refinements.
Phase V: End of treatment with Invisalign and retention phase
The teeth tend to return to their original position once the orthodontic treatment has been withdrawn. Therefore, the retention phase is one of the most important in the process.
Once the specialist finishes the treatment, two types of retainers must be placed: fixed and removable – or Essix-.
The fixed retainers are thin, imperceptible sheets of wire that are placed on the inside of the tooth from tusk to tusk, both in the upper and lower arches.
The Essix, on the other hand, are removable retainers that look very similar to Invisalign splints. The orthodontist will individually schedule both the number of hours per day that the patient must wear the invisible splints placed as well as the time they should use them.
In these consultations, in addition to checking the state of your mouth and ruling out caries or periodontal diseases, we will verify that the retainers fulfill their function and we will ensure the stability of the results.
If you want more information about orthodontic treatment with transparent splints -Invisalign- we invite you to get in touch with us