Dr. Willis visits Invisalign Clear Braces Global HQ

Learning about Invisalign Clear Braces

Our practice was recently invited by Invisalign, the world's largest orthodontic company, to their treatment planning headquarters in San Jose, Costa Rica. We were part of a select group of 590 GPs led by elite provider Dr. David Galler. What we saw there is, in our opinion, the future of orthodontics. The facility is the brain of the billion-dollar company, where over one thousand employees — including orthodontists, dentists, and technicians — receive molds of teeth from all over the world, in digital form. These digital impressions are processed through a five hundred million dollar physics software developed by Invisalign. Each tooth can be moved in different ways — with eight different attachments or shapes placed on teeth (push, pull, rotate, intrude, extrude, corkscrew, etc). These would be similar to the metal brackets of traditional braces, but by using custom shapes, different forces are applied to teeth via clear trays. We think of these as "smart brackets." After the computer comes up with its ideal movement through a physics software, a technician reviews and fine-tunes the case via your local Invisalign provider's preferences. A series of clear trays or "aligners" — virtually invisible — are manufactured that gradually change the position of your teeth from their current position to an ideal symmetry and bite. Trays are changed every two weeks and each set is a hair tighter in certain areas; as the teeth settle into a new position, a new tray comes. Average treatment time for the patient is eight months. We have a machine available in our Fishersville dental office called the Itero Element which scans teeth and makes three-dimensional models of the mouth — we use this for both Invisalign impressions and our porcelain crown work. The speed of the technology is amazing: we can scan a patient, and in ten minutes of processing it is running through the physics software at Invisalign's Design HQ getting ready to be evaluated by their team.

A doctor will use this clear-aligner orthodontics primarily for three reasons — 1) improving the symmetry, cosmetics, and appearance of the teeth, 2) creating a balanced and harmonious occlusion, and 3) eliminating crowded areas that contribute to gum disease and dental decay. We believe that in the future we will see fewer metal braces and more clear-aligner systems used to straighten the majority of teeth. It is similar to what we saw in dentistry with silver mercury amalgam fillings gradually losing ground to the newer white composite resin fillings. As the technology with composite tooth-colored resins increased, so did their predictability, longevity, and performance. Now very few dentists, if any, primarily place metal amalgam fillings. We predict we will see the same trend with clear-aligner braces versus older metal braces.

We recommend Invisalign over traditional metal braces for the vast majority of adult patients (excluding those with a certain class of bite or bilateral posterior crossbites) and for many older teens. We are seeing adults that have never had braces achieve results in less time with Invisalign. We see common orthodontic relapses (someone that had metal braces, whose teeth have shifted) easily corrected. Open bites (where the front teeth aren't touching) are slam-dunks. If a patient comes to us with spacing they want corrected, Invisalign is a walk in the park. The benefits of Invisalign over traditional metal braces are substantial — the cosmetics (they're invisible) is obvious, and the speed and technology of Invisalign is, in our opinion, second to none. Clear aligners can also be removed when eating or brushing and flossing your teeth. We see much healthier gums and teeth in patients, and we don't see the chalkiness or scarring of teeth that aren't cleaned well while wearing metal braces. Metal braces are honestly much more invasive and harder on the teeth (for typically a longer period of time) than Invisalign aligner treatments. There is also less sensitivity with aligners, where it is a computerized, measured movement. In our opinion, the choice is clear between the two options — Invisalign is superior except in the minority of cases described above. If you're interested in Invisalign, feel free to call our Fishersville office on Medical Park Drive for a free consult and we can talk privately about what this technology can do for you.

Keep Smiling, The Willis Family Dentistry team