Invisalign® Fits Your Life — It Doesn’t Interrupt It
At every stage of your treatment, you’ll see your progress and enjoy your smile as it transforms. Here's what to expect on your Invisalign journey.
Initial Consultation
To properly diagnose you and plan your treatment, our treatment coordinator will take photos and a 3D iCAT X-ray. Once Dr. Brodsky has all of the diagnostic information, he'll take a look in your mouth and discuss some of the problems and solutions to your misaligned teeth.
Your doctor will scan your teeth and show you what your final smile will look like before talking about any cost, duration, and treatment plan.
Itero Digital Invisalign Tooth Scanner
In the past, goopy rubber impressions were the only way to send 3D information to Invisalign. Now, a special intraoral scanner allows for instant 3D capture of your teeth.
This is a non-X-ray scan, making it more accurate and comfortable. You don't have to worry about gagging, messy materials, or inaccurate impressions.
Your scan will take about five minutes with one of our scanners at our Lakewood office. Once we capture your scan, your doctor will create an Invisalign Outcome Simulation so that you will be able to see the fantastic results before you commit to treatment.
Digital Treatment Plan (ClinCheck)
Once you've given us the green light to begin your treatment, we'll send your 3D information to Invisalign. Dr. Brodsky has his own technician in Costa Rica that follows his instructions to set your case up digitally via the web.
Once the doctor has your teeth in a digital format, he moves them around into the most optimal relationship, stages the movements and adds the attachments so that what he sees on the screen will ultimately occur in your mouth.
Often, several modifications and edits of tooth movement are required. Once satisfied, Dr. Brodsky has the aligners 3D printed and shipped back to our office via UPS. Within three to four weeks, you'll have your aligners ready to begin your treatment.
Your First Insert Appointment
Your treatment generally begins with your first two sets of aligners and instructions on their wear and care. You may experience these effects when you begin treatment:
- Your teeth may develop some soreness associated with tooth movement
- Your bite may feel weird or different
- You might have an adjustment period to your aligner
On the positive side, patients often receive compliments that their teeth look shinier and straighter even when they’ve just started treatment, because of the smooth contours of the aligner.
We always ask you to keep your previous aligner in case you lose your current one. In most cases, it is okay to switch into the next aligner with some extended wear time.
Attachments & IPR
These are two facets of Invisalign that aren't mentioned by many doctors, or on the Invisalign website. However, they're critical components of accurate Invisalign care. If you need them, we usually perform these before your third aligner.
IPR
(Interproximal reduction) is also known as filing, sanding, slenderization, and enameloplasty. Whatever the name, it refers to the reduction of tooth enamel from the interproximal surfaces of the teeth to create sufficient space for tooth movement and/or to aid in the removal of black triangles at the gumline.
Patients are often concerned about this part of treatment increasing sensitivity, leading to cavities, being painful, or leaving gaps. It's a completely safe method to reduce anywhere from 0.2mm-0.6mm of enamel without concern when performed properly as shown by decades upon decades of research.
Attachments
Attachments are virtually invisible bumps that help move the teeth and grab the aligners. They are bonded temporarily on the selected teeth through the use of white filling material.
If you’re concerned with how attachments look, they're much less visible than braces. Most people won’t notice your attachments, especially when your aligners are in (which they should be – 22 hours per day!).
Once you have your attachments placed and we perform any IPR, you'll come in about every three months, depending on the stage of your treatment.
Additional Aligners
Sometimes teeth don’t move exactly as prescribed in the ClinCheck. When this happens we may take a new iTero scan to reboot your treatment.
This is the equivalent of detailed finishing with braces treatment. Your treatment didn't fail, but it's just part of the process. The average patient typically requires one or two rounds of additional aligners to complete their case.
Removing Attachments
This is a relatively simple procedure that's usually performed before a new iTero scan for additional aligners, or at the end of treatment.
We'll simply remove the resin bonded to your teeth. You won't need any anesthesia, and you won't have any pain. Some patients may experience some sensitivity if there is a gingival recession or root exposure.
Retainers
Just like any other orthodontic treatment, you'll need to use retainers to maintain your tooth movement with Invisalign. Generally, you will be asked to wear the removable retainers full time for a short duration of time, followed by indefinite periodic nightly wear.
Patients ask how long they should wear their retainers. The best answer is – as long as you want your teeth to stay straight! At Brodsky Orthodontics, we fabricate both the removable clear and fixed permanent retainers in our lab, with quick turn-around times for our patients.
With our Lifetime Retainer program, it’s easy to maintain the results of your treatment at Brodsky Orthodontics.
Get Started With Invisalign
Schedule your free consultation today.