When is Invisalign right for you and what are its benefits?
A dentist can offer you treatment with invisible braces in Sydney CBD. Invisalign has proven to be a crucial dental treatment for those who would like to straighten their teeth, but do not like the thought of having metal objects in their mouth for months. Invisalign is made out of plastic, which makes it nearly invisible, and it is removable which has made many lives more comfortable. Invisalign is capable of correcting overcrowded and crooked teeth, crossbites, underbites, open bites, overbites or gaps between the teeth. Invisalign is perfectly suitable for mild to moderate cases. However complex cases, such as malocclusions might require the implementation of traditional braces.
The history of invisible braces
For a long time, the only solution for teeth straightening were braces with brackets made out of metal. The wire component of the braces was adjusted periodically to apply the necessary pressure on the teeth in order to adjust them. Later, the metal brackets of the braces became available made out of ceramic or plastic. This has reduced the area of the smile the braces are covering; however, it still has a wire component, which is visible. To tackle this issue another solution has been developed, which moved the brackets to the inside of the teeth rather than the front. This has also had its unique problems, which was mainly the brackets being more prone to falling off compared to traditional braces, given the greater access and agitative force of the tongue.
This changed in 1997 when Invisalign was invented. A student of Stanford, Zia Christi was an adult orthodontic patient himself. Upon finishing his orthodontic treatment the length of time the removal of his braces, the brackets and the residual glue from the teeth took made him think how much easier it would be if the braces could just be removed. Following the treatment his orthodontist gave him a plastic retainer to use, which consisted of a metal wire applying pressure on the teeth, and a plastic part that was positioned on the opposite side of the teeth. The retainer gave Zia Christi the idea that using a series of plastic retainers rather than metal braces could be just as effective as metal braces. As he was still an undergraduate at Stanford he hired some talents, with whom he started a small garage company. They used computer aided design, 3D printing and modelling to create aligners for all stages of the process. Invisalign later broke into the mainstream of orthodontics, given the important market gap it managed to cover.
How does the treatment work?
There are a number of stages to Invisalign treatment. It always starts with a consultation session where you and your dentist decide whether the treatment would be the best option for you. If both you and your dentist think that Invisalign is your best option, a 3D recording of your mouth is taken. The Invisalign iTero machine does not use X-rays. Instead it uses infrared lasers, which are much safer than X-rays. Following the recording the plastic aligners for the different stages of the treatment are manufactured. Invisalign saves time for you as well, as the number and length of dental appointments gets significantly reduced.
Any surgical or invasive procedure carries risks. Before proceeding you should seek a second opinion from an appropriately qualified practitioner.