A lot of patients might have an idea of what the Invisalign treatment consists of, but here are the broken down steps:
1. The patients shows up for a consultation for Invisalign with a dentist or orthodontist. At that time, the patient will be examined and will find out if the treatment is right for him/her. Most of the patients qualify for Invisalign treatment, only a low percentage would really need to have braces treatment in order to address the chief complaints that they have. This is the visit where the patient can get really educated on what the Invisalign can do and determine if he/she is going to go for it. Also the visit where the overall fee, payment plan and the financial agreements are discussed.
2. Records taking visit. This visit might coincide with the first visit if everything is agreed upon by the patient. Impressions, photos and xrays are taken as needed. They are then sent to Invisalign Inc. with prescription form and treatment plan. Based on those records, Invisalign Inc. will come up with a ClinCheck which is virtual treatment sequence which is also predicting very acurately how the patient and the teeth will look at the end of treatment.
3. The patient starts treatment by getting the first sets of aligners and get the attachments placed(as needed) and/or IPR’s done(very tiny spaces created in between the teeth). During this visit, the patient gets an extra 2 sets of aligners, so the next visit is scheduled in 6 weeks(3 pairs of aligners times 2 weeks each). This is a great asset of Ivisalign treatment over regular braces. The number of visits is dramatically lower than the treatment with braces.
4. Patient keeps coming back every 6 weeks to have the progress checked and the fit of the new aligners.
5. After the last set of aligners is worn for two weeks, the patient comes back for the evaluation of the results. If the patient and the dentist are happy with the results, the retainers are ordered. If not, a refinement step is ordered.
6. The happy patient wears the retainers. The retainers are not “permanent”, they get worn out and they need to be replaced every so often.
If you have crowded or spaced out teeth, you are unhappy with your smile, etc… please contact my Washington Township, NJ 08080 office, Sewell Dental Arts and request a free consultation. I will be happy to meet you, know you and help you. Dr. Pastiu