Invisalign

After our initial consult, where we discuss whether or not Invisalign is an option for you, we have our “Records” appointment. During this appointment, we will be taking pictures as well as impressions of your teeth. The pictures will be great for before-and-after comparisons, but they also let us show you different views of your teeth that you have not seen before, and we can point out certain areas we will be focusing on or what changes you might expect. As far as the impressions go, do not worry—there is no goop in sight. All of our impressions are digital. We use a scanner (the same machine we use for our same day crowns) to capture images of your teeth. It takes a little longer than the goop, but it is more accurate, and the scans are uploaded immediately to the Invisalign lab instead of needing to be mailed. After photos and scanning are complete, our first appointment is done, and you are free!

Within a few days of receiving it, they will send us a mock-up of each stage of treatment from start to finish. I will make any modifications I deem necessary, then send it back. Once I receive their new mockup and give it my approval, the lab starts manufacturing your aligners and ships them to us once it is complete. This process usually takes approximately three weeks.

Here is what you need to know about attachments:
• They are painless (no shot needed)
• Nearly invisible (same material we use for tooth-colored fillings)
• Temporary (removed after treatment with no damage to your tooth)
IPR is something we use only rarely, but it is essentially lightly sanding the sides of specific teeth to create a little extra room. It is not painful (also doesn’t require a shot) and won’t be noticeable to you—we’re working in tenths of a millimeter. After adding your attachments and completing any necessary IPR, we will send you home with your first several trays.

From then on, you will be wearing your aligners for 22 hours a day (taking them out to eat, brush, and floss), and changing to the next set every two weeks or potentially every week. You may have some soreness the day after you switch to a new set, but this should resolve quickly with consistent wear. We will bring you back periodically for check-up appointments to verify the progress of your Invisalign treatment, give you your next several sets of aligners, or make changes to the attachments. As long as everything is fitting properly, you will not need to see us too much. Of course, if you have any issues like a tray is not fitting or an attachment comes off, you should contact us! We will be happy to bring you in to see what we need to do to resolve the issue.