A guide to how Invisalign works

Most people these days have heard about the innovative type of dental realignment treatment known as the invisible aligner. This has been something of a dream for many people who have been looking for a way to straighten their teeth in adult life without needing to wear a fitted metal brace.

While invisible aligners have been, for the most part, incredibly successful at straightening people’s teeth, many of those who have worn them or are about to start wearing them want to know a little bit more about how the process actually works. After all, how is it possible that plastic trays can move someone’s teeth?

At Spa Dental Sydney, we have been working with Invisalign in Sydney for many years now and know all there is to know about this aligner. We will always be happy to meet with our dental patients to discuss their suitability for this aligner and can advise you on how to maintain it during everyday life.

But how exactly does Invisalign in Sydney work? Read on for a simplified guide from our team.

Personalised fit

Firstly, it’s important to note that what makes Invisalign in Sydney different from traditional fitted braces is that they employ a personalised fit. This means that they will only fit your teeth and this is part of how they work. When you come to visit our team for a consultation about suitability for this aligner, we will use an intraoral scan to get a clear image of the position of your teeth that will then be used to create the aligners.

Vector points

Going back to the idea of the intraoral scan for a moment, when this image is sent to the dental laboratory to create the aligners, a set of vector points will be mapped out using computer imagery. Vector points are in essence the parts of the aligner where pressure will need to be applied in order to move your teeth with each aligner in the series.

This is why it is so important to wear the aligners in the order that they come in and not to skip any part of the process.

Wear each day

For this process to work correctly, you will need to wear the aligners for around 22 hours per day or as recommended by our team. This will allow them enough time to apply pressure via the vector points to the teeth to move them. In fact, we only recommend that you take your aligners out when you are eating food, drinking any beverage that is not water and brushing your teeth.

The aligners themselves

As mentioned before, the aligners themselves come with the vector points marked out and typically, you will receive about 12 to 14 in a set. These have to be worn in the set order that they come in to ensure that treatment proceeds as planned. If you lose any of the aligners during the process, you will need to have them replaced and should not skip on to the next aligner without the green light from our team.

Retainer

Once the aligners have worked their magic and your teeth have been straightened, you will need to wear a retainer in order to hold your teeth in the final desired position. If you skip this stage, your teeth may revert back, which can cost you more time and money to re-straighten them.

DISCLAIMER

All treatment carries risks. Individual consultation is required with one of our practitioners to ensure that the treatment is right for you.