The Invisibility of Invisalign orthodontic treatment

Congratulations on your decision to start Invisalign orthodontic treatment at Just Smile Orthodontics. You will find that Invisalign is a great way of straightening and enhancing your smile inconspicuously. Most will never know that your teeth are getting straighter “magically.” 

The process of Invisalign is straightforward. First, we will get you in for a free, no charge Invisalign consultation. Dr. Leo Toureno will perform an initial orthodontic screening and determine if you are a good Invisalign candidate. When you are ready, we will take an impression of your teeth and send them to Invisalign. They will scan it into a computer and a digital image of your teeth can be manipulated in 3D. Dr. Leo Toureno will thoughtfully move your teeth virtually into the most esthetic positions all within the computer. The set of aligner trays will then be fabricated according to the prescribed tooth positions. As you can see, most of the work is done behind the scenes and not “visible” to you. 

The aligner trays themselves are made of clear thermoplastic materials that are precision laser cut. They are also not usually visible to the causal observer unless they come real close to your teeth. 

Many times, Invisalign attachments (“buttons” that look like small lumps) are bonded or glued to the front surface of the teeth in order to get better traction and more predictable tooth movements. These attachments are tooth colored so they are rarely noticeable to the casual observer. 

Sometimes, Dr. Toureno may prescribe wearing rubber bands or elastics from the upper aligner trays to the bottom. Clear or metal buttons may be bonded on your teeth for attaching the rubber bands. These rubber bands are usually clear or amber colored so they are less conspicuous. Although the causal observer may notice rubber bands in your mouth, the whole set up is still much more esthetic and less noticeable than metal braces and metal wires. 

Dr. Leo Toureno will usually see you every 6 to 8 weeks where tooth movements will be monitored. Sometimes, if everything looks good, nothing is done for that appointment and more aligner trays will be given to you. Why does Dr. Toureno not do much work when I come for my orthodontic “adjustment” appointment you ask? Well, most of the important work such as treatment planning your orthodontic case has been done behind the scenes virtually in the computer, not visible to you, and the rest of the work will be done by the set of clear invisible Invisalign aligners custom made for you. 

Thus not only are the aligner trays and attachments “invisible”, many times, the orthodontic “adjustments” or “tightening” appointments are also “invisible” in a sense that it is already pre-programmed in the trays! How’s that for invisible orthodontic treatment!