There have been many orthodontic tools used in our clinic but few are as subtle and convenient as Invisalign in Fulham. Let us tell you about them.
Orthodontics is the art of moving teeth; that might sound like a challenge but it really isn’t. Although many don’t appreciate it, our teeth are constantly in a state of motion, being pushed on by forces and continually returning back to the original position. So, if force is consistently applied in one direction, this can be used to alter the location of the tooth as well as its rotation and balance.
This is the fundamental biological process that underpins the school of orthodontics. Pushing on a patient’s tooth would be an inconvenience, so we use orthodontic tools. These are gadgets that fit in the mouth to apply forces on our behalf. Every time you attend one of our checkups, we assess how your teeth have moved and tighten or adjust these tools in order to keep your teeth moving until they reach their final state, a good meshing and attractive bite.
There has always been a desire for orthodontic tools to be as subtle as possible. Often, this has involved the use of lighter or thinner material, like a narrow archwire and small brackets. Occasionally, a totally different material is used; ceramic braces started out as toughened glass and now, they are made of polymer ceramic glass. But every so often, something genuinely new occurs and back in the 90s, the clear aligner was just that. A plastic form that was worn over the teeth, applied pressure in a very sparing way and had an intelligent way of giving you the greatest effect for the least inconvenience or discomfort.
How clear aligners work
Clear aligners managed to achieve this by being designed with a 3D scan of your teeth; this scan is used to produce a facsimile of your mouth in a simulated environment. Then, an orthodontist can rearrange the digital teeth of this simulated mouth into an idealized final position. Once start and finish positions are determined, the software is able to break down the treatment schedule into a set of smaller milestones. This creates an image of what you could expect between each of these milestones; like a map of how your teeth should move over time. This is called the vector map and from it, each of the aligners in the treatment series is modelled.
It’s almost as if treatment has already been carried out; this digital idea has been checked by a professional and all that there is left to do is print the aligners. To go from your initial scan to you picking up Invisalign in Fulham from the clinic takes about 3-weeks.
Then, all that’s left is for you to wear them and your mouth to go through the changes that were digitally predicted. In real-time, this can take anywhere from 4 months to 2 years depending on the realignment needed. Our dentists will be able to provide you with a rough guide of the length of your treatment after a full assessment in the clinic.
If you have any further questions about Invisalign in Fulham, would like to find out more about aligners for you or one of your family members please contact the clinic. You can do this over the phone or by email.
