The days of middle school and high school braces - whether metal, colored or clear ceramic braces - are all but gone, thanks to Invisalign Teen®.
Although braces are still a
viable option for many of our patients (see June/July 2013 issue of Women’s
Journal article - page 9), some teenage patients may be reluctant to undergo
braces treatment for social reasons. Doctors and parents may be skeptical about
their teenager’s willingness to cooperate with removable clear aligners.
Invisalign Teen® is a method
of straightening teeth using clear, almost invisible removable aligners. My
clinical treatment plan is combined with proprietary 3-D computer-generated
software to make sets of unique, custom-made aligners that move your teeth in
precise increments.(1)
Some of the benefits I
have found with Teen Invisalign® vs. Braces:
·
Easier to brush
and floss, less worry about cavities forming
·
No wire poke
emergency visits· Less treatment visits needed to complete treatment (great for busy moms!)
· Photos can be taken easily for school pictures
· Blue indicator tabs are included for compliance checks
· Eruption compensation to allow natural eruption of teeth
A recent prospective study(2) looked at teen oral health and teen satisfaction during Invisalign®
treatment. Four different orthodontic offices participated and evaluated
plaque, gingival-bleeding and cavity scores for two years during the treatment.
In addition, quality of life questions about physical and social comfort were
asked every three months.
The findings indicated
significantly less plaque and bleeding than patients wearing braces. Patient
satisfaction was good, since 70% of the patients “seldom” or “never”
experienced discomfort from their aligners, and 80% “seldom” or “never” used
pain relievers.
At OSL, my team and I enjoy
the process and the results we’ve seen with our Invisalign® patients.
We congratulated Sam after recently finishing his Invisalign® treatment in 14 months after wearing
27 sets of aligners - see his pictures below:
BEFORE
AFTER
Please call us at Orthodontics
on Silver Lake @ (302) 672-7776 to find out how you can smile more!
References:
1.
Align Technology,
Inc. M00081 Rev.1
2.
Tuncay, O,
Bowman, J, Amy, and Nicozisis,J Aligner Treatment in the Teenage Patient,
JCO.VolumeXLVII, No.2 2013.
