Technology has touched all parts of our lives and dentistry is no different. Dental tech has bounded forward in the last twenty years. In the early 90s, metal brackets and wires of different types were the mainstay when it came to braces. Clear aligners for straightening teeth had been around for years in the dental lab, but no one had brought them to market.
The next evolution in braces came from two business students in America. After being turned down by other institutions, Zia Chishti and Kelsey Wirth got funding from the University of the Pacific School of Dentistry to trial a different kind of brace. Invisalign clear aligners were born.
Invisalign first became available to dentists in 1997 and has been growing in popularity ever since. It has now been used by more than 4 million patients worldwide.
At Sheen Dental in Richmond, Invisalign is particularly popular with our adult patients. This is because the transparent aligners offer a discreet way to straighter teeth – no one will know you are wearing them unless they are really close up! Having a mouth full of metal is not great for a teenager, but for an adult with a public-facing or high-profile job, it’s a real no no.
How Invisalign in Richmond works
Our dentist uses a handheld scanner to take digital impressions of your teeth and gums. This creates a digital treatment plan, which means you can see how your teeth will look by the end of the treatment, before it even starts. This information is sent to the Invisalign technicians in the US, who use it to custom-make the aligners to fit the exact profile of your teeth and gums.
Invisalign works by using pressure points within the aligners to gently move the teeth. Every 7-10 days, when you feel the pressure on your teeth releasing, you will need to replace the current set with the next in the series. You keep doing this until the teeth are at their desired end point.
You will need to check in with our Invisalign dentist every 6-8 weeks to make sure your treatment is progressing as it should.