Are you looking into Invisalign clear aligners to treat an orthodontic issue? One question our patients often have is about how their clear aligners are made. Our Surrey dentists break down the process.
If you’re seriously considering Invisalign clear aligners as an alternative to braces for your orthodontic treatment, you might be wondering how your aligners will be made. After all, you’ll have them in your mouth for quite some time!
Medical-Grade Resins
Similar to braces, Invisalign clear aligners are designed to gradually push misaligned or misplaced teeth into their correct positions. But instead of the metal and brackets found in traditional braces, clear aligners are made with clear, transparent plastic. They are constructed from BPA-free, USP Class VI medical-grade, high molecular weight polyurethane resins.
Custom Fit & Production
Every patient’s orthodontic issues, physical characteristics and goals are unique, so their orthodontic treatment needs to fit their specific needs.
Invisalign aligners are custom-made to snugly fit the shape of your mouth and are specifically designed to help you achieve your smile goals.
During the consultation process, you’ll see your dentist so detailed, X-rays, impressions and photographs can be taken of your teeth. Based on these images and X-rays, your dentist can develop a personalized treatment plan for you and discuss it with you. Once you approve the expected results, your clear aligners will be produced.
A model of your teeth will be made with our iTero Impression Scanner (3D computer imaging technology), which captures images of each individual tooth so your scans will be extremely accurate. You’ll also be able to see a preview of how your teeth might look by the end of your treatment.
Both a quadrant scan and a full bite scan are completed so the dentist can assess your malocclusion in context with the rest of your mouth.
The complete model and scanned images are then sent to Align Technologies, where the aligners are created.
How many aligners will you need?
You’ll use several sets of aligners over the course of your treatment as your teeth move in tiny increments with each new set of aligners.
On average, Invisalign treatment lasts more than one year and you’ll likely wear each new set of aligners for two weeks before changing to another. This means that you’ll probably use 50+ sets of aligners during your treatment.