Invisalign aligners are becoming more popular, especially among adults who do not want to wear braces. Invisalign appliances are a series of removable teeth aligners made from a thin, transparent plastic material. The material is similar to the splints used to cover clinical crowns and marginal gingiva. The latest computer-aided design and manufacturing technology goes into the fabrication of the individual aligners. Currently, these aligners have sizes for adults and teenagers whose permanent teeth have fully erupted. Each aligner can move the teeth to about 0.3 mm in two weeks.
Functional Requirements for Use
Invisalign appliances are to be worn for at least 22 hours a day. A patient gains the full benefit of the aligners by using them for a maximum of 400 hours. Dental professionals recommend Invisalign for various oral deformities, including crowding and spacing, deep overbite, and mild relapse after wearing braces. Although these Invisalign has become quite well-known, their effectiveness is still debatable, with some studies revealing several limitations of Invisalign.
First of all, the system has registered limited success when it comes to treating anterior open bites. Several orthodontists have reported difficulties in achieving the right occlusion during the treatment of anterior open bite. Although they offer a certain degree of anterior extrusion, it is not enough to restore the ideal overbite.
Furthermore, these aligners are also unable to fix overbite relationships fully. Other experts have expressed their frustrations with these aligners claiming that they are unable to correct buccal malocclusions (crossbite). This limitation is due to insufficient interarch mechanics. Some reports suggest that trying to correct buccal occlusions with invisalign appliances might leave some patients in worse conditions.
Some medical experts even claim that fixed braces work better than Invisalign when it comes to correcting buccolingual crown inclinations, occlusal relationships, occlusal contacts and overjet. Only a very small number of patients treated with invisalign aligners met the preset passing standard. Premolar extraction patients cannot use invisalign aligners because they are unable to keep the teeth upright in the course of space closure.
Also, since these aligners are removable, it is always hard to convince patients to keep them on for the required period to achieve the preferred results. Patients must wear the aligners for 22 hours a day and are only allowed to remove them when eating or drinking hot beverages, or when brushing or flossing their teeth. Unfortunately, many patients are not patient enough to comply with the strict policy, so they end up removing them whenever they feel uncomfortable.
