How does Invisalign work?

The patient meets with an Invisalign-trained general dentist who takes orthodontic records of the patient’s teeth, including impressions, x-rays and photos. The general dentist submits an online treatment plan to Invisalign and mails out the appropriate models, x-rays and photos.

At Invisalign, a computer model of the patient’s teeth is created from the models submitted by the dentist. Invisalign then uses its 3-D imaging software to generate a graphical representation of the doctor’s treatment plan—almost like an animated movie of the way the patient’s teeth will move from the current position to the final desired position.
The general dentists then reviews and approves the rendering of his treatment plan (the 3-D movie) and Invisalign produces a series of clear, plastic aligners that correspond to the stages of tooth movement in the 3-D movie.

The patient wears each stage of aligners for approximately two weeks before switching to the next set in the series. The patient will have appointments scheduled every six weeks to deliver the next set of aligners and perform any other procedures as required by Invisalign. Week by week, the patient’s teeth are subtly straightened until a positive final outcome is achieved.