Orthodontics and The Technology Behind Invisalign Braces
You may wonder what goes on with your Invisalign braces between the time that your orthodontist takes impressions of your teeth for your clear braces and when you receive your first set of aligners.
State-of-the-art computer technology plays a vital role in the process of creating your Invisalign braces. In fact, Invisalign's high-volume, customized orthodontics manufacturing process is the first of its kind in the world.
Below are some of the ways advanced computer technology in used in the manufacture of Invisalign invisible braces.
- To ensure a high degree of accuracy throughout the process, your orthodontists take impressions of your teeth.
- Your orthodontics professional then sends Invisalign your dental impressions which are used to make plaster models of your teeth.
- Using advanced imaging technology, Invisalign transforms the plaster models of your teeth into a highly accurate 3-D digital image.
- From your approved ClinCheck® file, Invisalign uses laser scanning to build a set of actual models that reflect each stage of your dental treatment plan.
- Using the Internet, your orthodontists review your ClinCheck® file - if necessary, adjustments to the depicted orthodontics plan are made.
- A computerized movie - called ClinCheck® - depicting the movement of your teeth from the beginning to the final position is created.
- Your customized set of aligners for your Invisalign clear braces are made from these models, sent to your orthodontist, and given to you. You wear each aligner for about two weeks.
- After wearing all of your orthodontics aligners in the series, your crooked teeth are gone and you've got the beautiful smile you've always wanted.
+Jim Du Molin is a leading Internet search expert helping individuals and families connect with the right dentist in their area. Visit his author page.
Orthodontics: More Than Just Teeth Straightening
When asked what their orthodontist does, most people will answer "straightens crooked teeth." Yet there's a good deal more to it than that.
To practice in the field of orthodontics, a dentist must be trained not only in dentistry, medicine, and pharmacy, but in physics and engineering. They must have the touch of a master craftsman, and the eye of an artist. To fully serve their patients, orthodontists must be part scientist, part psychologist, part detective, and part businessman. Becoming an orthodontist requires four years of formal postgraduate training leading to a dental degree, and two more years of graduate studies in orthodontics. But their education doesn't end with a diploma. In many ways, that's where it begins.
Though it may not be obvious from the casual office visit, the practice of orthodontics has changed dramatically in just the last few years. With ongoing research have come continuing advances in ceramic, clear and invisible braces. There are more sophisticated tools to diagnose orthodontic problems, plus innovative materials and techniques to treat them. There are new drugs to control pain, and cosmetic dentistry procedures no one had heard of 10 years ago. Plus, the number of adults getting braces has risen dramatically. This means that now orthodontists must practice adult orthodontics which presents different challenges.
The field continues to change so rapidly that it's estimated orthodontists must acquire an entirely new set of knowledge every two to four years. In fact, in many states, meeting minimum standards for continuing education is mandatory for orthodontists to retain their licenses. In addition to the formal courses is all the time spent reading professional journals and reviewing new products. Fortunately, orthodontists have no lack of opportunity to learn. By the American Dental Association's count, some 3,000 to 5,000 organizations offer continuing education courses to those in the dental profession.
From the hundreds of thousands of hours of specialized training offered annually, each orthodontic professional can choose the courses he or she feels are most needed to expand and update his or her skills.
The practice of orthodontics is a profession, a science, an art, and a lifelong commitment to provide the best and most advanced possible care for your teeth.
+Jim Du Molin is a leading Internet search expert helping individuals and families connect with the right dentist in their area. Visit his author page.