Clear Aligners

00:00:04.938 --> 00:00:08.408 Invisalign is an amazing tool for dentistry. 00:00:08.475 --> 00:00:13.000 I got started with Invisalign in 2004 when it first came out. 00:00:13.066 --> 00:00:15.516 Orthodontics used to be a wire and bracket, 00:00:15.582 --> 00:00:17.584 so it was like the classic brackets and wires. 00:00:17.851 --> 00:00:20.654 Then Invisalign came along, and they created these clear aligners, 00:00:20.721 --> 00:00:24.892 like these little plastic trays that you wear for 20 hours out of the day. 00:00:24.958 --> 00:00:26.360 You change them out weekly, 00:00:26.426 --> 00:00:29.640 and it gradually takes you from a before to an after. 00:00:29.930 --> 00:00:32.499 When I have patients come into the office, 00:00:32.599 --> 00:00:35.469 I usually use it as a tool for my smile makeovers. 00:00:35.569 --> 00:00:37.504 Things that I've learned through my 33 years 00:00:37.571 --> 00:00:40.841 is how much the gum tissue plays in a beautiful smile. 00:00:41.141 --> 00:00:44.444 The beautiful smiles that we see, that we are attracted to and that we love, 00:00:44.511 --> 00:00:49.040 really have beautiful, balanced gum tissue above the teeth. 00:00:49.616 --> 00:00:53.800 It breaks up the whiteness of the teeth in a way that is just beautiful. 00:00:54.154 --> 00:00:56.590 It's so subtle that you don't really realize it. 00:00:57.291 --> 00:01:02.001 What Invisalign does is it allows for that spreading, 00:01:02.067 --> 00:01:06.233 that balance of getting the teeth in the right harmony with the gum tissue. 00:01:06.300 --> 00:01:11.004 If I see gum irregularities, oftentimes, orthodontics helps me 00:01:11.306 --> 00:01:13.807 with that process, so I love it. 00:01:13.874 --> 00:01:15.475 I think it's an amazing tool. 00:01:15.542 --> 00:01:19.813 Invisalign has broadened their reach. 00:01:20.280 --> 00:01:22.400 You can do young kids with it. 00:01:22.466 --> 00:01:24.418 My daughter, who is seven, is in it, 00:01:24.484 --> 00:01:29.156 and you can go all the way up to our oldest patient was in his late 80s. 00:01:29.623 --> 00:01:32.392 You can go that full spectrum. It's pretty amazing. 00:01:32.459 --> 00:01:34.411 One of the changes that Invisalign made 00:01:34.477 --> 00:01:37.898 that made it so effective was they have these optimized attachments 00:01:37.965 --> 00:01:39.771 that fit on the teeth, 00:01:40.234 --> 00:01:42.035 and the tray fits over those attachments, 00:01:42.102 --> 00:01:44.271 and it grabs a tooth like a little... 00:01:45.272 --> 00:01:48.974 Those attachments are like a handle, and it helps the tray move the tooth. 00:01:49.042 --> 00:01:50.644 We put these attachments on the patient, 00:01:50.711 --> 00:01:51.678 we give them the trays, 00:01:51.745 --> 00:01:54.581 and we see the patient every 10 weeks or so 00:01:54.848 --> 00:01:57.284 to evaluate their progress until we're happy with the result. 00:01:58.252 --> 00:02:02.189 You're wearing them 20–22 hours a day during the treatment process. 00:02:02.256 --> 00:02:05.859 When you're done, you'll wear a retainer at night. 00:02:06.040 --> 00:02:08.362 Oftentimes what I've seen through my experience 00:02:08.428 --> 00:02:11.231 is once you finish Invisalign, they're done. 00:02:11.498 --> 00:02:15.035 They're like, "Oh my God, I didn't realize I had a beautiful smile underneath this."