Anyone who thinks that dental appliances are only done in adolescence is wrong. Many adults use it to improve their appearance and oral health, and technological advances have allowed several firsts in the area. Today, there are incredible options on the market: this is the case of the transparent device, which has personalized aligners and are made to measure for the patient. In addition to being discreet, invisible appliances are gaining more and more fans due to their features.
After all, they are removable, making it easier to eat and brush your teeth. Another advantage is the duration of treatment, which, depending on the case, can last around six months.
Evolution Of Appliances
The first orthodontic appliances appeared in 1728 in France. At the hands of the doctor Pierre Fauchard, known as “bandeau”, made with heavy metal and in the shape of a horseshoe, emerged.
The technology allowed significant advances, and, in 1997, the first transparent orthodontic device appeared. Dr recreated this clear aligners model. With cad/cam technology, Zia Chishti, enabling production on a larger scale and in less time, started to be marketed by Align Technology (manufacturer of 3D digital scanners and Invisalign), a company in which she is a co-founder. Invis London is the UK’s leading Invisalign provider.
However, since the 90s other brands have entered the market, such as BDS, Esthetic Aligner, OrthoAligner, Cleartek, Smart Aligner, and Clear Correct. However, the plastic mold with the low visual impact still had little accessibility due to the high cost: 3D printing and medical experts.
Once again, technological advances have provided a revolution in dental appliances. 3D printers now make it possible to manufacture invisible aligners inside the offices – as long as the orthodontist masters the production steps. In this way, the production cost decreased, and the product became more accessible to the population.
This is because, about five years ago, the leading manufacturer in the market held several patents for software and production stages. As a result, other manufacturers and dentists needed to look for other solutions.
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However, these patents have dropped, allowing other companies to update their way of production and the software they use. These software and equipment are the same that dentists use inside their offices.
Today, because of the fall in patents, other companies’ production and offices have improved significantly. However, the specialist draws attention to the fact that what will determine the efficiency of the treatment goes far beyond the company. First, it’s the professional’s experience if the professional masters the system. Another critical point is the collaboration of the patient in the use of the product.
Invisible solutions
The patient makes the consultation and the documentation that contains the intraoral scan. The exams are placed in the software for the dentist to plan all tooth movements.
We treat it step by step, maintenance by maintenance, first on the computer. This walkthrough produced on the computer is exported into virtual 3D files of the patient’s mouth in a sequence: the first file is with the crooked tooth. The second file is with the tooth a little more correct.
The third one even more and so on, until reaching the last file with the final result, he explains. This sequence of files is exported to a 3D printer that produces the molds.
Then comes the post-processing stage, where the 3D model is cured and washed to make it clean, beautiful and dimensionally stable. After that, it goes to a press that stamps the plastic of the aligner on top of the model and, finally, the cutting and polishing step, to get the plate out.
Each patient uses an average of four to six plates per month, considering the lower and upper part of the mouth, depending on the case, and the change is every two weeks on average.
It is essential to highlight that oral health care and teeth alignment are beyond aesthetics. Indeed, the impact of a beautiful smile dramatically influences a person’s self- esteem and self-confidence.
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