Everything you need to know about Invisalign
Invisalign is an orthodontic device that is manufactured by the multinational medical device company, Align Technology. Now there are now over 2 million Invisalign patients and is being sold around the world.
Where Invisalign started
The basic idea for Invisalign came from Zia Chishti, during his treatment with a retainer that was intended to complete his treatment. His idea was a series of devices that could do the same job as a large final change but in a series of small movements. Along with Kelsey Wirth, Chishti began to seek developers.
They then joined with fellow Stanford students, Apostolos Lerios and Brian Freyburger to co-found Align Technology.
Funding was received from Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byer and development began in a garage in Menlo Park, California.
Lerios and Freyburger had knowledge on the use of 3D printers, which helped them develop the programming that designed the retainers.
Invisalign sales began in the U.S. in 1999 following FDA approval the previous year.
Orthodontists were hesitant to adopting Invisalign, as the founders had no orthodontic qualifications and experience. Invisalign was more popular among consumers.
By 2001, 75% of the 8,500 orthodontists in North America had been trained on the Invisalign system. In the same year, Align Technology made Invisalign available to general dentists.
The Invisalign system grew from 80,000 patients in 2002 to 175,000 in 2004. Invisalign has won many awards for stereolithography, medical design and fast-growth.
In 2005, Invisalign expanded to Japan and acquired General Orthodontic, an orthodontics firm that supported doctors prescribing the Invisalign system.
The Harvard School of Dental Medicine began requiring that its orthodontic graduate students complete an Invisalign certification before they graduated.
By 2008 500,000 patients had used Invisalign, this figure then increased to 2 million by 2012.
In order for doctors prescribing Invisalign to maintain their Invisalign provider status, Align Technology required them to complete at least ten cases each year and have a minimum of ten hours training.
Invisalign Treatment process
The Invisalign process is a long and gradual one. It begins with a doctor taking x-rays, photographs, a bite registration and impressions of the patient’s teeth and gums. The Invisalign provider will then complete a written evaluation. This evaluation will include diagnosis and treatment plan.
The patient’s dental impressions are sent to be scanned to create a digital 3D representation of the teeth.
The treatment plan will be broken into stages of two-week increments. In these two weeks the retainers should be worn a minimum of 20 hours each day.
On average the treatment will usually take around 13.5 months. The treatment time will vary based on the complexity of the planned teeth movements.
The retainers should only be removed for brushing, flossing and eating.
Once the treatment is finished it is advised that patients wear the retainer at night for the foreseeable future.
How Invisalign is made
Technicians will receive the dental impressions of the patient. They will then move the teeth to the desired location using the program Treat. The program will create stages between the current and desired positions.
Before the aligners are made, a computer graphic representation of the projected teeth movements is provided to the doctor and patient in a software program called ClinCheck for approval.
The models will then be modelled using CAD-CAM (computer-aided-design and computer-aided-manufacturing) software and manufactured using a rapid prototyping technique called stereolithography. When the moulds for the aligners are created, they are built in layers using a photosensitive liquid resin that cures into a hard plastic when exposed to a laser.
The aligners are made from an elastic thermoplastic material that applies pressure to the teeth to move into the aligner’s position.
Between 6 and 40 aligners can be produced for one patient. The amount of aligners a patient receives depends on how much work needs to be done.
Each aligner will move the teeth 0.25 to 0.35 millimetres.
A small tooth-coloured composite attachment bonded onto certain teeth will be used for patients that need a teeth rotated or pulled down.
Invisalign Timetable
- March 1997- Align Technology, Inc. is founded
- September 1998- FDA clearance to market Invisalign System
- July 1999- 1st sale of Invisalign to Orthodontists
- September 2000- 1st U.S. national Invisalign Ad campaign
- August 2001- Invisalign is being used in Europe
- April 2002- 1st sales to general dentists
- May 2003- NYU adds Invisalign treatment to Orthodontic curriculum
- July 2008- Invisalign Teen is introduced
- April 2009- 1 millionth Invisalign patient
- August 2010- Invisalign Lite is introduced
- November 2012- 2 millionth Invisalign patient
Book an free consultation with the Invisalign Doctor to being your Invisalign process.