Metal Mouth Message Board

Hi, all! I am currently 7 months into my treatment with traditional braces. The original plan I had made with my orthodontist was to have the braces for 6-8 months and then move into Invisalign. The biggest problem in my mouth is my overjet (not sure exactly how many mm), and I had my second bicuspids pulled to make room. At my adjustment last week, my ortho informed me that he wanted to wait another 6-8 months before switching to Invisalign. He says that Invisalign isn't capable of closing the expansion gaps. I was extremely disappointed. I feel very self-conscious about having traditional braces, especially when I'm at work, and the reason I chose this particular orthodontist was because he was proposing the shortest amount of time in braces. Now my treatment time has suddenly doubled, and I'm not thrilled.

I am wondering if I should consider getting a second opinion, perhaps from someone who works more with Invisalign. Does anyone out there know if it's possible for Invisalign to close gaps? Mine are at about 4 mm. I would at least like to be positive that my ortho is right before I go through another long six months with braces. Thanks in advance!

~Kristy

As a general comment, 4mm spaces can be closed with Invisalign. However, it will depend on the root position, rotations, and direction of movement desired. There are also an exceedingly small number of orthodontists who are experienced to close extraction spaces with aligners. In fact, there are probably less than a couple in each state or province in North America. The majority of doctors still claim that Invisalign cannot move roots, yet there have been many case reports showing successful treatments, including those on Invisalign's online continuing education site.

Good luck!

Hi Kristy. I've got a 4mm overbite and a gap between my top front teeth. After consulting a couple of orthodontists, I decided to go for 18 months using a lingual brace due to the likelihood of better results. Invisalign bend teeth back whereas a brace, be it lingual or otherwise, pull teeth back nearer to the root. That s what I was told. Hope you're not upset.

Nick

Hi there,
My ortho is fixing my overjet and with Invisalign. Unfortunately he is in Australia so probably not a lot of use to you. However different providers are willing to undertake different cases with Invisalign. I wonder whether you could get a second opinion.