Metal Mouth Message Board

OK, I admit I'm a little hesitant about asking this question.

I'm an engineer who knows that skeptics are better off than blind believers. But I also know that there are usually two sides to every story, and most people only know one side of the story. Which may be the case with me here.

But I'll ask anyway: When it comes to Invisiligners, what good are over-priced orthodontists? Except to take more of our money than regular dentists?

Let me state my reasoning, which may very well be enhanced (or exaggerated) by having 3 glasses of wine tonight (with my invisilgners in - I get new ones tomorrow).

The "Invisilign People" do the computer simulations and make the appliances to be used in aligning our teeth, right? Our dentist merely takes the initial impressions (which a dental hygienist could do), and then monitors our progress over the life of the treatment. The "Invisilign People" provide a 3-D video which shows the expected movement of our teeth. All the dentist has to do is ensure that the movement of our teeth conforms to the projected movement via pre-determined video. If any problems arise (such as excessive pain or unexpected movement of teeth), the dentist can then consult an orthodontist (or the "Invisilign People") for advice. Right?

OK, so the dentist has to place the attachments correctly on our teeth. But couldn't an experienced dental hygienist do that? I think so.

So is the over-priced orthodontist who has 2 lake houses and an ocean-worthy yaght becoming obsolete? I can only hope so.

Maybe orthodontists are valuable for people who can't have their problems solved by invisiligners. But for those who can, are orthodontists even relevant? I guess you can probably tell that I consider most specialists as bling experts who crave noteriety and riches. But seriously consider this: Do I have a point here? I think I do. At least for 90% of people who are good candidates for Invisilign.

The doctor is the one of the most important parts of successful Invisalign treatment. It is their job to put together a proper treatment plan and then make sure the 3-D simulation will actually work clinically. I can make anything look great on a computer simulation, but it does not mean that the teeth will move that way.

If your assertion were true, then you wouldn't hear about people who have experiences where the teeth don't move, even though they are wearing their aligners.

Perhaps the ClinCheck simulations will become automated one day where the teeth are able be moved in a "fool proof" way. We are still very far from that, as I am currently in Costa Rica and this morning, visited the Invisalign facility where the technicians work. However, the need for someone to figure out what needs to be done will not be eliminated.

PS. I don't have a yacht or a lakeview house

Chopper wrote:OK, I admit I'm a little hesitant about asking this question.

I'm an engineer who knows that skeptics ...
But I'll ask anyway: When it comes to Invisiligners, what good are over-priced orthodontists? Except to take more of our money than regular dentists?...

Chopper,

My parents couldn't afford to get my teeth straightened as a child. I have wanted straight teeth for over 50 years, thought the Invisilignners was the way to go but I simply did not want to pay the price nor almost two years time to have a nice smile.

So when I read about the Inman Aligners (IA), I elected to go with a product that promised straight teeth in weeks not years and are affordable too.

I have had the IAs with arch expanders on top and bottom for 22 days now. Although my dentist took lots of pictures, I have taken several myself at the passing of each week so I could see for myself the progress and I have not been disappointed. Actually, elated expresses how I am feeling about my decision.

To answer your question, we are all different so not all products work the same on everyone. It sounds like you're discouraged over the progress your making? Talk to your dentist; perhaps there is something else that can be done to move it along. Or just have another glass of wine and be happy that we ALL have decided to get pretty/handsome smiles.

I have a co-worker who chose typical braces back in May. When she learned I would have my IAs on for 8 weeks and they cost a fraction of what hers cost she was miffed--at her orthodentist. She said she'd ask him WHY he had not told her about the IAs. I told her the same thing I wrote above--none of our mouths are the same so perhaps she wasn't a candidate for IAs. I don't know--not a dentist.

Don't be so hard on the othros--they've got to make a living too.

Hey, I am HAPPY for you! :>0

The difference is: an experienced orthodontist would know when things aren't turning out correctly, and would know what needs to be done to fix the situation.

Just because Invisalign is done via computer simulation doesn't mean that the entire process is "autopilot."

As mentioned, I am in Costa Rica to visit the Invisalign Treat Facility. This is my 2nd visit. The reason for my visit is primarily to see my technicians and let them know exactly what types of preferences I have for my Invisalign treatments. I have a great relationship with my current tech and team leader, but my tech will be going on mat leave for 4 months next year. I met another tech and went through several Clinchecks to teach him how he should be approaching my cases.

I can tell you that every time my tech goes on vacation, all I need to do is run the ClinCheck and realize that it is not the person who knows what I am looking for. These simulations take many revisions to get to exactly how I want them to be, taking hours to modify, and therefore adding days until the cases ready for fabrication. If I were to accept these Clinchecks without revision, treatment would definitely not turn out well, since the simulations do not work physically or biologically.

If this were such an automated process, we could send in a scan/impression and the simulations would come back without needing revisions. After the proper diagnosis, the most critical part of Invisalign treatment planning is during the Clincheck stage. Tracking the teeth and how they fit with the aligners is also important, and it is not easy to troubleshoot ways to correct cases that are not running on track, but this is aspect is only a small part of choosing the right doctor, as Clinchecks that are properly done, with patients who wear their aligners as directed, will more often mean treatment that runs smoothly.

Hi Chopper,

I do understand where your questioning comes from, however like autopilot on a jumbo jet a pilot still need to be at the controls of the plane. The computer simulation of the invisalign technology, is only that a simulation for a predicted outcome.

I don't feel however that traditional othodontics will become obsolete ever. I think many people will agree that over the last few years many people technically minded and lay have tried to find a "faster" , "newer" , "more tech savy" approach to straighten teeth and correct bites.

I myself dont understand some techniques where veeners are used as a " cover up soloution" to have the appearance of straight teeth rather than straight teeth and a corrected bite. But adding to the growing list of veeners, capping, implants and 6 month smiles ( for people who just want visable teeth straight) there is massive demand on patient demand. Wether or not one is happy with the lack of actual " hands on" for treatment with the patient there is still a large intellect imput when prescribing such treatments as invisalign. There have been cases that I have heard of where the wrong trays were either delivered or wrong trays numbered although rare there is still the frequency of a qualified othodontist who is able to spot these differences and correct the error. If the orthodontist was to rely totally on the computer who knows what would happen, human error is always present as there always has to be someone to imput and translate that information.

Invisalign is very successful and also for the patients it's used on, but like me there are always patients where fixed appliance is neccessary.

I wish I had a lakeview house and a yacht to sail the seven seas,