It is easy to imagine how braces move teeth: there are all sorts of puzzling mechanics and design choices that simply screen “movement.” Some may remember the famous gearshift that were common in braces as they research Invisalign for their children. Invisalign in Washington, DC seems wonderful in theory since it avoids the obvious problems and it requires no accessories, constant meddling, colored rubber bands, and other “fantastic” little features that help shift the teeth. This brings up a very obvious question, what is moving the teeth, exactly?
A computer takes a mold of the mouth and teeth, and it has an algorithm for what would essentially be perfectly straight teeth. Then the doctors use a series of small adjustments to shift the teeth entirely: they take a mold of the teeth and calculate a 1% change (this is slightly simplified for the point of clarity). This shift will be labeled tray (mold) number one, which the patient will wear for a few weeks and then return for a new one. The computer then takes the data and supplies a new mold that is 1% different from the latest mold. In short, the tray molds are shifted by 1% every time; however, the doctor can accentuate the shift based on proper responding, sensitivity, etc.
The very first mold will not fit perfectly, but it should not; it will be slightly off, and the teeth will conform to it. Once the mold fits perfectly, it is time for a new one, and that is the system of Invisalign in Washington, DC. Feel free to look at more info here.
Braces shift teeth through the flexing of the wires that line each tooth, in other words, they are functional in one long piece that changes as they rest atop the teeth. Invisalign is the opposite: the shifts occur by swapping out one mold for another, and these subtle changes, over time, remove the need for very advanced wires, clunky accessories and frustrating gears. Some may recall all these nuisances, as well as the need to use special flossing, but all of that is tossed aside when Invisalign comes out. It goes in and it is swapped out.
