ORTHODONTIC TREATMENTS

Invisalign First

When it comes to teeth, we can set things straight

What is Invisalign First?

Invisalign First is an orthodontic treatment device specially designed for young children. It is used to correct issues with arch development and expansion, tooth crowding and spacing, tooth protrusions, and the overall appearance of a child’s smile.

The custom-designed Invisalign First trays are designed to gradually expand the jawline of a growing child.

Common Children’s Orthodontic Problems

Abnormal Eruptions: An abnormal eruption happens when a tooth starts emerging through the gum but in the wrong place. If a tooth can’t fully grow in, a small surgical procedure may be necessary to uncover it to prevent further problems down the track. This can be diagnosed and coordinated by your child’s orthodontist.

Crowding: Crowding happens when there’s not enough space for teeth to fit normally in your little one’s jaws. It could be because the jaws are too small, or the teeth are too big. There are many possible solutions depending on the stage of your child, some may include early intervention that may reduce the need for treatment later.

Crossbites: A crossbite occurs when one or more of your child’s upper teeth bite inside their lower teeth. It’s usually a result of a misalignment of the upper and lower jaws. In children, widening the upper jaw with a palatal expander could help solve what is one of the most common orthodontic problems we see.

Too Much Space: Excessive space can happen when the teeth are small relative to the available jaw size, or when one or more teeth just don’t grow in or are lost to disease or trauma.

Underbites : Underbites are the result of the lower front teeth extending past the upper front teeth. A common cause an underbite is caused by either an undergrowth of the upper jaw or an overgrowth of the lower jaw. Depending on the extent of your little one’s orthodontic problems, treatment may involve jaw surgery.

Overbites : The bite can be so deep that the upper teeth completely cover the lower teeth. This can cause excessive dental wear, and may even cause discomfort and other dental problems as the lower teeth bite up into the roof of the mouth.

Increased Overjet : Orthodontists usually call this an increased ‘overjet’ where the top teeth are ahead relative to the bottom, leaving a horizontal gap between the upper and lower teeth.

Open bite: Open bite is where the front teeth remain ‘open’ at the front whilst the back teeth are touching. This can sometimes be caused by a thumb-sucking habit or a tongue posture issue.

8 Ways Parents Can Reduce Their Child’s Risks Of Developing Orthodontic Problems

Book your child’s first orthodontic evaluation: We encourage parents to schedule their child’s first visit with a pediatric orthodontist by the time they’re seven years of age.
If you do notice that your child’s teeth seem to be crooked or crowded, it’s always a good idea to seek out the expertise of a pediatric orthodontist, even if your child is still very young.
Wean your child from thumbsucking and pacifier habits : Thumbsucking and pacifier habits can be endearing, but it’s important for parents to also remember that these habits should end around preschool. Prolonged thumbsucking and pacifier use quickly lead to a severe overbite.
Keep a regular schedule of dental checkups with a pediatric dentist: Taking your child to their pediatric dentist for checkups and cleanings every six months can lessen the risks of orthodontic issues. The sooner signs of trouble are spotted, the sooner a solution can be found.
Establish daily brushing and flossing routines for the morning and evening: The foundation of your child’s oral health begins right at home with a twice-daily thorough brushing and flossing routine. Start your child’s at-home dental care routine as early on as possible.
Your kid’s oral health can have either a positive or negative impact on the alignment of their teeth and overall bite. The healthier your child’s smile, the stronger their teeth will be.
Provide a nutritious diet with plenty of whole, natural foods: Evaluate your child’s diet and see how you might be able to make some smile-friendly changes. Basing main meals around whole, natural foods and limiting processed foods is a great way to start!
Get help if your child often mouth breathes during the day or at night: Mouth breathing isn’t uncommon, but it can spell trouble if your child develops a habit of doing it. As far as oral health goes, mouth breathing can cause dry mouth, which drastically increases your child’s risk of tooth decay and can weaken their jaw structure.
Not only can mouth breathing cause orthodontic issues for your child, but it can also complicate future orthodontic treatment if the habit continues at that time.
Follow through with early orthodontic treatment recommendations: The average age for braces is between 12 and 14 years of age, but this can vary greatly. In some cases, your child’s orthodontist may recommend early treatment, sometimes as early as eight years of age.
Encourage your child to sleep on their back and practice proper posture: Two more habits that will have a positive impact on your child’s bite alignment are sleeping position and posture. Stomach sleeping is natural for some kids, but it can gradually cause their teeth and jaw position to shift due to the hours of constant pressure.

Why Invisalign First?

Invisalign First is used for making various corrections in the positioning of the growing jaw with unique features for dental arch expansion and creating room for incoming teeth. Invisalign First can be used to address various orthodontic conditions, such as:

Invisalign First is only available for growing children. For adults and teens who are seeking dental corrections, alternative treatment products are available, such as Invisalign Full, Invisalign Teen, and Invisalign Express.

Who Needs Invisalign First treatment?

Patients must have erupted permanent first molars and at least any two incisors (permanent or primary) that are at least 2/3rd erupted. Patients should also have at least two primary (C or D or E) or unerupted permanent teeth (3 or 4 or 5) per quadrant in at least 3 quadrants.

What types of conditions can Invisalign First treatment address?

Invisalign First clear aligners are designed for developing dental arch form and creating space for permanent erupting dentition.

They can also be used to address conditions such as dental arch development, expansion, spacing/crowding, A-P correction, aesthetic alignment, tooth protrusions, or interferences.

Invisalign’s First Phase 1 treatment is also designed to improve the efficiency of Phase 2 treatment.

Please note that Invisalign First clear aligners currently do not have specially designed solutions to address Class III, palatal expansion, and some habitual problems.

Pros And Cons Of Invisalign First

Invisalign First provides various benefits to meet the needs of children with growing teeth. Benefits of Invisalign First include:

Pros

Cons

Allowing younger children to receive a similar Invisalign experience to adults and teens
Customized planning around your child’s unique dental needs
Treatment for a broad range of orthodontic malformations
Providing room for incoming teeth without removing surrounding teeth
Supporting teeth and jawline formation with preferred aesthetics vs. traditional braces
Your child can remove the device to maintain comfort while eating, drinking, brushing their teeth, or doing other activities

The need to have self-discipline and motivation to wear aligners exactly as instructed
Having to change some habits, such as frequent snacking or sipping of beverages.
Speaking can be difficult for the first week or so.
Braces are an expeCertain tooth and bite problems may be more difficult or require more time to treat with Invisalign than with braces.nsive proposition.

Initial Consultation

Invisalign First works by expanding and contouring your child’s jawline through what is known as dental arch expansion. The dental arch expansion involves pushing your child’s teeth over time to increase the width of their dental arch.

The procedure for dental arch expansion starts with a consultation to determine if your child is an appropriate candidate for Invisalign First. If approved, your child’s dentist can begin taking pictures, x-rays, and impressions of your child’s smile that same day.

During The Invisalign First Procedure

Information from the imaging, x-rays, and impressions will go to an Invisalign lab where a custom Invisalign First device, called an aligner or tray, will be made for your child.

It will take a few weeks until the custom aligner is ready. Once the aligner is ready, your child will be scheduled to come back to Weber Orthodontics for his or her dentist to fit the aligner to your child’s smile. Over time the device will shift your child’s teeth around as needed and new retainers will be needed for the following phases of treatment.

Depending on your child’s needs, he or she may require a full pair of aligners or just one aligner. Certain teeth may require attachments to be placed on their surface. Attachments will help direct pressure from the retainer device to the necessary teeth.

What happens after the first round of Invisalign?

A few weeks after your first tray is fitted, it’s time to return to the dentist. Your dentist will check your tooth movements and tray fit. A series of Invisalign trays make up the entire process. Unlike metal braces, you won’t need to return for regular appointments with Invisalign

What are the adverse effects of clear aligners?

Breathing difficulty- Placement of aligners can hamper the normal breathing process and one may feel suffocated after wearing them
Sore throat and tongue- Soon after wearing aligners one may experience a sore throat. This can hamper swallowing which may further result in other health complications
Itchiness and hives- Tooth aligners can irritate oral mucosa and may result in extreme itchiness and breakouts

At times wearing aligners may cause nausea painful ingestion of food, dryness of mouth, and headaches
Rarely swelling of the eyes- is also reported with the usage of aligners. Aligners may also cause breakouts on the lips
A few patients- may also report fatigue, soreness, and breakouts on the tongue.
Aligners may also put excessive pressure on the gums- thereby resulting in gums problems like swelling and bleeding

FAQ's

After treating with Invisalign First clear aligners, are there retainers available to support pediatric patients?

Doctors are able to order Vivera® retainers and Invisalign retainers. Commercially available retainers (e.g. Hawley, Theroux) are also available.

At this time, Vivera and Invisalign retainers do not have eruption compensation capability to support patients during the course of exfoliating/erupting dentition.

Therefore, Vivera and Invisalign retainers usage between Phase 1 and Phase 2 treatments might be very limited and used only during a limited time period when stable dentition is present.

Are weekly aligner changes possible with Invisalign First treatment?

Weekly aligner changes (without slowing down velocity) are recommended; however, the decision to prescribe weekly aligner changes is at the doctor’s discretion based on patient needs. As a reference, some doctors in the Limited Market Release changed aligners anywhere between the 4-7 day range.

Can I get compliance indicators with Invisalign First clear aligners?

Compliance indicators are available as a customizable add-on for Invisalign First clear aligners and the Phase 2 portfolio.

Do Invisalign First clear aligners provide support for short clinical crowns?

Yes. To improve retention on short clinical crowns, new optimized retention attachments are automatically placed by software.

Attachments are automatically placed by software on the permanent first molar, primary second molar (or second premolar).
The attachments adjust and re-size based on the buccal tooth surface, allowing for the largest attachments to be placed for ease of bonding.
Attachments will be only placed if no other optimized attachments are placed due to the presence of applicable tooth movements or if it does not conflict with your clinical preferences.

Do Invisalign First clear aligners provide support for erupting permanent dentition?

Yes. Improved and expanded eruption compensation (EC) features make it possible to treat patients in early to late mixed dentition.

Eruption compensation is now also available for incisors (in addition to canines and premolars).
Advanced proprietary eruption compensation algorithm enables highly accurate space-holding for teeth to naturally erupt into the aligners. Available for upper incisors, canines, and premolars.
Eruption compensation for lower incisors is available but with non-algorithm calculation.
Doctors select which teeth for which they would like eruption compensation on the Rx.

Regain Your Happy Smile in Healthy Way

Be it a dental checkup, an inquiry about a dental procedure, or correcting your dental issues, we assure quality care and a happy smile with flexibility in appointment scheduling.