Ten Things You Should Know About Invisalign Treatment

1. Invisalign is a lab, not a doctor. Dr. Sacks himself develops YOUR SPECIFIC treatment plan based on his examination of you, your special orthodontic x-rays, the digital scans of your teeth, your clinical photographs, and your discussions with him. Invisalign fabricates the trays that Dr. Sacks himself has designed for you.

2. As long as your aligners fit properly as you progress from one aligner to the next, you are on track! Pain/discomfort does not equate to success. You don’t necessarily have to “feel something” to mean it is working. Some trays have more movement built into them, so you may “feel” more with some trays and less with others. Again, if they fit, you are progressing toward the desired goal, and you need not worry.

3. If you notice that your aligners don’t appear to be fitting correctly or if the teeth are not “tracking,” i.e., you see a gap between the tray and your tooth/teeth, call us immediately to get rescanned. Do not proceed to the next aligner.

4. Dr. Sacks himself reviews EVERY SINGLE SCAN and personally designs EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOUR ALIGNERS. Even if you don’t see him at every scan or check appointment, he is ALWAYS very closely monitoring and working on your case. Due to the digital platform used, you often won’t “see” all of Dr. Sacks’s work for you. Dr. Sacks’ Registered Dental Assistants are educated, qualified and skilled to see you at your routine scan/check appointments. If there is an aligner fitting issue, we will rescan you. Dr. Sacks REVIEWS EVERY SINGLE SCAN and will make any necessary changes and order you new aligners. Assistants can and will deliver your trays, check in with you, add attachments and answer basic questions for you. Inter-proximal reduction, scan review, and aligner design are all made ONLY by Dr. Sacks. During ANY of your visits, if you have a question for Dr. Sacks, please ask one of the assistants to get him, and he will gladly come over to see you!

5. You must continue wearing your last trays until your new ones arrive (usually 2-3 weeks). If you don’t wear your previous aligner, your teeth will revert to “crooked,” extending your treatment time.

6. When appropriately done, INVISALIGN WORKS. As a patient of Dr. Sacks, Invisalign would not have been presented to you as an option if he didn’t know for sure he could make it work well for your situation. If it “isn’t working,” or the “trays aren’t fitting,” or the “teeth aren’t tracking,” or it’s “taking longer than they told me,” 99% of the time, it is because the aligners are not being worn enough! 22 hours a day is required for optimal outcomes in the shortest period. If Dr. Sacks prescribed elastics for you, these too must be worn 22 hours a day unless otherwise specified by Dr. Sacks.

7. While not mandatory, consider adding Propel to your Invisalign treatment. A nominal incremental increase in your monthly payment and 5 minutes a day will help keep your treatment on track, possibly get you done quicker and help alleviate any discomfort you might experience.

8. Invisalign is pretty incredible. In the right hands, the outcomes are awesome; treatment times are often shorter than traditional braces, comfortable, inconspicuous, and facilitates easier dental hygiene.

9. Invisalign is incredibly flexible. You can wear it if you work as a performer, influencer, newscaster, etc. It’s perfect for people who want a straighter smile without impacting their appearance.

10. Dr. Sacks is a perfectionist. While perfection doesn’t exactly exist, he will keep ordering you aligners and refining your teeth until he feels we can realistically make no further improvements. However, they are YOUR teeth and if you wish to stop treatment because you are pleased with the results at any point, please just let Dr. Sacks know. If clinically appropriate, Dr. Sacks will “complete” your treatment.