Posted: September 17, 2012
Invisalign has a lot of things about it that are revolutionary. The durable, BPA plastic aligners, the computer software that designs the ideal sequence of your teeth movement set Invisalign apart from other orthodontic treatments, but it’s important to remember that Invisalign is also very similar to other orthodontic treatments in its basic working principles. Although Invisalign’s remarkable technology provides many benefits in terms of comforts and convenience for its users, it relies on proven, and long-established orthodontic principles to perform its realignment of your teeth.
Orthodontics, both metal braces and Invisalign, take advantage of a basic mechanism natural to the human body. We think of our bones as hard, fast, and fixed once we stop growing during our teen years, but the truth is that bones are as dynamic as any other tissue in the body. Your body is constantly reforming and remolding your bones in response to stress. Orthodontics utilizes this principle to alter the position of your teeth in your jaw.
When orthodontics puts pressure on your teeth, that pressure is translated to your jawbone. In response to the pressure, your body removes bone from the areas where pressure is being exerted and builds it up in areas where there is less pressure. This allows your teeth to move, but it also limits the speed at which it can be achieved. Because they share the same basic principle of tooth movement, treatment time for metal braces and Invisalign tends to be similar.
This is also why it’s important for you to follow instructions about how long to wear each of your Invisalign aligners. You need to give your body time to restructure your bone around your new tooth configuration before moving on to the next aligner.
Have more questions about how Invisalign works? We have answers. Please contact Frank R. DePaola in Hoboken, NJ for an appointment.
