In the past, this an irregular dental position or occlusion correction was usually associated with braces. Innovative technologies in dentistry over the last few years have significantly changed the perception of effective orthodontic (the author`s remark – teeth straightening) treatment. 3D video analysis, digital planning has become an integral part of dental practitioners. Straightening of teeth can be performed more accurately and in a much shorter time with innovative inventions.
“Patients, suffering from irregular dental occlusion or simply having dental teeth in their mouths in irregular position, have an alternative to braces – treatment with special trays. Innovative and global „Invisalign“ technology, which has been in use for many years now, has been available in Lithuania for a while, and it allows to achieve much better results in this field. The patient`s jaw is scanned during the consultation and the resulting image is sent to the laboratory. Orthodontic treatment is modeled there – teeth are moved in 3D space. The results of this modeling are sent to the doctor and the patient,” – the innovative dental straightening technology is presented by Margarita Musteikytė, a Doctor-Orthodontist of the Vilnius Odontology Center (VOC).
What happens next? When the treatment is discussed, the trays needed for each stage of orthodontic movement are printed on a 3D printer. According to the dentist applying this treatment method in Lithuania, patients find it attractive that they know how the result will look later, how long it will last and how the teeth “will move”. It was very difficult to foresee this by straightening the teeth with braces and usually the treatment process lasted longer than the patient expected
“Using the iTero scanner, we can show the patient the expected result and accurately assess the duration of the treatment sees the real situation – what will the dental movements be. Usually this treatment lasts from 3 months to 2 years,” – informs the doctor M. Musteikytė.
The teeth are straightened with tray by applying the principle of mechanical compression. The compression power is calculated for each teeth group, stage and type of motion. Teeth affected by a mild mechanical stimulus begin to move into the niche created for it in the tray. Visits to the dentist are usually scheduled every two or four months.
When dentists are asked what is most worrying when choosing this innovative method of straightening teeth, they name the need to wear the trays for about 22 hours a day – almost all the time, except when eating or brushing teeth. After Invisalign treatment, the second phase of orthodontics is stabilization. A special retainer for the night is produced – it fixes the teeth in their new position so that the latter do not return to their old position until the new bone is fully grown up and calcified.
Innovative technologies in the field of dentistry undoubtedly change the perception of the treatment process, open up new opportunities for global research, and for patients – untested opportunities to get a much more satisfying result in a shorter time.
