Let us show you why the MCO Downtown Toronto Invisalign, MCO Markham Orthodontist, MCO Scarborough Orthodontist, MCO Stouffville Orthodontist, and MCO Oshawa Orthodontist Teams are regarded as the top orthodontist in Richmond Hill, Toronto, Stouffville, Oshawa, Scarborough, Whitby, Bowmanville, and Markham Orthodontists for braces and Invisalign.
Invisalign aligners have come a long way since the first generation. A few years ago, the SmartTrack material made aligners more comfortable and maintain pressure on the teeth for a longer period of time.
Recently, Align announced some further changes to the aligners to increase comfort:
The first change involves the use of real gingival data for a better fit along the gum line and to reduce incidences of sharp edges and papilla impingement.
To address sharpness and lessen irritation to the gingiva and tongue, there are improvements to the edge quality of the aligners by rounding the pointy edges on the anterior areas along with making modifications to the edge angle on the lingual side.
For further reduction of tongue irritation, there is improved trimming of the aligners to minimize incidence of rough surfaces.
Invisalign aligners have been quite comfortable for most patients with the above items being "sore" spots for some. With these improvements, patients will now experience far fewer issues and enjoy their treatment more.
One of the more difficult movements to complete with Invisalign involves movement of the roots. Often times, this is one of the limited factors of making someone and "Invisalign Candidate". "Invisalign Candidate" is in quotations because the other major factor is the skill of the doctor.
The first image below is an example of a patient who saw a general dentist for Invisalign treatment to close a space. The result shows improper alignment of the upper first molar and poor torque of the incisors
The patient was not happy with their result and saw us for a second round of Invisalign. Below is a scan of the teeth AFTER our first round of aligners. There are still teeth to be moved, but you can see the molar alignment and anterior torque have changed significantly.
Your Whitby Orthodontist is happy to let you know about a new development with Invisalign treatment. A couple of weeks ago, Align Technology changed their policy on Mid-Course Correction and Refinement, eliminating them for a process called "Additional Aligners".
Oshawa Orthodontist Share Banner for Additional Aligners on Align Website
Previously, offices taking a new scan or impression for a patient before finishing their whole cycle of aligners was known as mid-course correction. If due to a lack of patient compliance or new dental work, a lab fee was required to be paid by the office requesting more aligners. At the end of a cycle of aligners, regular Invisalign and Invisalign Teen treatments were eligible for up to 3 refinement sets. The next set of refinement could be ordered before an expiration date set by Align, after which the case would be closed, and a new lab fee required.
There were many scenarios where this caused an issue, particularly with more complicated treatments where aligner plans were much longer. Align has now changed their policy to allow for unlimited additional aligners for up to five years for regular, Teen, and Assist cases. They will no longer distinguish between mid-course correction and refinement. However, they will charge a lab fee of up to 40% of the current lab fee cost if there has been a significant lapse between when treatment should have ended and when additional aligners are ordered.
Note that this does not necessarily present and difference to individual patient treatments, because what is included in an orthodontic plan depends on your financial contract with the office you have selected. Since most of the work is completed by the office during the planning stages of the ClinCheck, many offices will still likely continue to charge a professional fee for developing extra simulations, depending on the specifics of your contract.
There are many ways to look at orthodontic treatment. Some people view it as commodity where braces are braces are braces. This causes price shopping and people looking for "deals". Unfortunately, unlike TVs and appliances, orthodontic treatment is a service where your results and experience will differ depending on where you have your treatment.
Top Durham Orthodontist speaking at MKS in Dallas.
This fall, there is a conference in Dallas that is designed to help orthodontists to this end. Your Oshawa and Whitby Orthodontist will be speaking at Mindset Knowledge Skills to discuss office design and how to implement new procedures and protocols in the office that will provide better orthodontic care and experiences.
There have been some articles recently showing no difference in speed with AcceleDent and non-AcceleDent patients. Further analysis into the design of the studies is necessary, because it does not seem like they are well designed (click link and look for study by Woodhouse).
Our anecdotal experience for Oshawa braces patients is that we seem to find more rapid movement when using AcceleDent with Invisalign and less of a difference than with braces. It does not make a lot of sense, but it could be because we are not seeing the AcceleDent braces patients early enough. Invisalign patients continue to get new movements with every tray and braces patients have to come in to have their braces adjusted for that to happen. We thought bringing patients in every 4 weeks for braces instead of 8 weeks would make the difference, but it appears we probably have to bring them in more often than that. This is the problem in the studies being published recently. Teeth may have already moved and stopped by the time measurements were taken on the patients using AcceleDent and they were using braces only rather than Invisalign.
The flipside is that we have tried to reduce the number of days per tray without using AcceleDent and found that we cannot change trays nearly as often.
In terms of comfort, we had patients who started without it and then used it mid-treatment. They say there is a world of difference. We also have patients who have left their unit somewhere on business or lost it on a vacation and desperately want to buy a new unit. We have had braces patients who insisted on having their braces off for discomfort, but were offered a unit and were able to be comfortable for the rest of their treatment. The studies say there is no difference in discomfort but they are comparing this across different people, not within the same person. Each new patient has no idea what they are supposed to feel and there will be some discomfort. Again, from an anecdotal point of view, our patients have expressed more comfort when using the unit than not.
This post isn't out there trying to be pro-AcceleDent, but simply to discuss our experience. With over 200 cases treated now with Invisalign and AcceleDent, we have treated one of the largest patient populations using it. There are several cases we would not have attempted with Invisalign unless we used AcceleDent. Part of this is because using the unit acts like a high powered "chewie", which seats the aligners well against the teeth. It seems like more studies that are well designed are necessary to come up with a definitive conclusion on its efficacy.
In summary, our offices experience has found little difference in braces treatment timing (although we may need to see patients more often) but increase comfort, and a difference in Invisalign treatment with AcceleDent in terms of proper tracking, speed, and comfort level.
At your Oshawa Orthodontist, we believe that it is important for everyone to be able to achieve a beautiful MCO smile. Unfortunately, for many, affordability of treatment of braces and Invisalign in Bowmanville and surrounding area, makes it prohibitive.
Oshawa Orthodontist and Whitby Invisalign Team welcomes you to the MCO way of orthodontics in Durham Region!
What good is a cheaper orthodontist if you can't afford the downpayment or the results aren't as good? Braces with MCO Oshawa Orthodontics is something that should not just be for people with lots of money! Our patient family knows us as the most affordable, since we do not require you to put down a large downpayment to begin your treatment. We will work with you on monthly payments and finance your treatment interest free. On top of that, you'll be getting treatment from a team that has produced thousands of beautiful smiles and memorable experiences. That's something to smile about!
Send us an email at newMCOsmiles@mcosmiles.com to book your free assessment today :).
MCO Orthodontics is happy to announce their new location for Orthodontist in Oshawa, MCO Oshawa Orthodontics. With the experience of thousands of beautiful MCO smiles and great patient experiences, we are happy to continue the practice formerly owned by Dr. Dennis Daigle and Dr. Baker Akad at 292 King Street West on the 2nd floor near King Street and Simcoe, to provide services of braces and Invisalign to Whitby, Pickering, Ajax, Oshawa, Brooklin, Courtice, and Bowmanville.
We are the only top 1% Invisalign orthodontic specialty office in Durham region as designated by Align Technology, so if you are looking for an experienced team with a doctor that teaches Invisalign to orthodontists internationally, please feel free to book your free consultation with us. Looking forward to helping you achieve your MCO smile!
Many of you following us already know how important a beautiful smile can be. The interesting thing is that there are many different smiles that can be attractive.
Your Toronto Invisalign specialist knows how to create a variety of beautiful smiles so that you can have your own celebrity smile. In fact, we have worked with numerous models, actors, actresses, and celebrities who now have amazing smiles.
Check out Invisalign's Insight on Smiles at the Oscars!
