Invisalign introduced their new Teen Invialign product a year ago. It is only available to orthodontists not general dentists. The pilot progeam started with 600 of the top orthodontists in the country in June of 2008. In August it was introduced to the rest of the orthodontists in the country.
Compliance has always been an issue in orthodontics whether it be with fixed appliances using elastics, headgear, or a toothbrush or removable appliances. I review the advantages and disadvantagess of fixed appliances with the child and the parents. We hand pick our Invialign Teen patients. I have found the Teen Invisalign product to be tremendously successful.
Teenage children have wide swings in hormones. These children have exacerbated responses to local irritants and foreign bodies like dental plaque. With Teen Invisalign, we see none of the gum problems that we see with braces. I really case rest my case right here. I employ 6 dental hygienists just to keep up with soft tissue issues that we have with fixed appliances (braces). We don't have these issues with our Invisalign patients. Not to offer Teen Invisalgn as an option would be a mistake.
