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I've Had Two Very Contradicting Consultations About Invisalign... (photo)
asked 6 months ago by skofler in Durham, NC
Latest answer by Brian Povolny, DDS, PhD
Question viewed 235 times
Tags: crowded teeth, extraction, opinion, protruding
I have mild crowding on the top and bottom and three of my teeth protrude slightly. He recommended 15 months of trays and to create a bit of space he would file the sides of the protruding teeth. Today I went to another specialist. She said she never recommends invisalign because it is a less permanent solution. She wanted to extract four teeth to create room and use traditional braces for 18 months. I see this as way to intrusive..but which dentist is right?
4 answers to I've Had Two Very Contradicting Consultations About Invisalign... (photo)
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Invisalign vs Braces
Great question! From your description and the photo you've provided it is not possible to give a definitive answer to your question. If I were examining you I would ask myself what my goals were as an orthodontist, and then I'd ask what yours are as the patient. In general, when I examine a patient I ask myself how I would achieve an ideal bite and smile. If you have a significant overbite and crowding I might conclude that the best...
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Invisalign for Protruding teeth
I am not an orthodontist, however I have had a good deal of success using Invisalign in cases like yours. You may require a small amount of slenderizing to make space -- but it would be a very small amount and we could accomplish it creating spaces smaller than 0.4mm...If you were my patient, I would do Invisalign first and finish your case with some gingival contouring to help minimize the gumminess of the smile. I would NOT have your teeth extracted to make space.
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+1
Invisalign or Traditional Braces Extract or Don't
You have a complex situation. Your answer partially lise in the expectations of the results you hope to achieve. Invisalign would work and provide a satisfactory result for some people. We as clinicians know that in cases like yours we get a much better result from traditional braces. You have moderate crowding, a class 2 dental relationship and a little bit of a gummy smile. Most docs can get your teeth straighter wit invisalign and traditional braces. A...
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+1
Which orthodontist is correct?
I assume both doctors are Orthodontists. As far as the one doctor saying that Invisalign is not as permanent a correction, this is both true and false perhaps in your case. A well treated Invisalign case is just as stable and permanent as a case treated with braces. What she may be referring to is the fact that there is a limit to how much expansion and filing (slenderizing) you can do to create room before the final result is unstable. As it usually is necessary to...
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Robert Waxler, DMD, MS
Saint Louis Orthodontist
Saint Louis Orthodontist