Is it normal to treat my top and bottom teeth separately, waiting 3 years to continue, or is it best to treat them all at once?

Question

I just began my Invisalign treatment yesterday. I just learned that we would begin treatment with my bottom teeth first; the top set with not start UNTIL 41 months! That was not the original plan. Originally, they thought they were going to have to do an extraction of my bottom teeth to avoid an underbite. Then, it was decided by a dentist at Invisalign that it would not be necessary;however, waiting over 3 to treat my top teeth does not makes sense! It was supposed to be 3yrs together!!! :(

Lance Timmerman, DMD, MAGD · Answer

The folks at Align have a lot of experience, so their advice is likely accurate. You may submit an alternative to see if they think it would work. I would consider regular braces instead. Much more predictable and faster.

Rob van den Berg, DDS, MS · Answer

With Invisalign, at times the teeth in one arch begin moving first, to prevent bite interference issues during the treatment. Nonetheless, 41 months of delay sounds excessive. I suspect that the upper teeth start moving at the 41st aligner, which is still a good 20 months into it, but not 3 years. Double check with your doctor on the timing of upper treatment start.Also keep in mind that Invisalign is an orthodontic lab, that provides treatment proposals and aligners based on the treating doctor's prescription, review and approval. As such, your doctor is the one who decides whether extractions are needed, and not the technicians or the doctors at the clinical support phone lines at Invisalign.In a long treatment time Invisalign case like yours there can be a benefit to using a limited fixed appliance at the same time as the Invisalign trays. For example, if it takes 20 aligers to fully rotate at tooth, adding a short section of braces for 4-6 months may shorten that part of the treatment, and cut down the overall treatment time. Good luck!

Is it normal to treat my top and bottom teeth separately, waiting 3 years to continue, or is it best to treat them all at once?

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Is it normal to treat my top and bottom teeth separately, waiting 3 years to continue, or is it best to treat them all at once?

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Everything you need to know about Invisalign

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.