Types of Invisalign Treatments

Invisalign Express is a shorter version of the full Invisalign treatment and is designed for patients who

need minor adjustments to their teeth. It may be called i7 in other countries. The treatment typically lasts around six months and involves seven sets of aligners. In fairness in my experience not many peoples teeth fall into this category. It can often be treated as a bit of a top up after previous treatment or before some other dental work like a crown to reduce the amount of trimming needed to a particular tooth.

While Invisalign Express can provide effective results for those with mild orthodontic issues, it’s important to note that it may not be the best option for everyone. At Cork City Dentist, our team of experts can help you determine if Invisalign Express is the right treatment option for you and provide you with personalised care every step of the way.

Invisalign Comprehensive is designed for patients who need more significant adjustments to their teeth- basically anything which cannot be reliably completed in less than 20 sets of aligners.

The treatment typically lasts between 12 and 24 months and involves any number of aligners required-regularly 40-60 sets of aligners.

Invisalign MA is designed largely for 11-15/16 year olds where it can promote advancement of the lower jaw.

The prevalence of a small lower jaw or a lower jaw set slightly further back than it ought to be is quoted in various studies to be from 20-40% in European populations. In particular in boys a small lower jaw is regularly stated to be the least aesthetic smile. Luckily Invisalign MA can reliably correct the relative jaw positions due to its patented wing design harnessing teenagers awesome growth potential.

In fact this lack of growth potential in adults often necessitates orthognathic jaw surgery where the lower jaw is essentially fractured and then moved forward. Orthognathic surgery is something Michael at Cork City Dentist has personal experience of and while transformative it is definitely something that would be easier to avoid.

Invisalign teen is similar and can be with or without jaw movement/ development. These aligners generally have a blue dot indicator to monitor wear compliance. This as the name suggests is a blue dot on the aligner which gradually fades as the aligner is worn. If the dots not fading then the aligners not being worn!

Invisalign Lite is a mid-level Invisalign treatment that is designed for patients who need more extensive treatment than Invisalign Express but less than Invisalign Comprehensive.

The treatment typically lasts between nine and twelve months and involves 14 sets of aligners.

This would be a very common treatment modality for people as you can achieve quite a bit in those 14 aligners. It’s a great treatment choice for adults who had train tracks in their teens and misplaced their retainers!

Invisalign First is designed for children between the ages of six and ten. It is largely designed for early intervention where to do nothing would risk damage to a particular tooth or gum.

For example if some teeth were very prominent and at a risk of traumatic injury. Also Invisalign First can be used to decrease the complexity of future orthodontic treatment, perhaps by making space for teeth that haven’t come up yet.

It is rare that Invisalign First would be your only orthodontic treatment and is more likely the start of the road.