Invisalign Attachments Explained
Eagan, MN – Invisalign is known for its ease of use when straightening smiles. The clear aligners the system uses are almost invisible to the eye, and removable, allowing for patients to go about their everyday lives with minimal interference.
But sometimes, a patient’s malocclusion cannot be corrected with the aligners alone, and Invisalign attachments are needed to offer the ideal bite.
“Some tooth movements simply just can’t happen by using the aligners alone,” says your Minnesota orthodontist. “Align Technology, creator of Invisalign, realized this and crafted special attachments to help patients’ teeth move in the proper way.”
These attachments are placed directly on the teeth in a way that will allow for the ideal tooth movement. The attachments will be temporarily bonded to the teeth using tooth colored resign. They are essentially small “bumps” that are placed at strategic locations on the teeth and work to provide an anchor point that then help direct the force for the aligner to effectively move the tooth.
The enamel-colored attachments stick to your teeth much in the same way brackets for traditional braces would. They then click into the aligners to ensure efficient tooth movement. Because they are the same color as your teeth, they will blend in seamlessly into your smile, so there is no need to worry about drawing more attention.
If your orthodontist prescribes attachments for your Invisalign treatment, they will more than likely be necessary for the entirety of your treatment. Some teeth need the anchor power these attachments provide to ensure they rotate or extrude from the gum properly, or to guide them into their ideal location.
If is important to remember that if your orthodontist has placed the attachments, sometimes also referred to as buttons, it’s because it is an important part of your treatment plan. Invisalign is a wonderful technology, but the aligners alone cannot always achieve the ideal smile with a properly functioning bite.
If you have any questions about your treatment or why attachments may be needed to treat your orthodontic case, don’t hesitate to speak with your orthodontist and care team.
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