Invisalign is a specific orthodontic procedure that involves the use of acrylic aligners, which are molds of your teeth but also push on certain teeth. You change out the aligners every 2 weeks and you can have mild malocclusions treated with a practically invisible type of brace. They are excellent for your self esteem and your self image. You need to wear them for about 40-60 weeks or longer, depending on how much malocclusion you have and the type of malocclusion you are dealing with.
Not every dentist or orthodontist can do the Invisalign procedure. Each dentist or orthodontist who does Invisalign is directly trained by the Align Technologies Corp—the makers of the product. The dentists interested in Invisalign must complete specialized sessions in order to be considered an Invisalign provider. They must also maintain regular submissions of their work to the company to acknowledge they are actively practicing Invisalign techniques and are doing so properly.
There are different classifications of Invisalign providers. There is the “Invisalign Provider, who meets the basic requirements of doing Invisalign. A new provider of Invisalign would be considered an “Invisalign Provider”. Some dentists are considered Premier Providers of the Invisalign product. This is a designation by the company that makes Invisalign and means that the doctor must have 24 new Invisalign patients every six months or almost 50 patients a year, while the average provider has only 4-6 patients they treat with Invisalign each year. Not many dentists have achieved that status. Even fewer have achieved the status of Premier Provider Elite, which accounts for only 1 percent of Invisalign providers.
Regardless of the status of the dentist, you need to meet with the dentist and get a sense of whether or not this is someone you can work with over the course of 60 weeks or more. Get a second opinion if you are not sure that Invisalign is for you. There is clearly an incentive on the part of the company to have dentists doing a lot of Invisalign so you may need to meet with a dentist who doesn’t do Invisalign to make sure that the recommendation the first dentist gave you is accurate. Then you can be sure the Invisalign procedure is for you and the dentist is the one you are choosing to pick.