If your dentist is constantly talking about your bite and the way it negatively impacts your buccal health, you may have heard the terms dental occlusion, Invisalign and clear aligners have thrown around from time to time. If you’ve been told that there was something wrong with your bite, you should definitely get a better understanding of what’s going on in there. If you still have questions after reading this article, you should consider getting in touch with Dr. Frédéric Lavoie – Orthodontiste. Let’s begin by defining the term “Dental Occlusion”, which you’ve probably heard a couple of times in your dentist’s office. According to Wikipedia, it simply refers to the way your teeth come in contact when you bite or close your mouth.
What’s Dynamic Occlusion?
Dynamic occlusion is the term used to describe how the lower and the upper teeth come into contact with each other, which happens when the mandible (lower jaw) moves. To better understand what we’re talking about, try this: move your mandible forward and then put it back to your natural closed teeth position. Then, move your teeth to position your mandible to the right, then back again to the closed position, and finally, to the back and the left before coming back to the teeth closed position. All the contact points in this scenario are your occlusion’s direction lines.
Why is Dynamic Occlusion so Important?
The shapes of the lines created by the dynamic occlusion described above will determine your type of dynamic occlusion. It’s important to know which one is yours because every type is different but some are better for your mouth than others. The muscles of mastication make your jaw movements possible.
They are a group of muscles that include the temporalis and masseter muscles. Each time you make a movement, these same muscles are the ones that contract to make your jaw move along a line, which trajectory depends on a combination of the shape of your teeth (flatness or steepness) and their position in your mouth.
The Invisalign Treatment and the Way it Can Help You
If you have a bite problem, Invisalign aligners can certainly help you, and the good news is they are both discrete and transparent. The benefits of wearing Invisalign aligners include faster results and superior comfort compared to more traditional orthodontic options. For certain individuals and conditions, the recommended treatment can be as short as 6 months!
Invisalign treatment is implemented by using computer imagery technology, not the old school plaster molds. First, patient teeth are digitally recreated with a camera that goes into your mouth, and then this technology generates a customized treatment plan based on these images, with custom-made clear aligners that will perfectly fit the teeth of the patient they’re made for. 3D modeling is now commonly used to predict the outcome of a given treatment with great accuracy.
What to Expect From the Initial Appointment
Your initial appointment will be the occasion for your orthodontist to digitally map your occlusion and your teeth in order to create your custom-made aligners. Using these images, your dental health professional will then be able to devise your treatment plan.
What Happens During a Fitting Appointment
A fitting appointment has for objective to set up the transparent and plastic attachments in your mouth and check your custom-made aligners, which will help with the realignment of your teeth. During your fitting session, you will be provided with instructions on how to use your brand new aligners and with more details about the financial aspect of the treatment. After your first fitting appointment, you will have to come in to get a new set of aligners installed every two weeks or so.
What You Need to Know About Attachments
Simply put, attachments are relatively small devices that are made of plastic and placed on the surface of your teeth. With the help of the attachments, aligners get a better grip on your teeth, which will ensure a good realignment process. Teeth like lower incisors and long-rooted canines, in particular, may require attachments, especially if the rotation of the teeth has to occur. Finally, attachments serve the purpose of helping aligners stay where they’re supposed to be until the end of the treatment.
This post was last modified on April 20, 2022 2:09 pm