Treatment with clear plastic aligners

"Before you know it you will smile

a radiant smile"

The worldwide rise of Invisalign has created a unique situation for the entire orthodontic and dental market. Never before was there a product that brought about such an enormous change in terms of brand and recognition, and that lifted orthodontics into the digital age. These days people do not so much want braces any more, they want Invisalign, while this is just as much a set of braces as the well-known brackets. It seems reasonable that the patient, or rather "the customer", can now choose a product that is the same everywhere in the world. However, there are thousands of practitioners who were all trained somewhere else, in different periods at different universities, who are used to different systems and who work in widely varying clinics.

In short, there are large variations in treatments and in views on how an Invisalign treatment will run. Above all in treatment duration, in the desired end result and of course in the costs. The experience of the practitioner, and how competent they feel themselves, is decisive for the end result to be achieved and for the success of the orthodontic treatment as a whole. Since most patients only want a cosmetic correction, it will be tempting to draw up shorter treatment plans. All the more so because imitation aligners have appeared on the market that promise a great deal in little time and at low prices. As a person you will not often undergo a braces treatment, preferably only once. Sometimes twice and rarely three times in a lifetime. Where you have it done usually depends on where you live, so it rests more on chance.

Online reviews do not give a true representation of the daily way of working of a practice that is often busy; they are more like snapshots and subjective opinions. A little research and asking around among family and friends is worth the effort though. Find a practitioner with a lot of experience who has made it their speciality.

Drs. Lotte Meereboer