What are Invisalign Attachments and Why do we need them?
Invisalign attachments are small temporary buttons that get placed on the surface of a tooth during Invisalign treatment. They help the Invisalign trays grip the teeth and move them better. We make these buttons from tooth-colored filling material that bonds onto the surface of your teeth. After your teeth are all straight and beautiful, we gently polish off the buttons, leaving your teeth as good as new. Even though we make them from filling material, they are not fillings and don’t affect your tooth in any way.
Want to See How We Place These Attachments?
Watch to see how we place an Invisalign attachment for a patient at the start of her treatment.
Does Invisalign always use attachments?
Invisalign typically requires attachments; however, how many attachments each patient needs and where those attachments get placed on the teeth depends on what each person needs. Some patients only need one Invisalign attachment and others need 10 or more. Naturally, it all depends on how much tooth movement needs to happen.
What should you do if you LOSE an attachment?
If you lose an Invisalign attachment, call your dentist. When an attachment falls off, you need to see your dentist for two reasons. First, without attachments in the right places, the Invisalign trays can’t straighten your teeth as effectively as they should. Second, a button that pops off may be a sign that your trays aren’t fitting the way that they should. In this case, you need to be rescanned and given a new modified set of trays that fits better. In the course of treatment, teeth don’t always move exactly as predicted at the beginning and the trays series need modifications.
At our office, these new trays are typically included in the treatment cost. When you get a price estimate for Invisalign, always ask your dentist if your price includes treatment modifications and rescans. Not surprisingly, offices that charge the lowest prices for Invisalign up front, typically don’t include any modifications. However, nearly every case needs at least one to two modifications over the course of treatment to get the best results.
Do you know someone who’s dreaming of straighter teeth?
To learn more about Invisalign vs Braces, check out our blog.
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