Invisalign Attachments and What They Do

Invisalign is a fantastic way to get that straight and perfectly aligned smile you’ve always dreamed of having. This relatively new technological advancement has proven to be beneficial to anyone who wishes to discreetly straighten their teeth. It can essentially do everything braces can do, especially when Invisalign attachments are included in the treatment.

What Are Invisalign Attachments?

Invisalign attachments are small, discreet bumps attached to your teeth to achieve more precise control of tooth movement. These attachments, or “buttons,” are made of dental bonding material and can be different shapes and sizes, depending on what their exact purpose is. Attaching them requires absolutely no drilling, shots, or other painful methods, so it’s very easy to have them put in place. They give your aligners something to hold on to during treatment. And when you are finished with your Invisalign treatment, these buttons are polished right off and there is no trace of them left behind.

What Do They Do?

These attachments increase the Invisalign aligners’ ability to precisely straighten your teeth. They allow your teeth’s movement to be controlled much more than they would be without the buttons. Without them, the retainers alone would not be able to accomplish certain tooth movements, making Invisalign a much less effective treatment plan.

Elastics or Rubber Bands

Additionally, these buttons allow for the use of rubber bands, or elastics, with Invisalign. The clear aligners can be modified to accommodate rubber bands to correct bite problems. Basically, hooks are cut into the spot your elastics should be and you just attach them right on the aligner. This method of tooth alignment wouldn’t be possible without the dots being attached to your teeth, though. The retainers would likely pop out should you not have attachments holding them in place.

Correcting your bite is just as important as straightening crooked teeth and fixing spacing issues. Wearing rubber bands attached to your top and bottom aligners will gently move your teeth and jaws to their correct positions, and it’s important to wear them as instructed by your orthodontist to ensure that you achieve the best possible results.

While kids enjoy using colored bands to express their sense of style, you can choose clear or white bands to keep your treatment less obvious, which was probably your reason for choosing Invisalign in the first place.

If you’re considering going with Invisalign as your treatment plan, you should be aware of the possibility that you will have attachments in some form, and that they are there to improve your treatment. With the right attachments and a little commitment on your part, you’ll have the smile of your dreams in no time!

For more information about the different types of Invisalign and attachments, call Milnor Orthodontics at (970) 355-3437.