For the last 18 years or so, Invisalign has been the only clear aligner therapy available to the public. But, over the last several months, we have been hearing more and more about alternative clear aligner therapy. There is a lot of buzz about these other treatments, largely because the cost is significantly less than Invisalign. One of the main reasons it is so much cheaper is because it is not performed or supervised throughout treatment by a licensed Dentist. Therefore, clinical outcomes are significantly different and less ideal.
I can only comment on my experience treating patients using Invisalign and what I see of these companies. I see their commercials and the promises they make. The types of cases they are supposed to be taking on are simple crowding cases. But the commercials display cases that are moderate to severe in difficulty. This makes the consumer think that it can properly treat their complex misalignment. But in reality, difficult cases require attachments that aid in the movement of the teeth, sometimes space needs to be made between the teeth and regular supervision by someone trained to monitor orthodontic movement, in order to ensure that the aligners are tracking and seating properly. Fairly often, teeth will stop moving as expected, either because the tooth just stopped moving or because the patient hasn’t been compliant about wearing the aligners the amount of time they are supposed to. These other companies cannot achieve correcting these kinds of cases because they do not have the ability to utilize these methods, and there is no doctor to supervise the process.
Nothing can take the place of professional supervision. The old saying “you get what you pay for” is really true here. Not because I treat patients using Invisalign, but because it is true. It is my duty as a healthcare provider to protect the public from doing things that could harm them and that are not in their best interest. The buyer must beware.