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Clear aligner seCtion

THE ADVANTAGES OF MULTI-PHASE

ORTHODONTIC TREATMENT WITH

INVISALIGN ALIGNERS: A FIRST LOOK

AT LESSONS LEARNED

Align Technology, Inc. had the opportunity to interview Dr. Regina Blevins from Minnesota
Orthodontics (www.minnesotaorthodontics.com) about her recent experiences with Phase
1 – Phase 2 orthodontic treatments, using Invisalign First clear aligners and Invisalign
Comprehensive Phase 2 aligners. We are excited to share her clinical insights and current key
takeaways with you.

KEY TAKEAWAYS • We can treat them with less frequent appointment intervals between
visits and fewer appointments.
What are the top lessons learned so far with Invisalign First clear • We can often switch our patients to an alternative aligner wear
aligners and with Invisalign aligners for Phase 2 treatment? schedule when they are in the final finishing stages.
• Younger children are highly compliant with wearing their aligners.
• Families love the convenience of being able to use Invisalign Virtual
Appointments and Invisalign Virtual Care to discuss their options What is your general Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical strategy?
and questions with the doctor, and they love the convenience of not When our young growing patients come in for a consultation, we aim
having unscheduled emergency appointments for broken brackets or to address dento-alveolar problems orthopedically during the first
poking wires. phase of treatment, and alignment detailing in the second phase. For
• Keeps the treatment fun for younger patients with Invisalign™ the first phase, we also strive to correct any problems that might require
Stickables. greater efforts to reverse if left untreated. This is the main advantage of
• The lower levels of gingivitis and enamel decalcification in our multi-phase treatment over a single comprehensive phase treatment
Invisalign patients is impressive. plan done when the patient is a teenager in full permanent dentition.
The process of reversing dental compensations later on can lead to
What strategies would you recommend for orthodontists to treatment inefficiencies.
implement in their practice to drive more multi-phase cases with Therefore, for certain patients, we prefer to initiate the treatment
Invisalign aligners? during their growth phase, to address the orthopaedics early, and then
• Educate parents on the importance of treating Phase 1 related issues, follow up with a Phase 2 treatment later once all their permanent teeth
and the consequences if they remain untreated, such as greater effort have erupted, to resolve any remaining alignment issues. By that time,
needed to treat it later. we would expect that the heavy lifting has already been accomplished
• Articulate the goals and objectives for each phase of treatment. during Phase 1, making the second phase more straightforward.
• Implement Invisalign Virtual Appointments and Invisalign Virtual The types of problems we typically address with our Phase 1
Care to offer video consultations, assess treatment progress, and patients using Invisalign First treatments include: anterior crossbites
communicate any adjustments or concerns during treatment. These with functional shifts, narrow arches, dental Class 2 malocclusions,
digital tools help with virtual monitoring of treatment progress in- deep bites and open bites, and crowding and spacing resulting from
between office visits for every Phase 1 treatment case with Invisalign premature loss of primary teeth. For patients with any of these
aligners. conditions, we will begin our Phase 1 treatments with Invisalign First
• Ensure that the patient is comfortable in following the Invisalign aligners once the permanent central incisors have erupted and the
treatment instructions. permanent lateral incisors are at least half-erupted. We also want the
upper and lower permanent first molars to be erupted on both sides,
Why choose the Invisalign aligners for Phase 2 treatment? so that the aligners have at least three points of stabilization within
• For patients treated in Phase 1 with Invisalign First aligners, the arch.
treatment is something that they are already comfortable with. Once our Phase 1 objectives have been achieved, we transition

36 Dental Practice I November-December 2023 I Vol 19 No 6