Invisalign in Geneva — Diamond Apex Provider

Invisalign is treatment with clear aligners: a series of removable trays, changed every two weeks, that move the teeth gradually to the planned position.

I have carried out this treatment since the system arrived in French-speaking Switzerland. Align Technology has awarded me Diamond Apex Provider status, held by the top 1 percent of practitioners in the EMEA region, after more than 3,000 cases treated. That does not make the treatment better in itself. It means I have seen a great many cases resemble yours, and I know early on what is going to cause difficulty.

How aligner treatment works

Each aligner is manufactured specifically for your teeth. You wear it twenty-two hours a day and remove it to eat and to brush. Every two weeks you move to the next one.

Before anything is manufactured, I build a three-dimensional treatment plan in ClinCheck. You see the starting position, each intermediate stage and the intended result. You approve that plan before the first aligner is produced, so you know what you are committing to before treatment begins.

Aligning teeth or treating the bite

This distinction explains most of the differences in price and in outcome between practices.

Alignment corrects the visible position of the front teeth. Complete treatment also corrects the occlusion, meaning the way your upper and lower teeth meet.

I treat the occlusion, including in adults whose growth has finished. Straightening teeth without correcting how they meet gives a satisfactory result for a few months, after which the forces of chewing return the teeth towards where they started.

For Class II and Class III cases I frequently use the Carriere Motion distaliser as a first stage, before the aligners. That combination makes situations treatable with aligners that are widely assumed to require fixed appliances, or even surgery. It is what separates a practitioner who uses Invisalign from one who has mastered it.

Who it suits

Adults. Around 90 percent of my adult treatments are carried out with aligners. They come out for a business lunch or a presentation, which explains why patients who refused fixed braces accept them.

Teenagers. The aligners carry compliance indicators that change colour. Checking wear becomes a matter of fact rather than an argument, which parents generally welcome.

Children. Depending on the case and the age, aligner treatment is possible, sometimes after a first phase with a different appliance. I propose an early phase only where it is indicated.

Not every case can be treated with aligners. Where fixed braces give better control, I propose them and explain why.