A Child’s Invisalign Treatment Review for Crowded Teeth

Hello.

I would like to introduce a child orthodontic treatment case.

Child Orthodontic Treatment: Invisalign for Crowded Teeth

2022.12~24.07

2022.12

The patient came in wanting to correct crowded teeth and crooked front teeth.

2022.12

At the initial examination, the patient was 10 years old, which was an age at which Invisalign First could be used for children’s orthodontic treatment.

Compared with peers, the patient’s dental age was advanced, and no baby teeth remained.

We decided to proceed with treatment using Invisalign Teen.

There were no skeletal problems such as a prominent lower jaw, a receding lower jaw, or asymmetry, and all the baby teeth had already been replaced by permanent teeth, so orthodontic treatment began right away.

2022.12

There was a crowded tooth in the upper teeth.

2022.12

The tooth peeking out from behind is the second molar.

For Invisalign, it usually takes about a month and a half when the time needed to create the treatment plan, manufacture the aligners, and ship them is included.

Treatment began in January 2023, when the shipped aligners were received and worn.

This is what the teeth looked like eight months later, after all the aligners in the first set had been worn.

23.09

The crowded tooth had become straight, and both second molars had erupted in the meantime.

23.09

The bite was also fairly good.

23.09

This is what the teeth looked like while wearing the final aligner.

It can be seen that the tooth and the aligner were not in contact in the area indicated by the arrow.

This occurred because, at some point during treatment when the aligners had not been worn diligently enough, the aligner was no longer able to hold the tooth.

23.09

From the front, it can be seen that the tooth had not descended completely.

Although there had been significant improvement compared with the beginning, the midline was still slightly misaligned, and the angulation of the front teeth was not perfect.

To improve these areas, additional aligners were made. This is what the teeth looked like after wearing all of the additional aligners from October 2023 through February 2024.

24.02

Elastics were also used to bring the tooth that had not descended completely into the proper position.

While waiting for the erupting second molars to fully emerge, the final aligner was worn only while sleeping. Then, last month, treatment was finally completed.

24.07

The aligners were worn actively for one year. The final six months were a retention period spent waiting for the molars to erupt further and for the bite to be completed.

24.07

The patient showed a Class I bite relationship, and the bite was good.

2022.12~2024.07

2022.12~2024.07

This is what the teeth looked like with the fixed wire retainer attached.

There is a rumor that teeth will become crooked again if orthodontic treatment is done at a young age.

That is not true.

If there are no problems such as a prominent lower jaw or asymmetry during jaw growth, the retainer is worn consistently, and regular checkups are attended, the teeth will not become crooked again.

2022.12~2024.07

2022.12~2024.07

The angle of the front teeth was also good.

I hope this was helpful for those considering Invisalign treatment for children.