A Patient in Their 50s: Invisalign Intrusion Orthodontic Treatment Review

Hello.

One of the orthodontic treatments that can be performed effectively with clear aligners such as Invisalign is intrusion orthodontics.

Intruding the front teeth can correct a gummy smile, while intruding the molars can correct an open bite.

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For an open bite in which the front teeth do not meet, intrusion orthodontics—pushing the molars into the bone—is preferable for preventing relapse after treatment, even though it requires more effort, rather than simply bringing the front teeth down.

A smaller lower face through autorotation of the mandible is an added benefit.

I will show you how molar intrusion progresses with Invisalign clear aligners for a patient in their 50s.

This is a middle-aged patient in their 50s who visited us in May of this year because they wanted to correct an open bite.

I explained that intrusion orthodontics, pushing the upper molars upward into the bone, was necessary.

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I explained that Clippy-C and Invisalign could achieve similar results in a similar amount of time, so the patient could comfortably choose whichever orthodontic appliance they preferred. The patient chose Invisalign treatment for aesthetic reasons.

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The eight teeth extending through the first premolars are not in contact, while the three teeth on each side from the second premolars to the molars are in contact.

In this situation, the treatment plan involves intruding the six upper molars that are in contact—three on each side.

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Mini-screws were placed in the palate from the beginning.

At this stage, the ClinCheck treatment plan is also extremely important for adjusting the teeth’s angulation, torque, and position to avoid unwanted tooth movement.

If you make the treatment result in ClinCheck look beautiful, the actual result will never turn out that way.

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The first set was completed over seven months, and recently, we began remaking the refinement aligners for additional treatment.

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The bite you were concerned about was also completed successfully.

The purpose of the additional aligners is to align the slightly mismatched midline and to create a slight overbite in anticipation of some relapse after orthodontic treatment.

It appears that treatment will likely be completed in about three months with the additional aligners.

The first set took seven months, and if the additional aligners take three months, the total treatment period will be 10 months.

If you ask whether intrusion orthodontics can be performed effectively with Invisalign alone, without mini-screws, the answer is yes.

However, I would tell you that it takes about three times as long.

Invisalign performs intrusion orthodontics so effectively that you may wonder whether even this degree of open bite could have been completely improved in just 10 months with Clippy-C.

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Finally, I will show you the changes over seven months and bring this post to a close.