Crowding, Invisalign Lite, Gummy Smile, Midline, Black Triangle

Hello.

Let me introduce an Invisalign orthodontic treatment in Apgujeong.

25.01~25.11

Invisalign Lite is an appliance used for malocclusions that can be addressed within 14 aligners.

It is used for mild cases comparable to front-teeth partial orthodontic treatment, but

if additional prescriptions such as elastics are included, it can also improve the molar relationship by about 1–2 mm.

25.01

This patient came in last January for crowding correction in the front teeth. They said there was nothing particularly bothersome aside from the protruding lateral incisor.

In the frontal photo, a black triangle and midline discrepancy are visible.

The midline tends to shift toward the crowded tooth, but in addition, because the molar relationships on both sides are different, the midline discrepancy becomes more pronounced.

A treatment plan to precisely align both sides of the molar relationship to Class I and make the midline match exactly would take a year and a half and require the Invisalign Comprehensive program.

The patient wanted a short and simple treatment focused only on improving the crowding, so we decided to treat with Invisalign Lite.

On the left side, where a Class II bite relationship was observed, intermaxillary elastics were prescribed to improve the bite relationship, aiming not only to correct the crowding but also to improve the occlusion and the facial midline.

Also, since the gums showed somewhat when smiling, we placed orthodontic mini-screws and also aimed to intrude the front teeth.

25.06

This is the appearance after wearing all 14 aligners from February to June.

The midline improved significantly, and the crowded teeth were well aligned.

There was still space left around the canine,

and the crowding was not perfectly aligned.

Also, in the smile photo,

25.06

The tooth that had been crowded would need to come down a bit more for the tooth-height symmetry of the smile line to be balanced.

To further correct these areas, we proceeded with remaking the aligners, and after wearing all the additional aligners through November, treatment was completed.

25.11

Although a slight midline discrepancy remained, the improvement was satisfactory, and

the molar occlusion is good.

Now, let’s look at the before-and-after comparison.

The treatment period was 10 months.

2025.01~25.11

25.01~25.11

The black triangle at the center of the upper teeth was reduced through interproximal reduction.

25.01~25.11

The midline improved a lot compared to the beginning.

25.01~25.11

Because the elastics were worn diligently, the left occlusal relationship became closer to Class I.

25.01~25.11

The right side achieved a perfect Class I.

25.01~25.11

The gummy smile improved slightly.

The height and level of the front teeth are perfectly symmetrical and form a harmonious arc with the lower lip.

25.01~25.11

The smile looks cleaner.

25.01~25.11

The originally pretty lip shape was well maintained.

25.11

The root parallelism of the teeth is good, and there is no root resorption.

We create the most appropriate treatment plan according to the treatment goals that match the patient’s needs.