What is it about?
Digital Orthodontics in Padua
Digital orthodontics is the most modern and cutting-edge method for starting an orthodontic treatment. If you're unhappy with your smile because of crooked teeth but have never had the courage or desire to wear braces, you might be interested to know that digital techniques have made it much easier to straighten teeth.
In the common imagination, traditional braces are often associated with discomfort, poor aesthetics, and frequent dental visits. Today, thanks to digital techniques, it's much easier to achieve the desired results with less effort.
Digital orthodontics allows for a treatment that is:
More comfortable: no more wires or metal brackets poking and irritating lips and cheeks.
More predictable: computer simulations of your smile can closely match the actual clinical results.
Faster: precise digital planning often leads to shorter treatment times.
Cleaner: being able to remove the appliance means better hygiene for both your teeth and the aligners.
More aesthetic: the transparency and absence of metal parts make the appliance almost invisible.
What happens if you decide to embark on a journey to straighten your teeth?
As in any medical practice , orthodontics requires an initial examination and diagnosis. On this occasion, the general health of the mouth and teeth is first assessed.
Already at this early stage, technology provides us with great support through:
- the intraoral camera: it allows for viewing caries visible to the naked eye, the state of dental hygiene and other issues on a screen.
- transillumination: this technique is useful for caries detection without the use of radiation but uses precisely illumination to highlight caries that is otherwise not visible from observation of the teeth alone.
- X-rays: x-rays are taken when necessary. Our practice allows virtually all X-rays needed in dentistry to be taken without the patient having to make an appointment at another facility. Digital radiography has the great advantage of emitting a much lower dose than analog radiography ( to wit, that used to imprint an image on a typical plate) .We are therefore able to provide digital radiographs such as:
- Orthopantomography for a general assessment of dental and bone status
- Endoral radiographs, useful for precise evaluation of crowns and tooth roots, bony lesions, localization of structures such as nerve canals or sinuses, etc.
- Teleradiography, is a lateral radiograph of the skull that is especially useful for diagnosis in orthodontics
- CT scan or CBCT: allows three-dimensional visualization of bone and dental structures.
- The intraoral scanner. The intraoral scanner has certainly been a welcome revolution for patients in the dental field. The memory of the classic impression is often associated with the fact of a sticky, cold, suffocating paste. The use of the scanner overcomes all these difficulties because it allows the impression to be taken through a camera, and thus in a totally revolutionary and different way than in the past. We use it in all orthodontic cases, for adults and children, because it does not give any discomfort or discomfort.
Following scanning, we can already obtain a simulation of alignment teeth through software, so that in the simplest cases our patients can get an idea of what their smile would look like with straight teeth.
How is Digital Orthodontics treatment performed?
Once all the necessary information for diagnosis and treatment planning has been collected, we move on to the actual treatment phase.
Each small movement you see in the simulation corresponds to the action of a single clear aligner. As you may have noticed, each shift is very minimal, meaning the treatment is generally more comfortable and causes less discomfort.
The final result is achieved through a sequence of these small movements.
Each treatment, therefore, consists of a variable number of clear aligners, and the duration depends on the complexity of the case.
The most important rule to follow is: wear your aligners all day!
I’ll take care of the diagnosis and treatment plan, but your consistent cooperation is essential throughout the process.
Each aligner is numbered and can be replaced independently by the patient. Typically, each one is worn for about 7 days, after which you can move on to the next.
We’ll have check-ups every 4–6 weeks. During these visits, I’ll verify that the treatment is progressing as planned and make adjustments if necessary, although this is rarely needed.
The finishing
During the course of treatment, we may need to take new digital impressions.
This could be necessary if, for example, a new tooth emerges (common in younger patients), or if a certain movement hasn’t completed properly, like a tooth rotation that needs fine-tuning. This phase is called a refinement.
Refinement is usually the final phase of orthodontic treatment, where small, final adjustments are made to achieve perfect alignment.
At the end of treatment, one thing is certain: teeth will always tend to move again!
So, it's necessary to keep them in place, and how do we do that?
Once again, with our trusted intraoral scanner! We take final impressions of the completed case and produce two 3D models, used to create your final two retainers, which are to be worn only at night.
Thanks to this fully digital method, we always have access to your virtual dental model, meaning we can quickly remake your night retainers if they become worn out or lost.
How does Invisible Orthodontics treatment in Padua work?
Treatment begins with a digital impression using our intraoral scanner.
As you’ve learned, in just a few minutes, we have a digital mold of your mouth on screen.
We also take X-rays and photographs to study the case thoroughly.
In simpler cases, we can instantly simulate how your smile would look with straight teeth, giving you a clear idea of the final result.
Then, a personalized and detailed diagnosis is made, based on all the data collected.
The dentist defines the treatment goals and the best method to achieve them.
Once the patient has reviewed and approved the treatment plan, the clear aligners are ordered. They’re usually produced and delivered in 2–3 weeks.
When the aligners arrive, we’ll call you in. Together, we’ll try them on, learn how to put them in and take them out, and review the key rules for care at home.
You’ll manage the aligners at home, taking care of cleaning and changing them every 7–10 days.
If your treatment includes, for example, 40 aligners, you won’t need to come to the clinic every time you switch them!
Instead, you’ll have check-ups every 4–6 weeks, and during the rest of the time, you’ll be in charge of progressing the treatment at home.
The dentist’s job is to ensure that the invisible orthodontic treatment is progressing as planned and to make any necessary adjustments.
How much does invisible braces treatment cost?
The digitalization of the process has made treatments more predictable and faster, making them more accessible to everyone.
While the equipment and production of clear aligners are more expensive than traditional braces, the shorter appointments and near-zero emergency visits make invisible orthodontics more cost-effective in terms of time, and therefore also cost, than traditional braces.
That’s why, in our clinic, clear aligners and traditional braces have the same standard price.
Payments are spread over the course of the treatment, making it financially accessible for everyone to achieve a celebrity-level smile!
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