While active treatment is a term usually applied to traditional braces or lingual braces, there is also an active treatment phase with clear braces. Clear braces or invisible braces such as Invisalign move teeth into a more favorable alignment in much the same way as traditional dental braces. The biggest difference is that clear braces are removable (although you should not remove them very often) and are not easily seen by a casual observer (hence the name invisible braces).
Pretreatment when using clear braces
Pretreatment with clear braces is quite similar to pretreatment with traditional braces in that a detailed examination of the teeth is performed so that orthodontic treatment can be planned. Your orthodontist will take impressions, pictures and X-rays for use with clear braces in much the same way that he or she would with traditional braces. However, with invisible braces the images are digitized and fed into a computer so that a sophisticated computer program can be used to help plan orthodontic treatment. The program will help guide the orthodontist in planning out treatment from start to finish and help design the clear braces that will be used at each step.
Active treatment when using clear braces
The concept behind orthodontic treatment with clear braces is that a new set of invisible braces is used for a few weeks and then replaced by a new one. Each new set of clear braces is a little different than the previous one—moving your teeth a little closer to the final goal each time. The replacement of the clear braces can be thought of like the adjustment part of active treatment. The clear braces tighten up a little each time they are replaced. Most people require between 20 and 30 changes for each row of teeth, but this will vary depending on the starting condition of your teeth.
Retention when using clear braces
There is also a retention phase of treatment with invisible braces but, as you may have guessed, it is usually with a clear retainer. Instead of this clear retainer being changed out every few weeks, it is essentially the same as your last set of clear braces. You will wear this clear retainer for the next 12 months or so as directed by your orthodontist. This clear retainer is used to hold your teeth in their new and proper place until they become fixed in their new position.