December is indeed the month for wrapping up, figuratively and literally! The Aligner Dental Academy reflects on the past year’s Invisalign advice.
The Aligner Dental Academy hopes each article has served as a building block, helping dentists enhance their Invisalign practice, improve treatment outcomes and optimise patient care.
Here’s a recap of what was covered in 2024:
April: Top five tips for successful Invisalign treatment outcomes
The series kicked off in April with essential advice for Invisalign practitioners, emphasising the importance of mentorship and community support in dentistry. Defined as a supportive relationship that helps mentees unlock their potential (Varney, 2012), mentorship is central to the Aligner Dental Academy’s mission. As one of Europe’s largest aligner education platforms and Invisalign’s official training partner across Europe and the Middle East, its goal is to foster community, knowledge-sharing and clinical excellence.
Through analysing over 100,000 forum posts from our members, we identified five top tips for achieving successful Invisalign treatment outcomes.
Key takeaway
Aligner Dental Academy members complete 81% more aligner cases on average than non-members, thanks to access to a robust support system, personalised mentorship, advanced treatment planning tools, and a wealth of clinical resources designed to ensure clinical excellence and boost confidence in aligner dentistry.
May: Case assessment and treatment planning for Invisalign
In May, the Aligner Dental Academy underscored the importance of thorough case assessment and treatment planning for Invisalign success. The SAFE assessment process was introduced, developed by Dr Raman Aulakh, which evaluates cases in four areas: aesthetics, function, biology and structure. This approach helps dentists create tailored treatment plans aligned with patient goals.
The Aligner Dental Academy’s Treatment Goals Guide then aids practitioners in deciding whether to accept, improve, or correct specific aspects of the case. Academy members gain access to these guides and additional support through consultations, forums, and treatment planning services, ensuring a comprehensive approach to Invisalign treatment.
Key takeaway
Completing a comprehensive case assessment and establishing treatment goals before treatment planning is an essential component of successful clear aligner therapy. Be aware of the product parameters when assessing your cases to ensure the treatment goals can be met.
June: ClinCheck optimisation
The June article delved into the world of ClinCheck, outlining how the Aligner Dental Academy guides members in optimising digital treatment plans. ClinCheck optimisation allows dentists to refine tooth movements and sequencing for better control and efficiency, enhancing patient satisfaction with predictable treatment outcomes and reduced treatment times.
Key takeaway
Make sure your post treatment overjet is at least 2mm, ideally 2-4mm. This reduces the risk of a posterior open bite developing after treatment. You may need to add lower anterior interproximal reduction (IPR) to achieve an adequate overjet. Ensure when you are planning the overjet that there is no risk of lip catch post treatment.
July: Treatment planning services
In July, The Aligner Dental Academy highlighted its treatment planning services, which assist practitioners in managing complex cases with ease. By offering one-to-one guidance and customised solutions, The Aligner Dental Academy enables dentists to approach challenging cases confidently, improving their treatment planning and reducing the time spent on each case.
Key takeaway
The treatment planning service is available to ADA members and non-members.
| Category | Invisalign Go | Invisalign Comprehensive |
| Member prices | £50 / €60 (excluding VAT) | £75 / €85 (excluding VAT) |
| Non-member prices | £75 / €89 (excluding VAT) | £100/ €118 (excluding VAT) |
August: IPR and attachments
In August the Aligner Dental Academy tackled key techniques in Invisalign treatment: interproximal reduction (IPR) and the use of attachments. Guidance on these topics helps dentists achieve precise tooth movements and enhances treatment predictability, ensuring better aligner fit and more efficient case progression.
Key takeaway
Remember your safe limits.
- Ideally limit IPR around the anterior teeth to 0.3mm and increase IPR up to 0.5mm around premolars and molars
- Lower incisors have the thinnest approximal enamel 0.7-0.8mm per surface (1.4-1.6mm of total enamel in the embrasures)
- Upper incisors have 0.9mm of approximal enamel thickness (1.8mm total enamel thickness in the embrasures)
- Canine approximal enamel is 1-1.2mm and it jumps up by another 0.1mm for each tooth moving distal to the canine.
September: monitoring and reviewing
September’s focus was on monitoring patient progress, underscoring the importance of regular reviews. The Aligner Dental Academy provides strategies for efficient tracking, allowing dentists to make timely adjustments to the treatment plan. This step-by-step approach is crucial to achieving expected results and maintaining patient satisfaction throughout the journey.
Key takeaway
Run a yellow interdental strip through every contact point to ensure that there is free movement. Invisalign applies gentle forces, so it’s important that tight contacts are addressed. If a contact point is too tight, release it with the yellow strip to facilitate proper tooth movement.
October: Finishing and retention
In October, the Aligner Dental Academy discussed finishing techniques and retention strategies, crucial for long-term success in orthodontic treatment. With these insights, dentists learn effective finishing techniques to perfect smile aesthetics and retain tooth alignment, ensuring the results are stable and lasting.
Key takeaway
It’s a good idea to recommend that patients wear their removable retainers day and night for the first six months. After that, they should wear them nightly for as long as they want to maintain their straight teeth – ideally forever! Make sure to give both verbal and written retention instructions.
On the Aligner Dental Academy platform you will find a downloadable retention consent form.
November: Troubleshooting in Invisalign treatments
Rounding out the series in November, we addressed common issues that can arise during treatment. This article provided dentists with troubleshooting strategies to manage unexpected challenges such as lagging teeth and management of posterior open bite after aligner therapy.
Key takeaway
A) For POB less than 2mm – if the POB is minor, a Dahl appliance may be useful. Cut the aligners distal to the lower canines and instruct the patient to wear them for three to four weeks. This allows the posterior teeth to over-erupt into occlusion.
B) For POB greater than 2mm – the box elastic technique. In more severe cases, use the box elastic technique to restore occlusion. Ensure sufficient incisal clearance and incorporate rectangular attachments on the molars for improved anchorage. In deep bite cases, plan for heavy posterior contacts and light anterior contacts.
Struggling to know how to place elastics in your cases? Join Aligner Dental Academy’s hands-on Londec event in March. More info can be found here.
Invisalign insights
To summarise, Aligner Dental Academy hopes this series of articles has provided some valuable insights to benefit your Invisalign journey.
The Aligner Dental Academy is incredibly passionate about being the ultimate peer-based support system for dentists. Our educational resources, treatment planning support, and ongoing mentorship empower practitioners to enhance clinical accuracy, optimise workflows, and build patient trust.
Membership also connects dentists with a network of peers and experts, providing collaborative learning opportunities that can significantly impact both clinical skills and business success.
From hands on training days, to monthly webinars to an on-demand academy of tutorials – the Aligner Dental Academy has your continued training covered and has your back!
For more information about how to become a member of the Aligner Dental Academy, please click here.
This article is sponsored by the Aligner Dental Academy.
