Dr Wesley’s Invisalign Journey Episode 9: Refinements

https://www.youtube .com/watch?v=siBoaz2x69U

If you are in aligner therapy then you have likely heard the term refinement. A refinement is when you need to send in a new scan to your aligner company to order new trays. It is a normal part of aligner therapy and you should expect to have 2-4 refinements over the course of your treatment. Listen to Dr Wesley discuss refinements and what can be expected at yours. www.lifetimeortho.com

21 thoughts on “Dr Wesley’s Invisalign Journey Episode 9: Refinements”

    1. Everyone has a different comfort level. I personally like an updated xray at least once a year. It is the best way to make sure the roots and bones are healthy as we are moving teeth. There are however some cases that are fairly straight forward that I do not take progress xrays on. Maybe ask them!

  1. Thank you. I am using my last tray-#30 and will most likely need refiners. However, my Dr still has not taken 3D to send request. If it is taking 4-5 weeks to receive refiners, what would I do once I finish last tray #30? Should I continue wearing #30 for another 4-5 weeks- or use retainers, or what?

  2. Another general question; if you request refiners 4-6 weeks earlier (let us say #27) than my last tray (#30)- How do you ensure refiners will fit into my teeth once I finish my last tray . Because your 3D scan is based on at the time when I was using #27. Thanks

    1. That is a great question. We don’t want to stop the biological momentum that your body has created for moving teeth. There is an arsenal of cells that have migrated to the areas of desired tooth movement to break down and build the bone around the teeth. The movements are not that great in 4-6 weeks to where the new trays will be significantly different and not fit. Some times, these trays are passive, meaning that there is not active movements or the movements are very subtle.

  3. I was really shocked to find out today my doctor has ordered 41 additional aligners considering I did already started with 41. A month ago during one of my checkups I was told we might or might not need any additional ones, my teeth look pretty good right now so they said we’ll need to order additional ones I was honestly thinking 3 or 4. Because I have also spoken with them about moving to another country in April and was told we will be done by then. Now 41 sounds like almost one more year – a week for each one. Unfortunately, my appointment is next week and the girl on the phone didn’t know why I need so many additional aligners.
    What should I expect? It will be so inconvenient for me to fly back and forth for months to complete the process.

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