When it comes to Invisalign versus braces, it’s important to respect a doctor’s preference, since most doctors genuinely want the best for their patients. Naturally, a doctor’s recommendations are based on their experience level and confidence with various treatment systems. Patients are sometimes diagnosed as routine Invisalign cases, yet previous orthodontic consultations told them they were not candidates for Invisalign.
Some reasons why an orthodontist won’t recommend Invisalign:
- They have little to no expertise with Invisalign.
- They have a high comfort level with braces.
- They believe they cannot rely on patient compliance with Invisalign.
- They have difficulty making money with Invisalign in their practice since Invsisalign costs the doctor much more than a set of brackets and wires.
In addition, some orthodontists are reluctant to implement a new system requiring new workflows, new patient management systems and even new skill sets such as digital capturing of patient data, computer modeling of treatment and more modern methods of managing patient progress. It may take some orthodontists years to become comfortable enough with these changes to offer Invisalign in their practice.
Customer Demand
Most orthodontists in metropolitan areas offer Invisalign due to customer demand. These areas generally have more adult patients who demand an alternative to braces versus rural areas, where most patients are children who are still willing to accept braces. Naturally, many doctors are resistant to change; it’s human nature. When an orthodontist’s training was with braces and they’ve built systems in their practice to manage that service, they may reluctantly offer advanced products and services such as Invisalign after receiving enough patient requests.
Patient Compliance
Aligners won’t work if patients don’t wear them. By comparison, braces are bonded onto the teeth. So, at first glance, a doctor is giving up a significant level of control choosing aligners over braces. Remarkably, doctors who are experienced in aligner therapy say that compliance is less of an issue with aligners than with braces. Braces require more care in terms of brushing and flossing and avoiding foods and habits that cause them to break loose. Emergency visits for loose brackets and poking wires are rampant with braces. By comparison, there are essentially no emergencies or side effects with aligners.
Advancements in Technology
Today, companies like Evenly have the technology and skill to analyze and manage patients with a sophisticated patient management app providing the ability to guide patients every week. This has become a game changer for Evenly. Remote analysis and management enable Evenly to guide patients more effectively than traditional in-office visits. Weekly remote office visits better determine when patients are ready to move to their next aligner; the patient no longer needs to guess. Typically, with braces or even in-office orthodontic aligner treatment, checking every six to ten weeks is not frequent enough. Managing and customizing the time of aligner changes compensates for less than full-time wear and even variable wear, both of which are the norm.
The experience of Evenly’s clinical team combined with its technology makes remote scans as valuable, if not more valuable, than a traditional in-office visit. It takes time to incorporate these technologies in terms of cost and workflow, and it is therefore understandable why some practices are slow to successfully incorporate Invisalign as a new treatment modality.
Expense to the Doctor
There is also an important financial consideration in using a new system – the Invisalign system costs the doctor much more than a set of braces. Initially, doctors charged their patients much more for Invisalign than braces, which made the Invisalign option less appealing, especially for children and teens.
Experienced orthodontists like Evenly’s understand that the new technology often pays for itself with shorter treatment times, fewer appointments, no emergency visits and happier patients. The internal marketing benefit of happy patients, referring friends, family and coworkers, is a huge benefit to a practice that can help offset the cost of a new treatment system.
Furthermore, low-volume doctors pay a higher price for Invisalign, creating an additional barrier to entry and a perverse incentive to use less advanced aligner systems. It’s also important to remember that all the advances with Invisalign didn’t happen overnight. More than a billion dollars of product development and the data mining of more than ten million cases have brought product breakthroughs one at a time over the last 20+ years.
Invisalign in the hands of Evenly’s experienced experts can now outperform braces for most cases. Computer modeling of treatment means a very direct, predetermined treatment course as compared to a series of assessments and readjustments with braces. The aligners are also more comfortable, aesthetically pleasing and more hygienic.