University of Manitoba

Invisalign Usage Research Project - Orthodontist Survey

Align Technology, Inc., the company that manufactures Invisalign, was founded in 1997. Invisalign is an orthodontic tool which can be utilized as an alternative to braces, to align malpositioned teeth (Wong, 2002). Invisalign involves using a series of plastic type removable aligners which incrementally straighten the teeth. These aligners are generated with the use of a computer simulation of the progressive steps of treatment. Models of the teeth are scanned to produce a three dimensional computer image. Aligners are changed approximately every two weeks with varying total treatment lengths that depend on the severity of the malocclusion. To date, Align Technology Inc. has manufactured over 10,000,000 aligners and 250,000 patients have been in treatment
(http://www.invisalign.com/generalapp/us/en/what/index.jsp, January 20, 2006).