SmartForce Attachments Just Got An Upgrade – Introducing Invisalign G8
- It’s estimated that 38% of future cases may benefit from the new SmartForce aligner-free activation feature
Align Technology (the leading medical device company behind Invisalign’s clear aligners) has just launched something exciting: a New Smartforce™ Attachment-Free Aligner Activation Feature. What is this, and what does it mean for patients everywhere? Well, Align’s latest innovation leverages the SmartForce aligner activation to provide a more aesthetic solution for patients who need extra attachments to straighten their complex bite condition.
What are Invisalign attachments generally?
The Invisalign system is the only aligner in the world with features like Bite Ramps, Precision Cuts, and Power Ridges, which means it can realign more challenging bite conditions.
It’s common knowledge that Invisalign involves wearing a series of removable, clear aligners to gradually straighten teeth. However, it’s not so commonly publicised of the adjoining tools that make Invisalign possible in more complicated cases.
One example of such a tool is Invisalign Attachments, which are tiny dots attached to the teeth and incorporated into the design of the aligners (aka bumps in your aligners). Known in the industry as SmartForce attachments, they are designed into the aligners to deliver precise forces when required to achieve more predictable tooth movement in complex cases.
The attachments are made of composite resin and match the colour of your teeth. Historically, they were not noticeable from a distance but evident when up close. They come in several shapes, like squares, triangles, and circles, and can be positioned throughout the mouth. Admittedly, patients did not love them so much, which might have otherwise put them off treatment, but this is all changing.
What is the new SmartForce feature?
The newly launched SmartForce attachment-free aligner basically minimises the number of attachments while still maintaining predictable treatment outcomes. Dentistry.co.uk comments, “It is the latest of the company’s many biomechanical innovations that enhance experiences for patients in Invisalign treatment.”
The SmartForce aligner activation previously featured little nodules on the aligner surface in select areas, specifically used to apply forces to the tooth surface in the correct direction to produce the designed movement and minimise unwanted shifts. The upgraded system will now include optimised attachments, which are tooth-coloured. Under this new release, certain movements can be achieved using a similar force system through aligner activation, hence reducing the need for double attachments on the central.
To put it more simply, the optimised attachment is more aesthetically pleasing and can now be present with a single optimised root control attachment.
‘After extensive research, it was clear to us that our doctors and their patients needed an aesthetic solution for an enhanced Invisalign treatment experience,’ said Raj Pudipeddi, Align’s chief product and marketing officer, executive vice president and managing director Asia Pacific. ‘With this game-changing innovation that builds on Align’s aligner activation innovations, we address the needs of doctors and their patients without compromising exceptional Invisalign treatment outcomes.’
Benefits to the patient
- The number of visible attachments is reduced
- In some cases, attachments are eliminated completely (like in gapped teeth cases)
- One attachment can now deliver the optimal force instead of a more visible double attachment
- Improvements to levelling of the curve of speed
- Improvements to predictability in moderate/severe crowding and cross-bite cases
- More predictable deep bite correction (Up to 2x improvement in clinical predictability of incisor intrusion)
