Invisalign and Aligners

If you are looking for a discreet way to straighten your teeth and don’t want to get more traditional braces then having an aligner may be an option worth considering.

Invisalign and Aligners

Aligners are clear plastic trays that you wear for around 22 hours per day to straighten your teeth. Each aligner is slightly different from the previous one and moves your teeth towards the desired position.

The process starts with a detailed scan or impression of your teeth and a skilled dental technician then uses software to create a series of steps towards the final result. Invisalign refer to this as a ‘clincheck’ which provides you and your dentist or orthodontist with an opportunity to review and comment on the final intended position of your teeth.

Once approved, each of these steps results in a separate aligner, the total number required corresponding with the complexity of your treatment. Following completion of wearing these aligners, further ‘refinement’ aligners may be made to achieve the final result.

Image © fotolia.com

Invisalign is the best known brand of aligners and has proven to be very popular with now over 5 million patients. Many dental and orthodontic practices across the UK provide Invisalign and it remains a popular option for adults who want their teeth straightened without going down the traditional ‘braces’ route. There are other brands of aligners, all of which straighten your teeth in a similar way by using a sequence of trays. It will take a little time to get used to aligners and your speech may be affected at first. This soon passes and many patients are pleased with their decision to get aligners. Some patients will have attachments which are small tooth coloured ridges to help the aligner grip a tooth and to achieve a certain movement. These will be more noticable particularly if they are on the front teeth. Aligners cannot treat everyone so your orthodontist may recommend other options.

Features

Almost invisible

The aligners are almost invisible so no one will know you are wearing them

Removable

You can remove your aligners so can continue eating whatever you want, just don’t forget to put them back in afterwards

Effective

Aligners are now able to treat a wide range of orthodontic problems

Comfortable

After initially adapting to wearing them, most people describe them as comfortable to wear

Availability

Many dental practices and orthodontists offer aligners so they will be easily available

Buttons

You may have small tooth coloured attachments glued on your teeth to enable the aligner to move certain teeth

Lisping

It can take a few days to get used to your aligners so don’t give up

Range of options

There are different treatment plans depending on your budget and needs

Determination

It will take discipline to wear your aligners for 22 hours a day so some determination is required

Blog posts

Can you help with some orthodontic research?

Can you help with some orthodontic research?

I am Dr. Aoibheann Wall, an NHS trainee Orthodontist working at a dental hospital in London. As part of my training, I am doing some research into adults who get braces and would be grateful if you could complete my survey.

Orthodontic Hygiene

Orthodontic Hygiene

A common complication of orthodontics is tooth decay, although this can be prevented by appropriate cleaning and maintenance of the teeth and appliances. In this article, Dr. Bethany Rushworth offers advice on how to look after your teeth during orthodontic treatment.

The growth of Invisalign

Invisalign has just announced they have treated their 6-millionth patient so I thought I would take a look at the growth of this innovative product.

6 million Invisalign patients

6 million Invisalign patients

Invisalign has just announced that they have started treatment for their six-millionth patient. Yuzhe is a 12-year-old student from China.

An Invisalign update from Lucie

In her most recent post, Lucie shares an update on her progress, some strangely shaped aligners and her thoughts on undertaking aligner treatment.

ClearCorrect Aligners

ClearCorrect is a US-based manufacturer of aligners who provide aligners to UK based patients. In this really great video, the company explains how aligners work, what actually makes the teeth move and why it is important to wear your aligners for the required number...

Top ten ‘getting started’ braces tips

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If you are thinking about getting braces, congratulations, it's something you won't regret. To get you started, here are my top ten 'getting started' braces tips. 1. Take some time to do your research. There are many different treatment options provided by a large...

Do braces affect speech?

Do braces affect speech?

One of my readers posed the great question, 'do braces affect speech' and it's one I don't think I've covered in much detail before. I've written about speaking with retainers and have briefly mentioned speech in several other related posts but as I'm sure this is...

Curious about aligner treatment?

Smilelign is a British aligner company based in Sheffield with a large network of dental practices across the UK. They offer the opportunity to try a passive aligner before deciding on whether this type of treatment is suitable for you.

Dental Monitoring

A tweet from an orthodontic practice caught my attention this morning. It referred to a new way to remotely monitor orthodontic aligner treatment by taking a photo of your teeth with a smartphone which is then analysed by software which detects tooth movement. The...

3M Clarity Aligners

3M Clarity Aligners

3M have very recently announced they have entered the aligner market by introducing their own brand of 'Clarity' aligners. Very few details of the aligners are available at the moment but if you are interested in seeing a video on their aligners, click here Image ©...