Clear aligners can be used to move/straighten teeth in some situations, improving the appearance of someone’s smile without the need for full braces.
To help the clear aligners move the teeth, bits of tooth colored filling material called attachments is bonded to some of the teeth, and a series of trays are worn for 2 weeks at a time. The attachments are removed at the end of treatment and a set of final retainer trays are made to help prevent the teeth from relapsing (moving back to where they were before).
If your front teeth are uneven, crowded, or have gaps in between them you don’t like, clear aligners may be able to help.
The first step would be to collect the needed information to see if clear aligners are an option, and if so, what can they do for you. This first visit takes about 30 minutes where we would take some photos, x-rays, and scan your teeth. From there, our digital lab evaluates the data and creates a digital model of your teeth before and after clear aligners. We then bring you back for a second visit where we review the digital preview together. This allows us to see how much straightening the aligners are able to do, and if it’s something that you’d like to try.
Clear aligners are good at moving front teeth small distances. They use the back teeth as “anchors” in a way. They can, in many cases, close spaces between teeth and straighten crowded or rotated front teeth. Clear aligners do have limitations – they are not always the right tool to fix problems with someone’s bite, moving front teeth significant distances (several millimeters or more) or moving back teeth. Deciding whether or not clear aligners is right for someone’s goals is done on a case-by-case basis after a full exam and analysis of someone’s teeth is completed.
The length of treatment is unique for everyone. It is directly related to how much movement of the teeth is required, and how hard that movement is going to be. In some treatment plans (especially ones where there is crowding present), a process called “interproximal stripping” is needed to straighten the teeth. This is where very small amounts of enamel where the teeth touch each other is polished away to give them enough space to move. Some clear aligner plans take only a few months, some could take a year or more. The estimated treatment time is determined once the photos, x-rays, and digital 3D models of your teeth are sent to our lab and the potential plan is developed by the lab’s team. And even then, it is an estimate of the time needed, as sometimes there are refinements (a few extras steps) that are needed to achieve the desired result.
The cost of aligners is related to how long the treatment is. Each set of aligners is worn for 2 weeks. So the longer the treatment, the more trays/steps are required, then the more cost is involved in achieving the desired result. This cost of the treatment is determined at the same time that the length of treatment is determined, and is discussed in detail prior to treatment starting. There generally is a payment to start treatment, and then the remainder of the treatment cost is split between the remaining appointments.
Trays are generally distributed three at a time. Each tray is worn for 2 weeks, so appointments are usually scheduled for every 6 weeks during active treatments to evaluate progress, address any concerns, and distribute the next 3 trays. Usually a payment is due at each 6 week visit (or monthly, whatever is more convenient). After tooth movement is complete, the teeth are scanned again to make a set of retainers (clear trays to be worn nightly to prevent “relapse” or movement of the teeth away from the desired position). Then at the day of retainer delivery the attachments are removed and the retainers delivered. Full payment for the aligners is generally completed prior to delivery of the retainers.