Clear aligners

Upper and lower clear aligners in place (Invisalign brand)

Clear aligners are a comfortable and discreet method of moving teeth. Given their ease of design and use many general dental practitioners, as well as specialist orthodontists, make use of clear aligners to undertake simple movements of teeth and aligner manufacturing companies have undertaken widespread marketing of their products meaning that public consciousness of the ability of clear aligners to be used to straighten teeth is high. As a result removable clear aligners are in modern times a very common tool used for straightening teeth.

Clear aligners consist of semi-flexible plastic aligners / ‘trays’ which are custom manufactured to closely fit against the surfaces of the teeth. To move teeth a sequence of aligners is created with each aligner in the sequence being manufactured in a progressively slightly different shape from the proceeding aligner. In this manner teeth may be moved by working through a sequence of aligners. Compliance is a key element of successful treatment and clear aligners are to be worn for a minimum of 22 hours per day during treatment.

As they are removable, clear aligners do not ‘grip’ the teeth in the same manner as fixed braces. As a result custom designed ‘attachments’ are bonded to the surfaces of teeth during treatment to enhance the ability of the aligners to effectively move teeth. Clear aligners are an effective tool for straightening mild to moderate tooth positional problems. Clear aligners do not however allow your orthodontist as great a degree of control over the three dimensional position of all teeth as fixed braces. As such, whilst clear aligners are an appropriate treatment option for many mild to moderate orthodontic cases, clear aligners are not appropriate for use in moderate to severe cases.

There are many brands of clear aligners which are produced by different manufacturing companies. In the United Kingdom, and indeed worldwide, the four most common aligner brands are Invisalign aligners ® (Align Technology), Clarity aligners™ (3M), Spark aligners™ (Ormco) and Angel aligners (Angelalign Technology). There are minor differences between each aligner system but all systems work in broadly the same manner and to a similar degree of effectiveness.

The systems most commonly used by Dr. O’ Connor are Invisalign aligners and 3M Clarity aligners. Dr. O’ Connor has been classified as ‘Diamond II Status’ as an Invisalign provider and is an advisory board member for development and introduction of 3M Clarity aligners in the United Kingdom.

Link to Dr. O’ Connor’s Inivsalign accreditation

Before treatment - Crowded teeth and crossbite