An elegant and convenient alternative to traditional braces with fixed devices are so called clear aligners. This gives you the ability to move teeth with removable, clear, transparent deep-drawn aligners.

After plenty of research, the first successful aligner system was introduced by Align Technology in 1997, which then became easily available to dentitst in 1999. Since then several companies and research groups have successfully developed their own systems.

This type of treatment quickly became a trend among adult patients who felt like traditional braces were a more inconvenient option compared to clear aligners. This happened due to its clear appearance and removability.

Compared to its predecessors, today’s clear aligner system producers use innovative solutions in order to create designs, whose fabrication is now done with the help of a computer (CAD-CAM). At the same time no additional impressions and samples are needed for the completion of the alignment.

The main function of clear aligners is the treatment of small congestions and the creation of additional space of teeth (between 1-5mm), as well as treating overbiting, underbiting, and other problems with dentures.

Making clear aligners for teeth alignment therapy is a multi-step, complex process.

First of all, we make impressions of the lower and upper dentures, which are then scanned by our 3D scanner. Aftwards the computer creates virtual models for later use from the input data.

A computer program then determines the axes of the clinical crowns, color-codes all the teeth, and then seperates them from each other. From this point on forward, each tooth can be treated and modified individually within the program. Pictures made of the patient’s teetch can be very helpful during this process.

This is followed by the individual arrangement of the teeth within the program according to the instructions of the orthodontist, as well as the calculation of the movement of the teeth and the time required for the process. It determines how many aligners will be needed and which tooth or teeth they will move to the desired position. The number of devices required for the completion of the therapy is determined by the the tooth moved to the greatest distance – the leading tooth.

The two models are then arranged in central occlusion (ideal bite). This is done with the help of another program, which uses different algorithms to match the samples in such a way that maximum apex-groove contact is achieved by pairing the appropriate contact points.

After completing the computer work, you will receive a a virtual plan for the programmed therapy, then it will be your dentist’s job to approve the plan, and the production of physical samples designed for each treatment phase can begin in the laboratory with 3D printing. Later on, with the help of these models (which are made by stereolithography), we manufacture the aligners with vacuum thermoforming or deep drawing devices. The devices are then marked, pricision cut, removed from the model, polished, disinfected and packaged. These braces are made of 0.75 mm thick polyurethane film.

The system is positively characterized by the fact that the duration of therapy is predictable, as the entire treatment is computer-planned in three dimensions.

It doesn’t prevent you from maintaining proper oral hygiene, which is essential when wearing the devices, as we highly recommend to place the aligners on perfectly clean dentures. It interferes little with speech and other language functions, it can be used without any problems with dentures of different materials, and due to its removability, it allows the regeneration of the fibers that fix the teeth. It is also an advantage that it has less discomfort and pain, and it is more aesthetically pleasing compared to traditional braces.

Keeping your aligners clean is much easier if you had to keep tradition braces clean. This is due to their very flexible removability. This treatment option is more recommended for adults.