Aligners
This is also a highly aesthetic choice. The teeth are moved using successive aligners. They are made of transparent plastic, so that they are almost invisible. The force exerted on the teeth by the aligner, combined with the precise planning of the movements using a state-of-the-art digital software, are the main advantages of this choice. The aligners should be used for 20-22 hours/day in order to move the teeth and replaced by the following set every 2 weeks. The number of aligners required for each patient varies depending on the severity of each case. One of the disadvantages is that they are not suitable for all situations, as some movements are too difficult for them to achieve and may need some help, using auxilliary mechanisms or attachments on the teeth. They need to be removed at every meal and when brushing, and may affect speech a little in the beginning, until they get used to. There are nowadays many companies that provide orthodontic treatment planning software for aligners, the best known being Invisalign. While the philosophy of the treatment is the same, their difference lies in the precision of planning of the tooth movements, so that it can be transferred from the computer to the mouth in order to have the desired result.