Invisible aligners

 Teeth can not only be straightened with fixed brackets or loose brackets, but also with plastic splints. These "aligners" are in great demand, but they have limits.

The essentials in brief:

The plastic splint is pushed over the row of teeth and worn for one to two weeks, 20 to 22 hours a day. Then the next rail follows until the desired result is achieved.

Scientific evidence on this form of treatment is rare. The advantage is a short treatment time.

The splints are usually only suitable for correcting slight misalignments.

A woman has clear braces in her hand and holds them in front of her mouth.

How do invisible aligners work?

Who is this type of correction suitable for?

How much does it cost?

How useful are aligners?

What are the risks?

More on the subject

How do invisible aligners work?

After a dental examination, the teeth are scanned. The desired correction is calculated from this data and usually visualized (before-and-after simulation). Patients receive several splints, the next one is always inserted after about two weeks. They should be worn for 20 to 22 hours, i.e. day and night, they are only taken out for eating. The providers advertise with a short treatment time of sometimes less than a year.

Who is this type of correction suitable for?

As a rule, this method is used to correct slight misalignments, such as protruding front teeth, small gaps or crowding. The main customers are adults. But there are also splints for children and adolescents, usually with a small colored dot that gradually becomes transparent so that younger patients also know when the splint needs to be changed.

How much does it cost?

Since the patent on these aligners has expired, the prices have fallen significantly. While orthodontists used to offer this method for 6,000 euros or more, the therapy at the numerous newly founded companies sometimes costs less than 2,000 euros, depending on the scope.

How useful are aligners?

Basically, the same thing to consider with aligners as with fixed braces: Is a correction really necessary? Or is it about purely aesthetic aspects? Would there really be any health disadvantages to be feared without treatment? In addition, the number of studies is thin. It is currently not scientifically proven whether the splints are as effective as fixed braces. The advantages are the shorter treatment time and easier dental care. However, even with aligners, a stabilization phase with retainers is necessary at the end.

What are the risks?

Sometimes there are do-it-yourself offers on the Internet: Patients do everything themselves, from taking an impression to using the aligners on a regular basis. The German Dental Association emphasized in a statement in 2018 that the detection and treatment of dental, oral, and jaw diseases are unsuitable for self-treatment. The practice of dentistry is reserved for dentists.

In fact, the guidelines for orthodontic treatment stipulate that the implementation of any orthodontic treatment requires "a patient examination appropriate to the respective treatment case as well as the collection, evaluation and medical assessment of findings". "From the independent collection and evaluation of findings and treatment documents and their diagnostic summary, the dentist must personally and independently develop a treatment plan". A final legal clarification is currently pending.