Invisalign & Clear Aligners
Clear aligners, Invisalign being the best-known brand, straighten teeth with a series of removable plastic trays, each worn about two weeks. They're nearly invisible, come out to eat and brush, and for the right case work as well as braces.
Invisalign vs. other aligners
Invisalign is one brand made by Align Technology. Many orthodontists also use other aligner systems or make aligners in-office. What matters most is the doctor planning the case, not the brand of plastic. An orthodontist has specialty training that a general dentist or a mail-order aligner company does not.
Who's a candidate
Mild to moderate crowding and spacing, many bite corrections, and relapse after earlier braces. Severe rotations, large vertical movements, and some jaw discrepancies still do better with braces, or a combination.
Compliance is the catch
Aligners only work while they're in, which means 20 to 22 hours a day. Teens and adults who can't commit to that will get slower, less predictable results.
Common questions
Is Invisalign from an orthodontist different from a dentist?
Same product, different training. Orthodontists complete a two to three year residency in tooth movement and bite correction after dental school. For anything beyond very minor alignment, that training shows up in the result.
What about mail-order aligners?
No in-person exam, no X-rays, no monitoring. Orthodontists see the problems those cases create. Every practice in this directory offers an in-person consultation, usually free.
Find an orthodontist who offers invisalign & clear aligners
Every practice in the directory is a specialist orthodontic office. Search your area to compare.