Aligner therapy is an orthodontic treatment to align mild to moderate tooth displacements with mostly invisible plastic aligners.
The transparent plastic braces are called aligners. For the aligner therapy, digital images of the patient’s teeth are created by means of a 3D scan. Based on the scan, a customised treatment plan is created, which requires the use of several aligners. Each aligner should be worn for approximately 2 weeks. The patient then switches to a new set of aligners, so that continuous pressure is applied to the teeth. This process is repeated until the teeth reach their ideal position. The total duration of the treatment depends on the type and severity of the misalignment. Aligner therapies last 3–18 months and they can close tooth gaps, correct overbites, end-to-end bites and straighten crooked teeth.