Clear Aligners

Straightening teeth without fixed brackets

Clear Aligners straightens teeth using a series of clear, removable aligners instead of brackets bonded to your teeth and wires connecting them. Each aligner applies gentle pressure to move your teeth a small amount, and you progress through the series until your teeth reach their planned positions.

The aligners are made from smooth BPA-free plastic and fit closely over your teeth. Most people looking into Clear Aligners at Roseborough Dental raise two things: they want straighter teeth, and they would rather not spend a year or more in visible metal braces.

Am I a candidate?

Many teens and adults with mild to moderate concerns are suitable. Some cases are not, and we will tell you plainly rather than starting treatment that will not deliver.

Complex bite problems and severe crowding are often better treated with traditional braces, which stay fixed to the teeth and can achieve movements aligners cannot. Clear Aligners also depends on you. Because the aligners come out, treatment only works if you put them back in.

We assess your bite, oral health and goals at a consultation before recommending either option.

How treatment works

Consultation and planning. We examine your teeth and discuss what you want to change. Impressions, photographs and x-rays are used to build a digital 3D model of your teeth, which is what your treatment plan is designed from.

Your aligners are made. A custom series is manufactured for your specific case.

Wearing them. Each aligner is worn for roughly one to two weeks before you move to the next in the series. We give you instructions on wear and care, and when to change over.

Check-ins. We see you every four to six weeks to confirm progress is on track and hand over your next sets.

Retainers. Once treatment finishes, retainers hold your teeth in their new positions. Teeth drift back without them, so this stage decides whether your result lasts.

Wearing your aligners day to day

Aligners need to be worn 20 to 22 hours a day. That leaves enough time for meals and cleaning your teeth, and not much beyond it. Falling short slows treatment and can push your finish date back.

Eating. Take them out for meals and snacks, so no food restrictions and nothing to damage.

Drinking. Water is fine with aligners in. Remove them for coffee, tea, juice and soft drinks, since heat can warp the plastic and sugars get trapped against your teeth.

Cleaning your teeth. Brush and floss after eating where you can, before the aligners go back in. Trapped food sitting under plastic for hours raises your risk of decay.

Caring for your aligners

Rinse them in lukewarm water each time they come out, and brush them gently with a soft toothbrush if we recommend it. Never use hot water, as it warps the plastic and ruins the fit. Keep them in their case when they are out, both so they do not get thrown away with a napkin and so pets do not chew them, which happens more often than you would think.

Clear Aligners compared with traditional braces

Aligners are removable, have no brackets or wires, come out for meals and brushing, and are far less visible. Braces are fixed, so they work whether you remember or not, and remain the better answer for certain complex cases. Cost varies with the complexity of your case and how long treatment takes, and we will go through the figures for your situation at your consultation.