Clear Aligners
Dentistry is one of the health fields experiencing the most intense digitalization in recent years. The technological transformation experienced especially in orthodontic applications, known as “Braces Treatment,” has started a new era centering on patient comfort and aesthetic expectations. Aesthetic concerns, speech difficulties, and intraoral injuries caused by traditional metal brackets and wires were the main factors keeping patients (especially adults) away from orthodontic treatment.
However, today, Clear Aligner treatments, also known as wireless orthodontics, combine biomechanical principles in correcting teeth with digital planning, offering patients the opportunity to receive treatment without compromising their social lives. Following current orthodontic approaches in the Thrace region, Kırklareli Dental Clinic Atlas Sea Dental offers this treatment to its patients with digital scanning and analysis methods.
What is Clear Aligner Treatment?
Medically termed “Wireless Orthodontic Treatment,” it is a method where patient-specific, removable thermoplastic appliances are used instead of metal brackets to correct crowding, gaps (diastema), and malocclusion (closure disorders) in teeth. The best-known system with the most advanced technological infrastructure in this field is Invisalign technology.
The basic working principle of the system is to apply a light and continuous force to the teeth, moving them millimeter by millimeter towards the planned position. Each aligner is designed to move the teeth by an average of 0.25 mm. The patient switches to the next aligner after using one for the period determined by the physician (usually 1 or 2 weeks). Thus, at the end of the treatment, the teeth achieve their ideal alignment.
Difference from Traditional Braces and Advantages
The biggest factor in patients choosing Clear Aligner treatment is its aesthetic appearance. Since the aligners are completely transparent, it is almost unnoticeable from the outside that there is a treatment on the teeth. This provides a great psychosocial advantage, especially for adults active in business life and young people of school age.
Other advantages include:
- Removability: Aligners can be removed while eating or attending an important meeting. There is no list of forbidden foods (plums, nuts, gum, etc.) as with metal braces.
- Ease of Hygiene: Cleaning food getting between fixed wires is difficult and requires special brushes. However, in this treatment, the aligner can be removed, and teeth can be brushed normally, and floss can be used.
- Comfort: Stinging, wounds, or irritation caused by metal brackets inside the lips and cheeks are not experienced with smooth-surfaced Clear Aligner materials.
- Fewer Emergencies: Situations requiring urgent clinic visits, such as wire breakage or bracket falling, are out of the question in this system.
Invisalign Technology and Digital Workflow
The Invisalign system is not just a plastic mold but an engineering product backed by a large data pool and artificial intelligence support. The treatment process begins entirely in a digital environment. In protocols applied within Kırklareli Dental Clinic Atlas Sea Dental, “Intraoral Scanners” (iTero, etc.) are used instead of traditional impression trays. These scanners transfer the 3D model of the teeth to the computer environment within minutes.
On the created digital model, the post-treatment image is planned before the treatment even begins with a simulation program called “ClinCheck.” The physician sees virtually which position the teeth will be in at which week and shows it to the patient. This predictability is the most important element increasing the patient’s motivation for treatment.
Treatment Process and Stages
A Clear Aligner treatment requires disciplined process management.
- Examination and Scanning: The physician evaluates the patient’s occlusion and jaw structure. If suitable, a digital impression is taken, and photos are shot.
- Planning: The obtained data is sent to the Invisalign center. The physician plans the movement scenario of the teeth.
- Production: According to the approved plan, a patient-specific series of aligners (10 to 50+ aligners depending on the difficulty of the case) is produced with 3D printers.
- Application and Attachments: When the aligners arrive, small tooth-colored composite protrusions called “attachments” are placed on the teeth. These attachments are handles that allow the aligner to grip the tooth and perform difficult movements such as rotation or intrusion.
- Check-ups: The patient changes their aligners regularly and usually comes to Kırklareli Dental Clinic Atlas Sea Dental for a check-up every 4-6 weeks. Tooth movements are monitored during these checks.
Daily Use and Patient Responsibility
The success of the treatment depends 50% on the physician’s planning and 50% on patient compliance. Because the Clear Aligner is a removable device, and if the patient does not wear it, the teeth will not straighten.
- Duration: Aligners should be worn for at least 20-22 hours a day. They should only be removed while eating and brushing teeth.
- Hot Drinks: Excessively hot tea/coffee should not be consumed while the aligners are in the mouth because the thermoplastic material may deform from heat.
- Cleaning: Teeth should be brushed after every meal, and aligners should be inserted afterward. Otherwise, food residues remaining between the aligner and the tooth can cause decay (caries).
Change: Aligners should be replaced with the next number every 7, 10, or 14 days according to the physician’s suggestion.
Pain and Comfort Level
Due to the nature of orthodontic treatments, there must be a remodeling process in the bone tissue for the teeth to move. Therefore, it is normal to feel a slight pressure sensation for the first 1-2 days every time a new Clear Aligner is worn. This sensation is an indication that the teeth are moving and usually passes spontaneously without the need for painkillers. Compared to the sudden and high pain felt when tightening metal wires every month, the process is more comfortable in the Invisalign system as forces are distributed more homogeneously.
Who is it Suitable For? Age Groups
It used to be thought that clear aligners could only correct simple crowding. However, thanks to developing “SmartForce” features and biomechanical attachments, today even the most complex malocclusions, open bites, and even surgical cases can be treated with this method.
- Adults: Anyone who wants to straighten their teeth without affecting their social life.
- Teens (Invisalign Teen): Special aligners for individuals in adolescence, with blue indicators showing usage time. Also, “mandibular advancement” wings guiding jaw development can be added.
- Children (Invisalign First): Aligners acting as jaw expanders and space maintainers for children in the mixed dentition period between ages 6-10. Atlas Sea Dental physicians observe that children adapt to aligners more easily than braces in early interventions.
What is IPR (Interproximal Reduction)?
In some cases, if the dental arch is narrow and the teeth are large, there is a lack of space to align the teeth. Instead of extracting teeth, sanding the contacting side surfaces of the teeth at a micron level (0.2 – 0.5 mm) is called IPR (Interproximal Reduction). This process does not damage tooth enamel or create a risk of decay. It is a safe method frequently resorted to in order to gain space in Clear Aligner treatments.
How Long is the Treatment Duration?
The treatment duration can vary between 3 months and 24 months depending on the degree of disorder in the teeth. However, thanks to digital planning, movements are very precise, so it has been clinically observed that faster results are obtained in many cases compared to metal braces. Kırklareli Dental Clinic Atlas Sea Dental physicians emphasize that the most important factor affecting the treatment duration is the patient wearing the aligner regularly.
Pricing and Cost
The cost of Invisalign and similar aligner treatments varies according to the difficulty of the case, the number of aligners to be used, and whether the treatment will be single jaw or double jaw. Since it is a foreign-sourced technology and custom-made, costs may differ slightly from traditional braces. However, considering the comfort, hygiene, and aesthetic advantages it offers, it is a high price/performance investment for patients. Kırklareli Dental Clinic Atlas Sea Dental informs its patients in detail by following a transparent pricing policy in treatment planning.
Regional Access and Health Service
The Thrace region has a highly developed infrastructure regarding access to dentistry technologies. Patients living in Kırklareli and surrounding provinces can access this service in local clinics without having to go to Istanbul for digital orthodontics services. Clinics like Atlas Sea Dental manage every stage of the treatment within their own structure with digital scanning devices and certified physician staff. The fact that frequent appointments are not needed for treatment (aligners can be given in bulk) makes Clear Aligner treatment attractive for patients coming from outside the city or distant districts.
Clear Aligner treatments have redefined orthodontics for millions of people who avoid straightening their teeth due to aesthetic concerns. The invisibility of transparent material instead of the cold look of metal, and the freedom of removable aligners instead of the difficulty of fixed braces, fully adapt to the lifestyle of modern people.
Properly aligned teeth do not just mean a beautiful smile; they also mean a healthy mouth that can be brushed better, has a reduced risk of gum disease, and has ideal chewing function. Invisalign technology is a tool that makes the road to this health comfortable. Kırklareli Dental Clinic Atlas Sea Dental physicians aim to give patients of all age groups the smile of their dreams with correct diagnosis and digital planning. At this point where technology meets health, you no longer have any reason to postpone your smile.
Our Doctors
Dt. Mustafa Tuğcan GERÇÜŞ
Dt. Dimitri ÇOKONA
