Clear Plastic Aligners

We typically only recommend Invisalign™ and Spark treatment for adults and teenagers. The removable natures of Invisalign and Spark bring with them a certain level of responsibility. It is sometimes easiest to simply select more fixed options for children such as braces as you child cannot lose these! Invisalign™ and Spark are also not suitable for those who have yet to lose all of their baby teeth. This also needs to be taken into consideration that for children under the age of 12, mouths and teeth are still moving and shifting consistently, making it difficult to know where exactly their teeth will settle once the growing phase slows down.

Accidents happen, you may have misplaced your Invisalign™ or Spark aligners or have damaged them somehow. If this is the case, you should contact your orthodontist immediately and schedule the soonest possible appointment to get fitted for a new aligner. If you leave this for too long, your teeth will likely shift and you will be set back a few steps in your treatment process. Having a new aligner fitted immediately will help you to stay on track.

You should clean your Invisalign™ or Spark aligners as often as you do your teeth. Simply remove the aligner and use your regular toothbrush with with liquid soap or dishwashing liquid and brush all surfaces of the aligners for a few minutes. Once you have completed this, rinse your aligners with some cold water only. You may also wish to place your Invisalign or Spark in a glass of water with a retainer cleaning effervescent tablet during mealtimes for extra cleaning.

Invisalign™ or Spark attachments are small tooth-coloured “bumps”. They are attached to certain teeth. This increases the predictability of the tooth movements with the aligners. Almost all Invisalign™ and Spark treatments require these attachments, this is to provide a good result.

Invisalign™ or Spark treatment is often recommended instead of braces. Therefore the placement of braces would be unusual after Invisalign treatment. However, in some cases, difficult tooth movements are required. So braces may be recommended to finalise the bite. Also to correct the positions of certain teeth. At Simply Orthodontics, if braces are required for a short time at the end of the Invisalign™ or Spark treatment, there are no extra costs.

The length of treatment depends on the severity of your condition. This may only be determined by your orthodontist. On average, treatment takes about 12 months for adults. Length of treatment also depends upon how well you stick to the treatment requirements. You are required to wear your retainers for 20-22 hours each day.

No impressions are required. We use an iTero intraoral scanner. This takes a series of images of your teeth. A computer-generated virtual image of your teeth and bite is formed. Ensuring maximum accuracy of your Invisalign™ aligner.  Your Clincheck is reviewed and treatment plan designed. This will be done by your Orthodontist. Your aligners will be custom made at the Invisalign™ laboratories in the USA.

The fitting appointment consists of the placement of any tooth coloured attachments. These attachments are usually required to facilitate the movement of certain teeth and the fitting of the aligners themselves. At this appointment you will also be shown how to insert and remove your new aligners, how to take care of them and finally the wear instructions for your aligners. An oral hygiene care session concludes the appointment.

Aligners checks with Invisalign™ and Spark treatment are straightforward and will take place approximately every 6-8 weeks. However, at certain times of your treatment, longer appointments may be required. This is to complete adjustments set out by the treatment plan.

Upon completion of your aligner treatment, any attachments will be cleaned and polished off your teeth. A set of impressions is then taken to fabricate a set of retainers, which are then sent off to our lab. As these appointments usually take place in the morning, your retainers will be ready for your fit appointment in the afternoon. This is done by our hygienists.

Your retainers retain your new teeth positions. Wearing them is paramount to maintaining your new smile. Relapse can occur if retainers are not worn. Its severity can present in varying degrees. Further retainer check appointments are included in your treatment fee. Dr Jonathan Skilton and Dr Jason Yap are happy to provide additional retainer checks if required.