Appointment 1 – Initial consultation and record taking (1 hour)
We will discuss your cosmetic goals and check to see that you are a good candidate for clear aligner therapy. Any dental cavities, gum issues or wisdom tooth extractions usually need to be addressed before beginning treatment.
Photos, 3D scans and xrays are required to gather all the information necessary to make the ideal treatment roadmap for you.
Appointment 2 – Preview your smile and finalise plan (30-45 mins)
You wouldn’t build a house without knowing what it will look like would you? We don’t expect you to do that with your smile either. We will show you a 3D simulation of what your smile will look like so you can begin your treatment with peace of mind.
Appointment 3 – Delivery of custom aligners (up to 1 hour)
Once your custom aligners are fabricated, we will need an appointment to fit these for you, along with full instructions around how to wear them and care for them. We may need to bond small areas of tooth coloured cement to some teeth – called attachments – to allow the most predictable movements. This does not require anaesthetic and is not painful to do.
We will also go through the Dental Monitoring set up, which is an artificial intelligence driven system to keep a check on your treatment progress and make sure your treatment is on track and going as fast a possible.
Wear & Progress
You will need to wear each set of aligners for 20–22 hours a day, only removing them to eat, drink, or brush. Every 1–2 weeks, you switch to a new set. Easy!
Check-in appointments (15-30 mins)
We’ll see you every 8 weeks to make sure everything is moving according to plan. These visits may involve receiving your next set of aligners and adjusting the treatment plan if necessary.
Final appointment – Completion and Retention (1-1.5 hours)
Attachments will be polished off and photos may be taken. After treatment is complete, you’ll need to wear a retainers to keep your beautiful new smile in place. We may permanently bond a wire behind some of the front teeth and provide you with a set of clear retainers to wear at night. Retention is key to keeping your beautiful new smile stable.
Why You’ll Love Clear Aligners:
Absolutely, it is possible for your teeth to move back after any orthodontics but wearing a retainer at night can maintain alignment. Indefinite retention is essential to keeping your teeth straight following clear aligner therapy. in some cases, we may suggest a fixed permanent retainer in addition to your nighttime retainers to provide additional support.
Often people start noticing improvements in as little as 4 weeks but most cases take 6-12 months depending on how crowded your teeth are initially. Moving teeth too fast can cause unwanted complications.
Not necessarily, both work in different ways to achieve the same tooth movements but severe cases may require complex mechanics that only traditional braces can offer. Similarly, some cases may have a better result with clear aligners.
No, though you may feel slight mobility during the treatment but that is normal with any orthodontic treatment.
