You might have heard from a friend or seen a relative wearing Invisalign aligners. CAD/CAM technology made it easy to digitally move the teeth, 3D print simulated models and form plastics that almost fit your teeth. Slightly off plastic aligners like Invisalign push your teeth to new positions. Sequential programmed movements in these clear aligners ultimately gives you straight teeth. Aligner treatment is a type of orthodontic treatment which is especially popular in adults. Clear braces are a flavor of traditional braces which some adults choose instead of clear aligner therapy aka invisalign treatment.
I see lots of patients during the week and talks to orthodontists and dentists about patients seeking aligner therapy. We often talk about who is the best candidate for invisalign. Here are common nodes in almost all conversations on this topic.
The bottom line is that patients that completely understand the pros and cons of invisalign aka aligners get to a beautiful smile faster.
| Braces | PORTH Aligners or Invisalign |
| Comes in clear version | Reasonably invisible |
| Color ties | No Color ties |
| Cost the same as aligners | Cost the same as braces |
| Requires minimum compliance | 22 hours of aligner wear |
Invisalign also referred as Invisalene or Invisaline is a name of a specific brand of aligners. Invsalign was the first computer aid generated aligner. The product has multiple iterations and advances since 20 years ago and is one of the oldest aligners on the market. Patients are always asking what is the difference between clear aligners and Invisalign. Basically, lots of various aligner brands are available these days: ClearCorrect, 3M clarity, Spark, Suresmile Aligner, uLab Aligner, etc. All of these aligners vary on how they are fabricated, the 3D printers that are used to make the mold for these aligners. One of the key components in all of these platforms is the clinical expertise of the orthodontist who designs the treatment plan. Teeth don’t know what is pushing them as long as the mechanics is set correctly.
Whether you are an adult or a teenager who is interested in improving your oral health and straightening your teeth, you have two main choices. You can seek treatment through a dentist (DDS/DMD/general dentistry) or an orthodontist.
We have been asked who the Invisalign providers are clinicians who learn how to use the software. ClearCorrect, SureSmile, etc have similar titles for their doctors. In either case, these providers would offer aligner treatment using various aligner systems.
Two optimal resources to find an orthodontist are the American Board of Orthodontics and the American Association of Orthodontists. These two directories offer you the best options. Invisalign providers also have a directory.
At PORTH, a boutique clinic at the Sammamish Village by the Sammamish Metropolitan Market, Tanoor, Zeek pizza, we offer aligner treatment with custom appliances that we fabricate in our state of the art technology lab. Dr. Rooz is a leading expert in aligner therapy especially in-house aligner system believes that Investing in advanced dental technology to fabricate the aligner in-house has tremendous impact on patient care. He is an American board certified orthodontist (1 out of 3 orthodontists are) and is committed to excellence.
PORTH aligners are designed to improve treatment efficiency, augment treatment options, reduce treatment time and increase the quality of care we provide at our clinic. Read more about our patient experience with PORTH aligners here at our PORTH aligner page. We combine PORTH aligners with traditional metal braces. Some of our patients have a set of aligners combined with lingual or clear braces.
Cutting edge technologies that we integrated with PORTH aligner brings exceptional dental care to our patients especially in the post-covid19 era. PORTH aligners are next generation aligner alternative to Invisalign that are driven by Artificial Technology and most advanced 3D printing systems.
We strive to serve our community utilizing modern digital orthodontics. We welcome all new patients with a complementary thorough consultation and review treatment options as well as payment options. Learn more about the cost of orthodontics services in Sammamish in here.