Transparent aligner treatment (Invisalign or Clear Correct) is an innovative option for aligning teeth comfortably and aesthetically. It consists of a series of removable clear aligners that are customized for each patient. These aligners are changed around every two weeks and are designed to gradually move teeth into the desired position, following a specific plan established by the orthodontist.

For best results, it is essential to wear the aligners for at least 22 hours a day, removing them only during meals, for oral hygiene or on special occasions. The duration of treatment varies according to the complexity of the malocclusion, with a range from six months up to 18-20 months.

By customizing each treatment system, you can be sure to achieve a smile that perfectly matches your unique features. This approach not only ensures effective results, but also offers a discreet and convenient alternative to traditional braces.

Orthodontics is that branch of dentistry that deals with the study, diagnosis and treatment of malocclusions, that is, correcting the incorrect position of teeth. Braces that are placed to straighten teeth can be either fixed or removable. Until about two decades ago, orthodontic therapy was carried out almost solely through the use of metal wires anchored to the teeth through attachments called brackets.

Since the early 2000s, removable clear aligners, which allow teeth to be moved without the need to place fixed appliances, have become increasingly popular.

Although not applicable in all treatments, the advantages of clear aligners are on the one hand less aesthetic impact because they are not visible at speaking distance, and on the other hand the possibility of having better oral hygiene maintenance. In fact, although they must be worn throughout the day except for eating and daily oral hygiene maneuvers, once removed they allow access to the teeth by toothbrush and floss.

Improved aesthetics and ease of cleaning have made this type of treatment much more common in adults as well, particularly to correct malocclusions or tooth crowding problems that not only impact the aesthetics of the smile but also make oral hygiene maneuvers more difficult.

In orthodontics, regardless of the equipment used, whether wire or clear aligner, the mechanism by which a tooth moves is inflammation. At a microscopic level, an area of bone resorption is observed on the side toward which the tooth is moved and an area of bone apposition on the opposite side. Especially in adults, the increased frequency of periodontal diseases poses the need for careful evaluations.

In fact, periodontitis is a very common group of diseases in the adult population (more than one in two adults suffer from it), through an inflammatory mechanism they lead to the destruction of the supporting tissues of the teeth and in severe cases even to their loss.

It is therefore essential to check before the start of orthodontic therapy, especially in adult patients, the health status of the teeth and periodontal tissues: gingiva, periodontal ligament and underlying bone. In fact, should orthodontic forces be applied in patients with active periodontitis, the disease would progress much faster leading to the risk of losing one or more teeth.

Should we therefore consider that patients with periodontitis will never be able to have tooth alignment with orthodontic therapy? The answer fortunately is no, but it will first be essential to treat periodontitis.

In conclusion, after careful periodontal evaluation of the supporting tissues of the teeth, in the presence of a healthy reduced periodontium, orthodontic therapy can begin and should be accompanied by supportive hygienic therapy. If, on the other hand, there is active periodontitis, the patient will first have to embark on a course of nonsurgical and sometimes surgical periodontal care to bring periodontitis under control, and only when the gums are healthy can he or she beging orthodontic therapy.