Why most adults today no longer wear brackets
Visible metal wires were the symbol of orthodontics in the 1990s. Today, more than eighty percent of our adult patients are treated with transparent aligners. The technical procedure is called Invisalign and is based on a system of 14 to 60 individually thermoformed plastic aligners that are changed every seven to ten days. Each aligner moves teeth approximately 0.2 millimeters closer to target position.
The decisive advantage is not aesthetics but planability. Before the first aligner, software calculates a three-dimensional model of the entire treatment and simulates the end result. We show you this simulation in the second session, long before production, and adjust the plan if the target does not match your expectations.
What Invisalign cannot do
Aligner treatment has limits. With pronounced skeletal misalignments, complex rotational movements of individual teeth or combined orthodontic-surgical therapies, fixed appliances or combination therapy are necessary. We clarify this in the first consultation based on intraoral scan and photo documentation. If Invisalign is not the right choice, we say so and refer to an orthodontic specialist within the Resident network if needed.
Lingual technique and ceramic brackets
For patients who cannot wear Invisalign for medical reasons, we offer two visible alternatives with significantly reduced visibility: ceramic brackets in tooth-colored optics (visible but discreet) and lingual technique with brackets on the tongue side of the teeth (invisible from outside, acoustically requires getting used to in the first two weeks). Both procedures are more expensive than classic multi-bracket appliances and are recommended by us only when they are the right choice from a dental and aesthetic perspective.
What follows after treatment
Orthodontics does not end with the last aligner. Teeth tend to migrate back to their original position. A retainer prevents this effect: a hair-thin wire on the inside of the upper and lower front teeth, permanently fixed after treatment. Whoever wears the retainer keeps the result for life. Whoever removes it after three years has a relevant probability of teeth shifting again. We check the retainer once a year as part of the dental hygiene session.
What you need for the first consultation
Nothing. No referral, no prior records. We scan, photograph, examine clinically and send the data to the Invisalign software. The first simulation is available two weeks after the first consultation. Only then do you decide whether to begin treatment. Up to this point our effort is free for you.
