Clear aligners are orthodontic devices that are a transparent, plastic form of dental braces used to adjust teeth.

[5] Clear-aligner treatment involves an orthodontist or dentist, or with home-based systems, the person themselves, taking a mold of the patient's teeth, which is used to create a digital tooth scan.

[4] A 2013 Cochrane review found no high-quality evidence with respect to the management of the recurrence of lower-front-teeth misalignment following treatment.

[8] Clear aligners are more noticeable than lingual braces, but they can be removed, which makes cleaning of the teeth easier, and they are faster for the dentist to apply.

The latter method has greatly increased in popularity in recent years as digital scanning technology has improved.

[14] A computer graphic representation of the projected teeth movements, created in the software program ClinCheck, is provided to the doctor and patient for approval or modification before aligners are manufactured.

[9][11][13] The aligners are modeled using CAD/CAM (computer-aided-design and computer-aided-manufacturing) software and manufactured using a rapid prototyping technique called stereolithography.

[10][11] The molds for the aligners are built in layers using a photo-sensitive liquid resin that cures into a hard plastic when exposed to a laser.

[13][15][16] Patients that need a tooth rotated or pulled down may have a small, tooth-colored[17] composite attachment bonded onto certain teeth.

[13] Since the form-fitted plastic used in clear aligners is not as rigid as the metal used in traditional braces, sometimes the flexibility in the materials need to be compensated in the areas that require movement.

[11] Interproximal reduction (IPR, also called reproximation or, colloquially, filing or drilling) is sometimes used at the contacts between teeth to allow for a better fit.

While undergoing treatment one should limit their intake of hot liquids to protect the shape of the aligners and stop them from becoming stained.

[21] Once the treatment period has concluded, the patient is advised to continue wearing a retainer at night for the foreseeable future.

[22] When the Invisalign system was first developed, many of the aligner manufacturing processes were carried out by hand, and computer technicians had to modify each tooth in the computerized model individually.

[4][11] Orthodontists were resistant to adopting Invisalign at first, in particular because the founders had no orthodontic credentials or expertise, but the product became popular among consumers.

In September 2023, SmileDirectClub filed for bankruptcy, before shutting down completely in December 2023, leaving thousands of customers without any support.

While SmileDirectClub initially sought Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection to restructure its finances, it was unable to secure the necessary funding and ultimately shut down its operations in December 2023.

[43] October 2024: Dentsply Sirona voluntarily suspended the sale and marketing of its Byte clear aligners and impression kits as it conducts a review of regulatory requirements.