Orthodontics is the branch of medicine that examines the crowding of the teeth, and the relationship of the jaw bones with each other and with the skull bones, and diagnoses the existing problems related to these. Orthodontic treatment is a method of treating disorders in this system. 

Many techniques and materials have been used for orthodontic treatment until today. The best known and most widely used of these are braces. However, in recent years, transparent aligners have started to replace braces due to advances in technology and aesthetic concerns of patients during orthodontic treatment.

Transparent aligner technology does not use dental braces or brackets.
It is aimed to gradually correct the crowding of the teeth with transparent aligners specially designed for the patient. The most important reason why transparent aligners are preferred in orthodontic treatment is that it is not noticeable that you are undergoing orthodontic treatment while the crowding of the teeth is being corrected.

Transparent aligner treatment has many advantages over orthodontic treatment with braces:

The most important advantage is that patients are more aesthetically comfortable during the treatment process since materials such as braces, brackets, and rubber will not be visible during the treatment.

Since the aligners can be easily removed while drinking or eating, the problems that may cause the brackets to break during treatment will be eliminated. The consumption of any food is not restricted during treatment.

Since metal is not used in the treatment, factors that may cause irritation in soft tissues in the mouth such as tongue, lips, cheeks and gums are also eliminated.

Also, since the aligners can be easily removed, patients can maintain their oral hygiene at the maximum level since there is no extra material and aligner retention in the mouth.

When treatment is initiated, patients are more motivated because they can foresee the outcome of the treatment.

Although there are many companies producing transparent aligner technology, the working principle of almost all of them is similar. To produce transparent aligners, your dentist takes measurements of your mouth. These measurements are transferred to the computer with the 3D scanning method called CAD-CAM system. The teeth are transferred to the virtual environment and moved by computer simulation. 

Transparent aligners are mass produced according to the desired position of the teeth. Each aligner creates 0.5 mm or 1 mm of movement. The aligners are worn for 15 days. Then the next aligner is applied. The number of aligners may vary for each patient.

Force is applied to make the teeth move, and this force causes pain when wearing the transparent aligners. This pain, which is felt for the first time when they are attached to the teeth, does not occur after a certain period of time when they are adapted.

Transparent aligners must be worn for about 20 hours a day and should only be removed when eating. Other than that, it can only last for 1 or 2 hours at most.

You can drink normal temperature or cool drinks with the transparent aligners in your mouth. However, it should be removed when drinking hot beverages such as coffee and when eating. As the transparent aligners are thermoplastic, they deform at high temperatures.

Care of transparent aligners is done twice a day with warm water and a toothbrush. The teeth must be cleaned before the aligner is placed in the mouth.

Treatment with transparent aligners is a treatment that can be applied to both adults, adolescents, and children. Your suitability for transparent aligner treatment will only be confirmed after an examination by your doctor.