Clear Aligners

Transparent Plate

We can also call the clear plate treatment, which has been applied as a second option to braces that have been used for a long time, as wire-free orthodontics. With this method, teeth are aligned with personalized clear plates without the need for the use of uncomfortable braces.

Its most important feature is that it is almost completely invisible. It is difficult to notice.

How Many Hours a Day Should Clear Aligners Be Worn?

You need to wear your clear aligners for an average of 20 hours a day. You can only remove them for 1-2 hours at most when eating and on important occasions.

Plates are produced in series according to the desired position of the teeth. Each plate creates a movement of 0.05 mm. Plates are worn for 10 days and then the next plate is used.

One of the biggest advantages is that the final position of the teeth can be predicted from the beginning. 3D intraoral scans are performed and detailed photographs are taken. After this data is collected, it is sent to the analysis center. Virtual models are created in a computer environment with the three-dimensional modeling method. The desired movements are given to the teeth on these models created in a computer environment. A simulation is prepared on the computer. The alignment of the teeth is determined on the computer according to the treatment plan.

When used correctly, it is possible to know the treatment completion process clearly and to see in 3 dimensions how it looks in which month.

The duration of treatment and the number of plates to be used vary depending on the crookedness of the teeth and the amount of tooth movement desired.

Treatment with clear plates is more comfortable than traditional bracketing methods, there is no stinging or wound formation since there are no wires or metal pieces in the mouth, and the treatment is more painless than traditional braces.

In her book, ‘CLEAR PLATES TECHNIQUE’, Dr. Sandra Tai said; ‘Clear plates are the future of orthodontics.’ Due to rapidly changing developments, transparent orthodontics is truly seen as the orthodontics of the future in the field of digital orthodontics.
Here, the question that our patients are wondering about is: "How do these transparent plates enable the teeth to move?"

In classical orthodontics, the logic of brackets being glued to the teeth and pulling them is easily understood by our patients. The logic is similar in transparent orthodontics. Teeth move from one place to another with the pushing movement of the buttons glued to the teeth and the pushing force created by the pressure applied by the plates.
Transparent trays are attached to the teeth in a way by covering the entire tooth; the more tray material a tooth is covered with, the better the attachment will be. For this reason, wearing the tray regularly at all times other than eating will ensure that this pushing movement is as desired.

In transparent plate treatments, the location of the button to be attached to the teeth can be determined in advance and these button locations can be changed at different stages of the treatment. In this context, transparent plates provide an extremely good pushing movement, and similarly, the buttons used for the pushing movement of the teeth can be immobilized from time to time.

In this context, transparent plates have the ability to move teeth as a group in treatments that involve removing some of the teeth from the jaw bone and embedding the jaw bone to some extent (extrusion, intrusion).

In orthodontics performed with wires or brackets, while a tooth is moved, the other teeth that receive support also move. In other words, while a tooth is buried, the other teeth can grow. In transparent orthodontics, the teeth can be moved as a group.

In order to eliminate the incompatibility of the teeth with each other, a slight filing process can be done on the enamel structure of the teeth, especially to ensure that the middle part fits.
With the method called IPR, irregularities in the enamel of the teeth are corrected and the teeth are brought to the desired position.

In a more transparent orthodontic treatment, the inconsistency of the teeth sizes is corrected from the front as part of the planning and the size irregularity is also eliminated during the treatment.
The clear plate technique requires a proactive and disciplined approach. This approach begins with the physician’s approach and continues with the patient’s compliance and discipline during use.

Appropriate case selection is one of the most important factors in the success of orthodontic treatments with transparent plates. The aim of orthodontic treatment is to address the disorders of the teeth alignment in our patients' mouths as well as the disorders of the relationship between the jaws.

Although it is often noticed, teeth are not temporary organs; they are organs that must remain in the mouth for life. Therefore, in order for teeth to remain in the mouth for life, their alignment must be correct and the contacts of the teeth with each other, i.e. occlusal contacts, must be correct. What does this mean? Teeth must come into regular contact with each other during chewing.

If the crookedness of the teeth is categorized; it is evaluated in three categories as MILD-MODERAL-SEVERE.

Although today, with the developing software, orthodontic treatment has become something that can be performed by a general dentist with transparent orthodontics, the experience and expertise of the dentist is also very important in case selection.
In severe cases, some variations such as tooth extraction, or even mini screw and rubber applications, as in bracket applications, are required.
While assessing the difficulty of the case, it is necessary to formulate the list of main problems in various dimensions.

• IRREGULARITY IN THE CURRENT POSITION OF THE TEETH
• THE SITUATION OF THE TEETH BEING STRAIGHT BUT THE JAWS NOT BEING INCOMPATIBLE WITH EACH OTHER, IN OTHER WORDS, THE JAW IS OPEN OR TOO CLOSED (Deep bite and Anterior open bite)
• INCOMPATIBILITY OF TEETH AND JAWS WITH EACH OTHER

Another criterion for case selection here is,

• Growth and development are complete
• MALOCCLUSION is a condition in which growth and development have not yet been completed.

In cases where there is a disorder in the occlusion of the teeth, the amount of the disorder is quite important; a very experienced dentist can also use transparent orthodontic plates as a stage in complex and severe malocclusion treatments.

Our case selection and patient-doctor relationship are also very important, because sometimes these treatments can be done for the purpose of alignment, which is to move our patients' teeth to the next prosthetic stage. In other words, if we are going to work on a porcelain laminate without a cut, transparent orthodontics are applied before this porcelain laminate application to open the gaps between the teeth or to make the existing gap between the teeth symmetrical. Or, if we do not want to see the crooked front teeth under a very beautiful porcelain laminate application, transparent orthodontics can be applied to correct this crookedness. All of these protect us from surprises after the treatment thanks to digital orthodontics, which gives our patients the chance to show the end of the treatment with a simulation.

Of course, in our case selection for clear orthodontics, we must also be convinced that our patient will perform oral care well. This is very important, because in clear orthodontics, we must perform the procedure on patients who we are convinced will take good care of their mouths and use their trays regularly.
All treatments are teamwork and our patients are one of the most valuable parts of our team.