If you are opting for Clear Aligners to get your perfect smile, it is important to know how the treatment works!

Once you apply your customized clear aligners, they apply light pressure to teeth, pushing them closer to the desired position. As you must know, all our teeth are surrounded by a periodontal ligament. This ligament is placed as such that it is surrounded by fluid and tiny fibers that connect the teeth to the surrounding bone.

As soon as you put the aligner on, it immediately starts applying pressure to the targeted teeth. The fluid present in the periodontal ligament prevents the tooth from moving at first, but within a few seconds, the fluid is expressed from the area, and the tooth moves to its new position. The ligament is only about a quarter of a millimeter thick, so the teeth can only move a small distance at a time.
The pressure thus generated from the aligner compresses the blood vessels on one side of the ligament and dilates them on the other. After 4-5 days of sustained pressure, the compressed ligament responds to this stress by producing enzymes and chemical messengers.

After a day or two of pressure, those chemical begin to stimulate the production of bone cells called osteoclasts and osteoblasts. Osteoclasts break down the bone near the compressed ligament. Meanwhile, osteoblasts build new bone on the opposite side of the tooth, preventing it from becoming too loose. If the pressure of the aligners is interrupted for any significant length of time, the process has to start over from scratch. That is why it’s critical to wear the aligners at least 20-22 hours per day, especially for the first few days of a new step. It helps in reshaping the teeth, otherwise the teeth won’t stay straight. When the bone around the tooth reaches the last stage rebuilding, it’s time to take out the old aligners and move on to the next step. This rate of rebuilding can vary considerably between individuals.

This process usually takes longer for adults than for kids or adolescents. Each aligner moves the teeth a little bit further until the patient gets to the last step and the treatment is done. Once the treatment is done, you can experience a brighter, shinier and more confident smile!