Our Premium Selection of Top Invisible Braces Companies

Smiles are the most easily recognizable facial expressions in the world. They are contagious, great for your mental and physical health and they can influence the people around you. So, why wouldn’t you want to smile as much as possible? Well, some people are less inclined to smile in front of others due to their grins not being straight enough. And this is why we have clear braces – a simple yet effective way for people to straighten their smiles in a matter of months. Whether you are a teenager or adult looking for a subtle way of correcting your smile or flaws in your dental line, invisible braces can help you achieve just that! So, don’t hesitate and start perfecting that beautiful smile of yours today with the help of some of the best teeth straightening experts in North America, ranked through the careful selection process of our team here at Consumer Opinion Guide!

What are invisible braces?

• Invisible braces/aligners, also called dental or clear braces/aligners are transparent retainers that have the purpose of straightening and aligning your teeth over a certain period of time. Clear braces allow your teeth to be aligned into a more ideal position and allow you to keep smiling with confidence.

The treatment procedure that invisible teeth aligners require involves wearing plastic transparent teeth braces that are custom-made for you, without having to suffer through the process of wearing metal brackets for years. Traditionally, utilizing braces requires visual sacrifice, as metal protruding from your teeth looks anything but pleasant. However, with the advance in invisible clear braces, you can have healthy teeth without sacrificing much, if anything at all!

Most commonly used for crooked and gapped teeth, crowding, overlapping, overbite, and underbite, invisible braces are a very affordable and practical dental treatment. They don’t require wiring and constant monitoring so long as you follow a set of guidelines that come with them.

Recommended Invisible Braces Companies

• Byte
• SmileDirectClub
• Candid

How do clear aligners work?

Invisible braces are created from a 3D digitized scan of your teeth. The scan can be done with a self-administered mold kit or by visiting a certified medical practitioner. Once printed out, the transparent braces/aligners are fitted onto your teeth, where they apply constant pressure that gradually repositions your teeth into perfect alignment.

• The treatment timeframe ranges from 6 to 22 months, depending on the condition of your teeth and your devotion to wearing clear braces between 20-22 hours per day. 

The level of discomfort due to the pressure that teeth aligners create varies from person to person. A new set of invisible aligners is required every two weeks to ensure constant realignment throughout the course of the treatment. During this process, you may need to visit your dentist every once in a while (around every 6-8 weeks) to get an evaluation of your teeth straightening progress. At this time, you will also receive the next set of invisible aligners. Do note that you will need to change these sets on a more regular basis, every 1-3 weeks or so, depending on your progress.

As you do progress through new sets of transparent braces, you will start noticing that a new smile is taking shape. For the best teeth alignment results, you will want to wear your teeth aligners at home for most of the day, taking them off only in select few cases. In fact, the only time when you may want to remove these invisible clear braces is when you are brushing or flossing your teeth or when you are eating. While this may seem uncomfortable, the results are well worth the additional hassle.

What you should and shouldn’t do when using invisible braces

Do:

• Clean your invisible braces daily.
• Brush and floss your teeth every time you take your clear braces off, before putting them back on.
• Think about your nutrition while you have your teeth aligners on.
• Stay well hydrated and keep track of your at-home teeth straightening progress.

Don’t:

• Stain your transparent braces by drinking too many caffeinated beverages.
• Make your aligners susceptible to bacteria by leaving them outside the trays.
• Forget to switch your aligners at home every couple of weeks.
• Smoke – as it will cause discoloration to your braces.

Invisible braces vs. traditional braces

Treatments with traditional metal braces, although more effective for severe dental conditions, require frequent visits to your dental care practitioner for tightening and checkups. They are also more expensive and require years of treatment, in addition to causing complications while consuming food and maintaining proper dental hygiene.

Invisible braces are easier to use, more affordable, and definitely more discreet to use, which is why most professionals and young adults prefer them. The treatments last for months instead of years and require fewer visits to the dental office. Clear aligners are also more hygienic and allow you to consume all types of food. Needless to say, the greatest advantage of the invisible teeth braces is that they seamlessly integrate with your natural smile. This cosmetic factor is the main reason why most people these days opt for wearing invisible dental braces.

However, there are a few drawbacks that you might want to know about as well. Due to the nature of the material, invisible braces for adults and children simply aren’t as strong as their traditional counterparts. While this can be circumvented by applying extra care and compliance, it is still a considerable factor in their usage.

For example, if you eat especially crunchy foods or even some hard candies, you are running the risk of breaking your invisible dental braces. If you plan on using teeth aligners at home, you may be better served with traditional braces instead. However, even during the COVID-19 lockdown, chances are that you will be going outside at some point. If you do want to maximize your self-esteem, wearing transparent teeth braces is your best option.

Other considerations

You may also want to know that the lighter color of these clear braces is more prone to staining. That is why most dentists recommend avoiding any intake of dark beverages and foods such as red wine, ketchup, coffee, as well as tea. You can, however, minimize this effect by drinking through a straw or brushing your teeth as soon as you finish eating or drinking.

Furthermore, if you want the best teeth straightening, you are going to need to place teeth aligners on your lower front teeth. This means that the bracket itself can cause additional wear and tear of the enamel found on the backside of your upper row of teeth. Normally, this wear-and-tear happens when chewing your food, due to the abrasiveness of the material that invisible braces are made of. While this usually isn’t a big problem, you can nonetheless avoid it by choosing to place metal braces on your bottom teeth.

For optimal results and the best at home teeth straightening, a combination of two approaches is always the best. Both traditional aligners and invisible aligners have their use and place, after all. But if you need to maximize the cosmetic side of things, you will definitely want to go with transparent braces.

The pros and cons of clear braces

PROS

• Their transparency makes them barely noticeable.
• No sharp metal wires in your mouth.
• Very comfortable once you adjust to them.
• Brushing and flossing are less of a hassle since they are easy to remove.
• No food restrictions.
• Affordability.
• Shorter treatment time frame.
• Less time spent on checkups.

CONS

• May not be covered by medical insurance.
• Invisible braces can be easily misplaced and lost.
• Minimal interaction with the orthodontist.
• Ingesting food requires you to take them off.
• Diligent hygiene is necessary after each meal.
• Teeth aligners can cause initial discomfort.

How much does it cost?

According to our research, the price for invisible braces ranges from $1000 to $8000, depending on the dental practitioner, time frame, and the payment plan you opt for. Another important thing to check beforehand is whether your dental care insurance covers clear braces and if so, whether it covers the treatment partially or fully, including the post-treatment retainers. With the majority of the treatments costing around $5,000, every bit of help will be more than welcome.

The cost varies highly mostly due to the material used in invisible teeth aligners. Basically, the more delicate the material, the more expensive invisible clear braces are. The “good” part is that the above price ranges are usually all-inclusive. This means that you don’t need to worry about additional application costs, visits to the dentist, or any follow-up care. All this is all included in the original price.

How does the process work?

It basically comes down to five steps:

1. Consultation: Everything starts with determining whether or not you are a good candidate for clear aligners. Most invisible braces companies will require patients to fill out a questionnaire to determine the severity of their condition and to check whether they had previous dental work done.
2. Fitting: The best clear braces companies provide at-home impression kits for patients to use at home and mail the impression to the companies without having to go anywhere. Some require patients to come to their office for an X-ray in order to create an impression.
3. Evaluation: After the initial scan, the orthodontist evaluates the condition of the patient and provides them with a detailed treatment plan. If the patient opts for the treatment, a series of 3D-printed invisible braces are mailed to them in a matter of weeks.
4. Orthodontic treatment: Once they receive the invisible braces, patients are required to wear them between 20 and 22 hours per day. Each aligner is worn for two weeks before switching to the next one. Aligners can be cleaned with water and soap or peroxide. Treatments can take from 6-22 months.
5. Aftercare: Once the alignment treatment is complete, the company sends patients a post-care retainer to ensure their teeth don’t shift back to how they were before. Removable retainers are available for nighttime wear, or patients can opt for a permanent retainer, which is a small strip of metal fastened to the back surface of their teeth.

Conditions in which you might want to consider invisible teeth braces

Since invisible braces for adults utilize much the same technology as their traditional counterparts, they are utilized in much the same conditions. These conditions, often referred to as malocclusions, require careful planning and expertise, which is why you want to entrust their treatment to a reputable orthodontist with a good track record of success. The most common malocclusions that require teeth aligners at home are:

• Open bite
• Overbite
• Crossbite
• Crowding
• Gaps between teeth
• Overjet
• Impacted teeth

So, for those that aren’t familiar with most of these cases, we are going to look into them with more detail.

Open bite

This malocclusion occurs when the top and bottom rows of your teeth do not touch when your mouth is shut. There are two variations: The anterior open bite, where these bites are in the front of the mouth, and the posterior open bite when they are in the back. Do note that the former is much more common. Usually, these malocclusions originate due to genetics or prolonged sucking of thumbs during childhood. Medical braces provide the best teeth straightening in these cases.

Overbite

An overbite occurs when there’s a large overlap between the bottom and top teeth. The top teeth may hang too far over the bottom teeth, causing this particular malocclusion. In some of the more severe cases of overbite, the bottom teeth may even create contact with the roof of the mouth, causing significant discomfort, pain, and even damage to the bone and tissue. One thing to note is that a small degree of overbite is perfectly normal, but large overbites need to be treated with teeth aligners. Due to how this particular malocclusion looks, wearing clear braces is extremely beneficial to your self-esteem.

Crossbite

On the “flipside”, crossbite is a malocclusion where the bottom teeth are set in a way that they are past top teeth when you close your jaw. In other words, the top and bottom rows overlap in an improper manner. This can, however, occur both in the front and the back, and has the potential to create a combination of overbite and crossbite, or even crossbite and open bite. The best solution for this condition is to apply invisible braces as soon as possible.

Crowding

Teeth crowding is easily one of the more common reasons why patients seek to apply teeth aligners. This particular condition may look horrible, with multiple crooked and misaligned teeth. Basically, your teeth are competing for the space inside your mouth and grow in whichever way they can. There are many causes for this malocclusion, and each one requires careful and customized application of invisible aligners. Each tooth needs to be brought into a proper position, and the situation needs to be monitored on a regular basis.

Gaps between teeth

This condition occurs when there are large spaces between teeth. There may be a single gap or multiple gaps present. The use of transparent braces, however, quickly remedies the situation. By using the best teeth straightening methods, you can bring your teeth closer together, reducing the gaps drastically and even removing them completely in most cases.

Overjet

The term “overjet” refers to a large horizontal gap between the top and bottom rows of teeth. This gap causes the front teeth to jut out of the jaw and creates a condition known as “buck teeth”. Most of us, however, do have a very small overjet. But in excessive cases, proper orthodontic care and application of invisible teeth aligners are recommended.

Impacted teeth

Whenever teeth fail to properly pass through the “gum-line” and grow into their correct position, they are referred to as being impacted. The absence of teeth in their normal position disrupts the growth of other teeth, which may even drift into the vacant space. This causes numerous malocclusions such as crowding, gaps, adjacent teeth damage. It can even cause cysts and other issues. Invisible clear braces are an extremely effective method of solving this issue. The orthodontist can bring the offending teeth down and allow them into their proper position before applying invisible teeth braces.

What is there to consider when buying invisible braces?

No matter how you look at it, invisible braces for adults and children are an investment. Luckily, there are numerous brands available that may reduce the cost somewhat. But before you even start looking at some of those brands, there are a few things you may want to consider.

No matter what, you need to make sure that you have access to a dentist, preferably an orthodontist, and have them evaluate your treatment. For best at home teeth straightening, you will need to have direct supervision of a top professional, as well as clinical guidance. Every malocclusion is quite unique in its own way and requires careful examination and application of invisible dental braces. You also want to ensure that you have access to support throughout the process, including initial consultation, treatment, and at-home impression process.

As with anything else that costs a lot of money, you will want to search for and read invisible aligners reviews from other consumers. Make sure to include multiple sources, both online and offline. Additionally, take note of those best invisible braces reviews that mention customer service, as it is a large part of the process. Of course, this is where the diligent research and rankings from Consumer Opinion Guide come in handy, as it can help you discover the best teeth aligners currently on the market and start from there.

When it comes to the cost, you never want to go with a company that offers ridiculously low prices. The fact of the matter is that the associated costs are there for a reason. By choosing to undergo treatment for a much lower price, you will inevitably be sacrificing something. Therefore, you will want to find a treatment that is comparable to other prices. An added benefit is if the company offers a money-back guarantee or a simple process to follow.

In-depth review of the best invisible braces on the market at this moment – Byte

The main benefits of going with Byte instead of other options are lightning-quick (comparatively) results, as well as the ability to skip office visits. Byte also provides amazing customer care, access to experts, as well as a lifetime guarantee on their products. In essence, Byte offers an at-home tooth straightening kit that delivers results in a short timeframe. Thanks to the HyperByte therapy that is based on vibrations, these transparent teeth braces reduce discomfort and cut the treatment time in half! While they may not present the best teeth straightening on the market, they are still the best option in the vast majority of cases.

As for the price, you can expect the therapy to cost you anywhere from $1895 to $2,295. You can choose between an all-day or an all-night plan, depending on your preferences. The all-day clear braces offer the quickest results and are, therefore, the most popular option. They do require 22 hours of continuous wear, though. If you are somewhat hesitant about daytime use of invisible braces, you can opt for a premium aligner system for use when sleeping.

The “Byte At-Night” teeth aligners are designed for 10 hours or more of continuous nighttime use. The ideal application of these invisible aligners is to put them on when you are preparing to lie down and leave them until the morning. This convenience, however, reduces the overall effectiveness, requiring around five to six months to see results. In comparison, it takes only around three months to see results from daytime transparent braces.