ORTHODONTIC TREATMENT WITH ALIGNERS
Orthodontic treatment with transparent aligners has had an exponential growth the last years. The aligners have revolutionized especially the adult orthodontic treatment during the last 10-20 years. Previously, orthodontics was a difficult specialty to embark on without a formal postgraduate orthodontic training, but this new technique has made orthodontic treatments available to general dentists. Patients have a lower threshold for accepting treatment using transparent aligners compared to buccal brackets. Increased availability of the technique and wide-spread commercialization combined with increased research and development have made the aligners a commercial success, and the market is developing significantly now. We aim in this article to discuss the pros and cons of the technique, address problem-areas, inform readers about the effectiveness of aligners for specific dental movements and illustrate this with two cases examples. The article is meant as an overall introduction of the current scientific evidence of aligner-treatment, preparing the interested clinician for subsequent further investigation.
