Are Nighttime Aligners Effective As Daytime Aligners & Dental Braces?
Dr. B. Kanagasabapathy
[M.D.S. (Ortho), Fellow ICOI]
Do nighttime clear aligners straighten your teeth like standard braces and daytime aligners?
Most people who visit our clinic to get orthodontic treatments request nighttime clear aligners for teeth straightening. As many people do not like the “brace face” aesthetic, invisible braces (clear aligners). In the meantime, certain people feel it hard to take the braces out every time for eating and drinking. We assume that it pushes those people to prefer nighttime aligners.
Similarly, various renowned dental braces manufacturers such as Alignerco, New Smile, Byte also introduce nighttime clear aligners along with their standard aligners.
Now the question is, is it worth investing in night aligners? Do nighttime clear aligners straighten the teeth as well as standard braces & daytime aligners? Our Orthodontists have answered in this blog post.
What are nighttime clear aligners?
As the name suggests, the nighttime clear aligners are designed to wear only at night so that you can wear the aligners while sleeping. If you wear the appliance a few hours before or after sleeping, you can wear it for 10 hours a day.
It holds the following advantages:
- Greater invisibility
- Available at reasonable prices
- FDA approved
- Fabricated with a thicker plastic material using customized software and mechanical system so that the wearer will feel comfortable same like the daytime braces.
Are nighttime clear aligners efficient in straightening your teeth?
No. Nighttime clear aligners are suitable only for minor problems such as closing very mild spaces, slightly crooked teeth. To know the reason, you have to understand how a standard brace or daytime aligner works.
Orthodontic treatments aim at compressing the periodontal ligaments around a tooth root. The periodontal ligaments take care of holding the teeth in their socket where there is a space around .25mm between the root and the socket lining. The pressure exerted with dental braces will reduce the space whilst moving the teeth to their room by changing the bone around the teeth.
It required applying light pressure for at least 20 hours per day. It is possible only if you get non-removable braces else you have to wear aligners throughout the day.
In contrast, the night-only braces are capable of compressing the ligaments for just 10 hours a day. Such limited duration is efficient for minor movement (around .5 mm) and it does not empower changing bones around the tooth roots.
Hence you cannot address teeth misalignment problems such as crossbites, overbites, crooked teeth, and crowded teeth with night aligners.
Bottom line
Teeth straightening requires continual pressure even after removing the braces. Hence orthodontists recommend wearing retainers to keep the teeth in the new positions permanently. Remember that the force applied to shift the teeth with nighttime clear braces cannot match the pressure exerted with retainers.
Many orthodontists suggest night-only aligners for minor orthodontic problems that too for people who would like to wear orthodontic appliances for a shorter daily duration.
If you want a proper teeth-straightening solution, consult your orthodontist. Don’t fall for the hype or offers provided with appliances available in the market.
