Frequently asked questions.

20–22 hours a day. They are removed only for eating, drinking anything other than water and brushing your teeth. Consistent wear is the most important condition for the treatment to progress as planned.

Yes, the aligners can be put in and taken out. They should be removed when eating and brushing your teeth, so you can eat without any restrictions. Because they are removed for brushing, oral hygiene is also easier than with braces. You can also take them out for a few hours on special occasions or for important meetings. They need to be worn 20–22 hours a day.

Aligners are usually changed every 7–10 days.

The first few days after you start wearing them are an adjustment period. After that, you will speak as if you were not wearing aligners.

Mild to moderate pain usually occurs for a few days with the first aligners; it is mostly a feeling of pressure and tightness on the teeth. The pain and tightness felt in the first few weeks gradually decrease and disappear in the following weeks. As pain thresholds differ from person to person, the amount of pain felt also varies. The planned tooth movements can also affect how much discomfort you feel.

The aligners cover only your teeth and do not extend over your palate, so they usually do not cause nausea.

Because they are transparent, aligners are rarely noticed in daily life, and most people will not realise you are having treatment. However, they can be noticed when looked at closely.

Once clear aligner treatment has started, wearing the aligners consistently is very important. If you stop for a few days, the teeth begin to move back and you may need to return to earlier aligners. Your current aligners may no longer fit. In that case, please contact our practice.

The aligners are taken out before meals and put back in after you brush your teeth. This way there are no restrictions on what you eat, as there are with braces.

Remove the aligners when eating and when having hot drinks. There is no need to remove them for cold drinks such as water and soda. For sugary or acidic drinks such as fruit juice and cola, remove them, or clean the aligners after drinking. The aligners should also be removed when brushing your teeth.

Take your aligners out and clean them in lukewarm water with a toothbrush and toothpaste. Do not use hot water, as it can damage the aligners.

As aligners are changed every 7–10 days, yellowing is usually not a problem. Smoking, however, can cause yellowing; in that case it can be removed with cleaning crystals.

Keep your aligners in their case when you are not wearing them; because they are transparent, they are easy to lose. If an aligner is lost or broken, contact our practice without delay. In such cases your orthodontist may advise you to move to the previous or the next aligner, or a new aligner may be ordered.

There is no age limit for clear aligner treatment; whether it is suitable for you is assessed at the examination. Clear aligners are an advantageous option especially for people who prefer their treatment to be discreet, have an active social life or work closely with people.

From the first examination to the final check-up, Uzm. Dt. Ahmet Yaşar personally takes care of you at every appointment.

Clear aligner treatment takes about one year on average, but it varies from case to case. Simple cases may take 2–3 months, while complex cases can take up to 2–2.5 years. Your individual treatment time becomes clear after the examination and planning.

Yes. Before treatment starts, 3D digital planning is carried out and we review the predicted result together on a simulation.

With clear aligners you wear a series of aligners made for you (the total number varies from case to case). You switch to a new aligner every 7–10 days, and each aligner applies gentle forces to your teeth, moving them by about 0.2–0.5 mm. In this way the teeth move towards the planned final position.

No. A single impression is taken at the start of treatment, and all aligners are produced from it at the beginning. Although one impression is usually enough, a new one may be needed if additional aligners are required.

Treatment usually involves an appointment every 1–2 months. In suitable cases, some appointments can be held as online consultations.

In most cases, wearing the aligners is enough. Your orthodontist may also give you chewies (bite seaters) to help the aligners fit better; these are used for about 5–10 minutes a day. In more severe cases, elastics and mini-screws may be used, as in treatment with braces.

As with any orthodontic treatment, there is a small risk of relapse with clear aligners. This risk is minimised when an ideal bite and finish are achieved and the necessary retention measures are taken. After treatment, bonded lingual retainers are usually placed and night-time retainers are provided.

With recent advances in technology, the software and materials used for clear aligners have improved considerably. Clear aligners, once considered insufficient for severe cases, can now be used in a much wider range of cases. Whether clear aligners are suitable for you is determined after the examination and planning.

There are many clear aligner companies today, and the materials and manufacturing procedures they use can differ. However, what affects the treatment most is the treatment plan prepared by your orthodontist. Here, the planning software that the company provides to the clinician is very important: its artificial intelligence algorithms, its interface and the flexibility it offers all contribute to an accurate treatment plan. After all, any tooth movement we want can be achieved on a computer; what matters is translating it into reality. This is why planning which tooth movements happen at which stage, and how, is so important.

Today, both dentists and orthodontic specialists provide clear aligner treatment. Most clear aligner systems require the clinician to obtain a special certification. Although clear aligner treatment may seem simple, it requires experience.