Invisalign and Clear Aligners: Your Journey from Scan to Retainers

What are clear aligners, and why are they called Invisalign?

Clear aligners are transparent, removable trays made to fit your teeth. You wear a series of trays in a prescribed order, with each set making a planned adjustment to your tooth positions.

Invisalign is a brand name for a particular clear aligner system. It is not the general name for every transparent tray. Other clear aligner brands are available, and their materials, treatment options and instructions can differ.

Clear aligners can offer a discreet way to straighten suitable teeth while allowing you to remove your trays for meals and cleaning.

Who can have Invisalign or clear aligners?

Clear aligners may help with crowded teeth, gaps, teeth that have moved after previous treatment and selected bite problems.

Your dentist assesses your teeth, gums and bite before recommending treatment. Untreated cavities, active gum disease or poor oral hygiene may need attention first.

Some complex tooth movements or jaw relationships are better managed with fixed braces, specialist care or a combination of treatments. Clear aligners also require a commitment to wearing them consistently.

Clear aligners compared with fixed braces

The right choice depends on your bite, the movements needed and your preferences. Both approaches require monitoring and retainers afterwards.

Step 1: Checking your teeth and gums

Before treatment starts, we carry out a clinical assessment to check your oral health.

This includes examining for decay, assessing your gums and reviewing your bite. X-rays are taken or existing images reviewed where clinically indicated, helping assess areas that cannot be seen through examination alone.

An X-ray does not replace a dental examination or guarantee that every tooth is problem-free. Any necessary treatment is discussed before tooth straightening begins.

If you need support with cleaning or gum health, our dental hygienist in East Dulwich can help you prepare for treatment.

Step 2: Your digital scan and treatment plan

We use a digital scanner to record the shape of your teeth and how they meet. The scan creates a three-dimensional model for planning your treatment and making your aligners.

A digital preview can help you understand the proposed changes. It is a simulation, rather than a promise of the final result.

Before your aligners are ordered, we discuss your plan, expected stages, fees, alternatives and relevant risks, and obtain your consent.

Book an Invisalign assessment →

Step 3: Attachments and creating space where needed

When your aligners are ready, your fitting appointment may include placing small, tooth-coloured attachments on selected teeth.

Attachments are made from dental composite. They act as contact points that help the aligners grip and control particular tooth movements. Their number and position depend on your plan.

Some patients also need interproximal reduction, often shortened to IPR. This involves carefully removing a small, measured amount of enamel between selected teeth to create space.

IPR is only carried out where appropriate and discussed beforehand. Not everyone needs it, and it may take place at different stages of treatment.

Step 4: Fitting your first aligners

After completing any preparation planned for that appointment, we check your first aligners and show you how to insert and remove them.

You start with the prescribed first set and work through the numbered sequence. Your dentist explains when to change trays, how long to wear each set and whether you need any additional instructions.

Do not skip trays or change them early without advice.

Why do you need to wear your aligners for 22 hours daily?

Aligners need sustained contact with your teeth to deliver the planned forces. Leaving them out for long periods can interrupt progress and affect the fit of later trays.

At your fitting appointment, we explain your prescribed wear time. When advised to wear them for 22 hours a day, this includes wearing them during sleep.

Remove them for meals, snacks and drinks other than plain, cool water. Use the remaining time for eating and cleaning, then put them back in promptly.

For more information about treatment planning, explore our Invisalign and clear aligner treatment options.

How often will you need to visit?

At Dulwich Dental Centre, we usually arrange reviews approximately every four weeks, although your schedule depends on your treatment.

We check how your teeth are moving, whether your trays fit properly, the condition of your attachments and your oral hygiene.

The total number of appointments varies. Your journey may include assessment, scanning, fitting, regular reviews, additional refinement trays and retainer appointments. Some stages can be combined.

Contact us earlier if an attachment comes off, a tray breaks or stops fitting, or you develop persistent pain.

How to carry your aligners safely

Whenever you take your aligners out, store them in their protective case.

Do not wrap them in tissues, leave them on a table or put them loose in a pocket. Keep the case away from heat and pets, and clean it regularly.

Cleaning your teeth and aligners

After meals, clean your teeth before putting your aligners back in. Brush with fluoride toothpaste and clean between your teeth daily using the method your dental team recommends.

If you cannot brush immediately, rinse your mouth and trays with water and clean properly as soon as practical.

Clean your aligners daily, including each evening, following the instructions for your particular system:

• Rinse them when removed.
• Gently brush the inner and outer surfaces with a soft toothbrush.
• Use the cleaning method or approved product recommended by your dentist.
• Rinse thoroughly before reinserting.

Avoid hot water, abrasive whitening toothpaste and household cleaning chemicals. Heat can distort trays, and unsuitable products can damage them.

Using an ultrasonic cleaning pod

An ultrasonic pod may be an additional cleaning option if it is suitable for your aligners.

If your dental team recommends a weekly pod clean, follow that advice together with the instructions for the device and your aligner system. Use only compatible cleaning solutions and the recommended water temperature.

A pod is optional and does not replace daily cleaning or good oral hygiene.

Finishing treatment and removing attachments

At the end of your planned sequence, we assess your tooth positions and bite. Some patients need further trays, called refinements, before active treatment is complete.

Once treatment is finished, your dentist removes the attachments as appropriate and arranges your retainers.

Why do you need retainers?

Aligners move teeth. Retainers help keep them in their new positions.

Teeth can move after treatment and continue changing with age. Long-term retention helps protect the result, so your retention plan is an essential part of your journey.

Fixed or “bar” retainers

A fixed retainer is a thin wire bonded behind selected teeth, often from canine to canine behind the lower front teeth. Upper fixed retainers may also be suitable in some cases.

The wire stays in place continuously, but it requires careful cleaning. Plaque and hardened deposits can collect around the wire and bonding material.

Regular dental checks and professional dental hygiene appointments help maintain the area. Contact the practice if the wire loosens or breaks.

Removable retainers

Removable retainers are often clear trays worn over your teeth. They can be taken out, making it easier to clean both your teeth and the appliance.

Many patients are prescribed night-time wear for the long term. Some need a different initial schedule, so follow your dentist’s instructions.

If you stop wearing them, your teeth may move. A fixed retainer does not always replace the need for a removable one; some patients benefit from both.

Frequently asked questions