How clear aligner treatment works.
Digital impression of your teeth
Precise digital planning by Dr Lim
3D printing of your aligners based on Dr Lim’s plan
Gradual tooth movement through multiple sets of aligner trays
Full time retainers to start, then eventually nightly retainers to hold your result after treatment
Invisalign clear aligners, you’re in good hands with Dr Lim
Your final Invisalign result is determined by the expertise of the Doctor who designs your Invisalign prescription. Dr Donna Lim is one of Auckland’s most experienced Invisalign providers.
Since it’s invention in 1997, Invisalign clear aligners have been used by orthodontists world wide and have helped doctors treat over 12 million patients.
It all starts with our Orthodontist’s digital planning
Invisalign alternatives
Dr Lim’s Clear Aligners
- Customised 3D printed aligners designed by Dr Lim
- The next advancement in clear aligner technology
- As comfortable and as clear as Invisalign aligners
- Under Dr Lim’s expert planning you can expect the same results with Dr Lim’s in office aligners as with Invisalign aligners
Sure Aligners
- Perfect for shorter treatments and people who have had orthodontic treatment previously and need a tidy up
- As comfortable and as clear as Invisalign aligners
- Carefully designed by Dr Lim’s expert planning so you can expect the same level of care as our longer, comprehensive treatments
Clear aligner FAQs
Clear aligners are made from smooth, clear plastic. They slip over your teeth almost like super comfortable mouthguards. Most people won’t even notice you’re wearing aligners.
Clear aligners are invisible customised thin mouthguard style aligners that are designed to make small movements at a time by putting gentle pressure on your teeth. That pressure is transferred through your roots to your jaws. Because the changes from one aligner in your series to the next aligner are small, treatment with aligner technology tends to be gentle and comfortable. Aligners need to be worn 22 hours per day to be effective. This leaves time for eating, brushing, and flossing without aligners in. For your aligner treatment to work, you must wear your aligners as recommended by Dr Lim. So long as you wear your aligner for 20-22 hours a day and change out your trays as often as noted, you will begin to see your teeth shift into place. You are provided with sets of aligners which you need to change regularly at home. Dr Lim will let you know when you need to change your aligners and this can range anything between 7 to 14 days.
In addition to your aligners you may need to have tooth coloured bumps bonded onto your teeth called ‘attachments’. Attachments help the aligners grip onto the teeth and also help teeth move in the direction they need to move. Aligners without attachments are unlikely to be effective. In addition, elastics may be worn with aligners to position your upper and lower jaw in the correct relationship with one another.
In experienced hands such as Dr Lim’s, we can treat even the most complex cases with clear aligners. If you’re wondering what treatment is right for you, Dr Lim will discuss with you all your options and provide an honest assessment about what is right for you so you can make an informed choice about orthodontic treatment.
REMOVABLE
Clear aligners are removable. You’ll take your clear aligners out to eat and to brush and floss your teeth. This means there are no food restrictions and oral hygiene is simple.
ORAL HYGIENE and EATING IS A BREEZE
You’ll also take your clear aligners out to brush and floss your teeth, making oral hygiene simple. There are no dietary restrictions compared to fixed braces as you need to remove the aligners when you are eating and then remember to put them back in immediately afterwards!
FEWER VISITS
Our clear aligners are pre-programmed to achieve certain tooth movements at the start of your treatment. They don’t require adjustments, so you’ll have fewer visits
LESS HARDWARE
The smooth, plastic aligners are custom-made for you for maximum comfort and there are no brackets and wires that can cause irritation or get in your way. Instead you have attachments on your teeth, which are tooth coloured bumps to help the aligners move the teeth in the direction they need to move.
You will need to wear them for 20 to 22 hours per day, taking them out only to eat and drink, brush and floss your teeth, or to wear a mouthguard while playing sports.
Depending on your needs, you’ll swap out your aligners for a new tray every one to two weeks and Dr Lim and her team will let you know when you need to change your aligners. You can do this in the comfort of your home as we give you several sets of clear aligners to take home with you.
Yes! We’ll design a custom retainer for you. Wearing a retainer will help keep your teeth straight long term… when active treatment is finished you will initially need to wear your retainers full time so your teeth stay straight. This because your teeth will want to return back to their original positions and wearing the retainers correctly as instructed by Dr Lim, will help ensure your beautiful smile remains. Eventually, most patients only need to wear it at night long term. Our body changes as we age, so keeping your retainer wear going long term is your best insurance policy to keeping your teeth straight.
There is no difference to the investment for clear aligners and braces treatment at our practice. Plus we have flexible interest free payment plans to make orthodontics more affordable
Your orthodontic visits can vary anything between 8 weeks to 16 weeks and even beyond. We use Dental Monitoring technology which is based on combination of artificial Intelligence and Dr Lim’s oversight. Simply upload photos of your teeth to the app in between your practice visits. This allows Dr Lim to keep an eye on your tooth movement in between visits and to ask you to come into our clinic only when needed. Our app keeps your treatment on track no matter where you are in the world!
It is very important that you continue to visit your family dentist once every four to six months for teeth cleaning and routine dental checkups, even during your orthodontic treatment. If extra dental work is needed, we will be happy to coordinate with your family dentist to make sure you receive the best possible care.
