In-House Aligners

Clear aligners are an effective alternative to traditional braces, because they use a system of clear, removable trays used to straighten teeth. In the past, clear aligner treatment was done by making a mold of a patient’s mouth and sending it to an off-site lab for the aligners to be fabricated. Though this process was successful, we wanted to reduce our patients’ waiting time to begin treatment, as well as have more overall control over our patients’ treatment.

We often hear parents say to their kids that they have to wear their retainers because if they don't, they’ll end up with crooked teeth just like them. These parents have minor relapse that historically would require another round of braces.

Clear aligners like Clarity™ and Invisalign® are a more discreet option, but the third-party costs make these minor cases cost prohibitive. Taking out the third party allows the aligners to be fabricated much faster (hours to days) rather than weeks, and it can be done at a much lower cost. These savings can then be passed on to you!

Why in-house aligners?

• The entire process, from treatment plan to appliance fabrication, overseen by Dr. Belnap
• Fully customizable, with aligner flexibility and thickness determined by Dr. Belnap and not an outside lab technician
• Ease of hybrid (braces and aligner) treatment
• Discreet and less expensive option is most efficient for minor relapse cases and tooth movement
• Quick turnaround time (hours to days rather than weeks) eliminates the waiting period to start treatment
• Lost or broken aligners replaced quickly and easily

The Process

Dr. Belnap begins the aligner creation by taking an intraoral scan and uploading it into our treatment planning software. This software generates a series of digital models that represent stages between the start and finish point, with the teeth moving about 1/4 mm per tray.

The digital models are 3D printed on our SprintRay Pro 95. Once they are printed, the aligners are made by heating up a piece of plastic and using a high-pressure press to form the plastics over the model. The plastic is then removed and each aligner is trimmed and checked by hand for ideal fabrication.

The result? Your perfect smile, done faster, more efficiently, and less expensive than ever before.