There are many, efficient and cost effective ways to straighten your teeth.
Essentially they involve manoeuvering the teeth in to an aesthetically pleasing and functional position over a period of time. Permanent direct or indirect retention is required post orthodontic treatment in the form of a wire at the back of teeth teeth (a lingual retainer) or wearing a heard acrylic retainer at nighttime (an essex retainer).
Inman Aligners
Inman aligners are an excellent way to straighten anterior teeth only! They are not suitable to move canines or posterior teeth. An inman aligner is a removable appliance that is worn upwards of 20 hours a day. Due to an external pressure pushing the teeth inwards and and internal pressure pushing the teeth outwards, the teeth are moved into a suitable position for the patient. Inman aligners are worn from 2-6 months usually and are often favoured by patients due to the prompt movement of the teeth and the ability to remove the appliance when needed. Disadvantages include difficulty in speaking with the appliance in situ, although patients learn to adapt quickly.
Clear Aligners
Clear aligners are hard acrylic appliances which are designed by an orthodontic laboratory to move your teeth into the desired position. Your dentist or orthodontist will take a mould of your teeth and send to their orthodontic laboratory. Here, the technicians will do a 3D image of the teeth and using 3D printing will simulate the most aesthetically pleasing position for the teeth and a number of aligners are made to accommodate this. Usually the aligners are changed at the dentist every 2 weeks and a composite stent may have to be placed on the outside of the teeth to keep them in place. These stents are removed post treatment.
Often IPR (Interproximal reduction ) is required to created space between the teeth so as the teeth can move. This is irreversible but may be necessary to create the space needed for movement to occur!