Are braces or clear aligners better?

Clear aligners can treat some crowding, especially mild to moderate cases, but severe crowding may need attachments, interproximal reduction, extractions, braces or specialist planning. As a rough guide, crowding that needs a few millimetres of space can often be managed by slightly widening the arch or polishing small amounts of enamel between teeth, while crowding that needs more space than that may call for extractions, which are usually planned with fixed braces. An orthodontist can measure the space needed from a scan.

Many spacing cases can be treated with braces or aligners, but the cause of the gap matters. Missing teeth, tooth size differences, gum health and bite relationships can change the plan. A gap between the upper front teeth, for example, can be linked to a low-attached frenum, and teeth that are small for the arch leave generalised spacing. Closed gaps have a tendency to reopen, so a retainer is an important part of the plan, and some patients are also offered tooth-coloured bonding to even out tooth widths.