in Miami

Your first appointment is complimentary. One of our dentists will assess your teeth, bite and jaw alignment and talk through what you’d like to change. We’ll explain what’s achievable, recommend if an aligner system is suitable for your needs and give you a cost estimate and indicative timeline so you can consider your options before making a decision.

If aligners aren’t the right fit, or if any other dental concerns such as decay need to be addressed before starting orthodontic treatment, we’ll discuss them with you.

Once we’ve confirmed your suitability and you’re ready to proceed, we take precise digital scans to create a 3D model of your teeth and bite. This allows us to carefully map each stage of your tooth movement before your aligners are fabricated. You’ll be able to see your proposed outcome through a smile simulation and be part of the planning process before treatment begins.

When you can clearly visualise the direction of your smile and have your say, the decision to move forward feels more considered and reassuring.

Before your first aligners are fitted, we prepare your teeth for treatment. Depending on your case, this may involve creating space with extraction of selected tooth or placing small composite attachments. These attachments are tiny, tooth-coloured removable composite additions bonded to specific teeth to help guide precise movement with your aligners. They allow the aligners to apply the right amount of pressure in the right direction. Attachments are typically placed on the same day you receive and begin wearing your first set of aligners, and are removed later precisely when the plan dictates during the treatment process.

Once everything is in place, your treatment begins with your first series of trays fitted comfortably to your teeth.

This is the exciting part where you receive your first batch of aligners. The number of aligners provided depends on your personalised treatment plan. Additional sets or refinement aligners may be scheduled later to finalise your treatment.

At this appointment, we ensure your aligners fit correctly and that you feel comfortable wearing them. We’ll show you how to place and remove them, explain what to expect day to day, and provide a clear schedule for moving through your next sets, which could be weekly or fortnightly.. You’ll also receive guidance on how to care for your aligners and what to do if you lose or break any of your ongoing aligners.

Each set of removable orthodontic aligners must be worn for around 20 to 22 hours a day for effective results. They should be worn at all times, except when eating or drinking anything other than plain, room-temperature water.

You will start seeing a gradual shift in the position of your teeth as you progress through each set of aligners. There is usually a short adjustment period at the beginning. A sense of pressure when changing to a new set is expected as your teeth begin to shift with each progressive set, and it may take a little time to get used to speaking with them in.

Throughout your treatment, we schedule appointments at regular intervals on every visit, though these are typically less frequent than for braces or more complex orthodontic cases. Some of these visits are simply to ensure everything is tracking well and that you are confidently moving through each set of aligners.

Depending on your treatment plan, we may also schedule appointments to make adjustments, such as measuring and adding refinement aligners to achieve the desired final positions or creating space for movement by filing small amounts of enamel in between some teeth, modifying attachments or adding elastic bands to apply new pressure.

Once treatment is complete, it is just as important to protect your hard-earned results. Teeth naturally tend to shift back toward their original positions, also known as orthodontic relapse, which is why aftercare is essential to maintain your new alignment. Depending on your case, this may involve removable retainers that look similar to clear aligners and are worn at night, a fixed retainer that is a thin wire permanently bonded to the back of the front teeth, or both. Consider these as guardrails for your straightened teeth.

We will also schedule follow up appointments, which are less frequent than during your treatment, just to ensure there is no orthodontic relapse or to address it before it eventuates.