A Pravindevaprasad1, Beena Agnes Therese2
1Department of Orthodontics, SRM Kattankulathur Dental College, Potheri, Kanchipuram Dt.,Tamilnadu, India.
2Consultant Dentist, Chennai Smiles, Chennai, Tamilnadu, India.
DOI: 10.4103/0976-9668.116975
ABSTRACT
Malocclusion can also be corrected by means of clear removable appliances called as “tooth positioners” or “aligners”. A tooth positioner is used to control settling and to minimize or eliminate relapse of the teeth after an orthodontic treatment. In this article, a complete review of the objectives, course of treatment, fabrication, and the materials used for fabrication of tooth positioners along with their importance and disadvantages were discussed. Tooth positioners did improve the overall orthodontic treatment outcome as quantified by the ABO (American Board of orthodontics) objective scoring method. But once the initial occlusal contact was achieved, the vertical movement of teeth was found to be inhibited.
Keywords: Aligners, relapse and settling, tooth positioners.
