Clear aligners

Clear aligners are removable trays that move teeth gradually into a better position. At Y3 Smiles Dental in Broadmeadows they are provided by principal dentist Dr Fatima Kurnaz, and treatment starts with an assessment and a plan.

What is clear aligners?

Clear aligners are a series of removable trays, each one slightly different from the last, worn in sequence so that teeth move a little at a time. They are taken out to eat and to clean your teeth, and they are far less visible than fixed braces, which is why most people ask about them. The reason they belong in a conversation about appearance, and not only about orthodontics, is that straightening changes where a tooth sits rather than covering it up. Nothing is shaved, nothing is bonded on, and the tooth ends the treatment as your own tooth in a better position. Where crowding or a tooth out of line is the real complaint, that is usually a better answer than putting a veneer over the problem, and it is worth weighing before anything irreversible is agreed to. Aligners are not right for everything. Some bites and some kinds of movement are better handled by fixed braces, and some cases should be seen by an orthodontist rather than treated here. That is a judgement made at the assessment with x-rays and a scan, not from a photograph. Gum disease and decay are dealt with first, because moving teeth through unhealthy bone and gums is a bad idea. The part people underestimate is the wearing. Aligners only work while they are in your mouth, and treatment that falls behind does so almost entirely because the trays were left out. The other part people underestimate is what happens at the end. Teeth drift back towards where they started for the rest of your life, so retainers are not an optional extra at the end of treatment. They are the thing that keeps the result, and wearing them is a long-term commitment rather than a final step.

Each tray is made for your teeth and moves them a small step further than the one before.

When might you need clear aligners?

Crowded teeth
Teeth overlapping because there is not enough room along the arch. Crowding also makes cleaning harder, so it is a gum health question as well as an appearance one.
Gaps between teeth
Spacing that you would rather close by moving the teeth than by widening them with bonding or veneers.
A tooth that sits out of line
One tooth turned or set back from the others. Moving it addresses the position rather than disguising it.
Relapse after previous orthodontic treatment
Teeth that have drifted since braces years ago, usually because retainers stopped being worn.
Wanting to straighten discreetly as an adult
The trays are far less visible than fixed braces, which is the reason most adults ask about them.
Bite problems that make cleaning difficult
Where the way teeth meet contributes to wear or to areas you cannot clean properly. Assessment decides whether aligners can address it.

Common bite and alignment problems

How your teeth meet matters as much as how straight they look. These are the problems we see most often.

Overbite
When you bite together, the upper front teeth cover too much of the lower front teeth. In a deep overbite the lower teeth can bite into the gum behind them.
Underbite
The lower front teeth sit in front of the upper front teeth when you bite, usually because the lower jaw sits further forward.
Open bite
The back teeth meet but the front teeth don’t, leaving a gap that can make biting into food harder.
Crossbite
Some upper teeth bite inside the lower teeth instead of just outside them. It can affect one tooth or a group.
Crowding
There isn’t enough room along the arch, so teeth overlap, turn or sit out of line. Crowded teeth are also harder to clean.
Spacing
Gaps between teeth. Food can catch in them, and some people would rather close them than live with them.
Protruding front teeth
The upper front teeth sit well forward of the lower teeth, which leaves them more exposed to knocks.
Teeth that moved after braces
Teeth that have drifted since earlier orthodontic treatment, often after retainers stopped being worn.

Many of these can be treated with clear aligners, and some are better treated with fixed braces or by an orthodontist. Your x-rays and scan decide, not a drawing.

What happens, in short

Assessment and records
Examination, x-rays and a scan of your teeth. Decay and gum disease are treated first, before any movement is planned.
The plan
A treatment plan showing what movement is possible and what it would take. You should be told plainly if aligners are not the right tool for your case.
The written quote
Itemised, with item numbers, before anything is ordered. Orthodontic treatment is the one area where an in-house interest-free arrangement may be available, assessed case by case.
Wearing the trays
Each tray is worn as instructed and swapped for the next in sequence. They come out to eat and to clean, and they need cleaning themselves.
Review appointments
Progress is checked against the plan and adjusted where teeth are not moving as expected. This is also where problems with wear time get caught early.
Retainers
Fitted at the end and worn long term. Teeth move back towards their old position for life, so this is the part that keeps what you paid for.

What does it cost?

Clear aligner treatment at Y3 Smiles Dental starts from $3,000, and a complex case costs considerably more. Retainers and teeth whitening are included in the treatment fee. The fee follows how much movement is needed and how long treatment runs, so a case involving a few front teeth and a case involving both arches are genuinely different pieces of work, which is why the figure you are quoted comes after the assessment rather than over the phone. You get the quote in writing, itemised with item numbers, before anything is ordered. Orthodontic treatment, including aligners, is the one area where Y3 Smiles Dental may offer an in-house interest-free arrangement, assessed case by case. Extras cover with orthodontic benefits usually contributes something, though orthodontic limits are often separate from general dental ones, so ask your fund about the specific items. Current aligner offers and their terms are set out on our clear aligners page for Broadmeadows.

You get a written, itemised quote with item numbers before any treatment starts, so you can check it with your health fund. Health funds · Payment options

Are clear aligners right for everyone?

No. Some bites and some movements are better treated with fixed braces, and some cases should be seen by an orthodontist rather than here.

That is worked out at the assessment from x-rays and a scan, not from a photograph or an online quiz. Come and be assessed either way: if aligners suit your case we can treat it here, and if they do not, you leave knowing what would work and with a referral to someone who does it. You do not need to know in advance whether you are a candidate. Dr Fatima Kurnaz is a general dentist rather than a registered specialist, and where a case belongs with a specialist she will say so.

Why consider straightening before veneers?

Because moving a tooth leaves it as your own tooth, while covering it may mean reducing it first.

Where the complaint is crowding or a tooth out of line, straightening addresses the actual problem. Veneers can change the look of a misaligned tooth, but they do not change where it sits, and conventional veneers usually mean taking a layer off. If the least invasive answer matters to you, this is the order worth considering things in.

How much do you have to wear them?

As instructed, which is most of the day and night. Aligners only move teeth while they are in.

This is the single biggest reason treatment runs behind. Time already lost cannot be recovered, and the trays are sequenced, so a tray that has not done its job means the next one does not fit properly. That does not mean a plan that has slipped is ruined. Both the trays and the treatment plan can be adjusted along the way, which is what the review appointments are for, so tell us rather than pressing on or quietly giving up. If the wear time sounds unrealistic for your life, say so at the assessment rather than after you have started.

Do you have to wear retainers forever?

Effectively, yes. Teeth drift back towards where they started throughout life, so retainers are what hold the result.

People are often told this at the end of treatment when it sounds like an afterthought. It is not. It is part of what you are signing up for, and the most common reason adults come back asking about aligners a second time is that retainers stopped being worn after braces years earlier.

Does anything need doing before treatment starts?

Decay and gum disease are treated first. Moving teeth through unhealthy gums and bone makes both problems worse.

A check-up, and gum treatment where it is needed, comes before any movement is planned. It is also where the x-rays and photographs that the plan is built on come from.

Who provides aligner treatment here?

Principal dentist Dr Fatima Kurnaz, who provides clear aligner treatment at Y3 Smiles Dental in Broadmeadows.

She is a general dentist, not a registered specialist. That is stated plainly because orthodontics is an area where the distinction matters, and where a case is better handled by a specialist she will refer you rather than take it on.

Symptoms that can lead here

Crooked or crowded teeth

Clear aligners

What is clear aligners?

When might you need clear aligners?

Crowded teeth

Gaps between teeth

A tooth that sits out of line

Relapse after previous orthodontic treatment

Wanting to straighten discreetly as an adult

Bite problems that make cleaning difficult

Common bite and alignment problems

Overbite

Underbite

Open bite

Crossbite

Crowding

Spacing

Protruding front teeth

Teeth that moved after braces

What happens, in short

Assessment and records

The plan

The written quote

Wearing the trays

Review appointments

Retainers