Braces vs Aligners: How Do They REALLY Move Your Teeth? 🤯🦷 | Part 1

our teeth are locked in solid bone, yet a thin wire, or a sheet of clear plastic, can slide them right through it. In this 3D animated explainer we look at the biology of tooth movement (the periodontal ligament, osteoclasts and osteoblasts), the problems orthodontics treats, and every major option: traditional metal braces, ceramic (clear) braces, self ligating braces, lingual braces hidden behind the teeth, and clear aligners like Invisalign. Then we compare braces and aligners head to head, see which tooth movements aligners do well and which they struggle with, who makes a good candidate, and how long treatment really takes. This is Part 1. In Part 2: why straight teeth try to drift back, and how retainers keep your new smile in place. Question of the day: studies suggest aligners reach only about half of their planned tooth movement on the first round. Knowing that, would you choose braces or aligners, and why? Tell us in the comments! This video is for general education and isn't a substitute for advice from your own dentist or orthodontist. *Chapters* 0:00 Your teeth are locked in bone 0:15 How do braces really work? 0:23 How teeth move through bone 1:14 What orthodontics treats 1:47 Traditional metal braces 2:40 Ceramic (clear) braces 3:09 Self-ligating braces 3:42 Lingual braces 4:10 Clear aligners 4:53 Braces vs. aligners at a glance 5:18 What aligners do well (and struggle with) 5:52 Who's a good candidate? 6:20 Treatment duration 6:51 Question of the day 7:06 Coming up in Part 2 #Braces #ClearAligners #Invisalign #Orthodontics #Teeth #DentalHealth #TheTheoryOfEveryTech Sources : Otero L, et al. Expression and presence of OPG and RANKL mRNA and protein in human periodontal ligament with orthodontic force. Gene Regul Syst Bio 2016 (RANKL rises in force-loaded ligament). https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles... Yang CY, et al. RANKL deletion in periodontal ligament and bone lining cells blocks orthodontic tooth movement. Int J Oral Sci 2018. https://journal.hep.com.cn/ijos/EN/11... ; Shoji-Matsunaga A, et al. Sci Rep 2017. https://link.springer.com/10.1038/s41... Light vs heavy forces, hyalinisation and ~1 mm/month: Dental Press J Orthod review, https://scielo.br/j/dpjo/a/K4XcxdZwK8... ; rate under heavy and light continuous forces, https://acikerisim.omu.edu.tr/entitie... PDL width (~0.15–0.38 mm, about 0.2 mm) and post-adjustment soreness peaking in the first 1–2 days: standard orthodontic texts (Proffit, Contemporary Orthodontics*); Krishnan V. Orthodontic pain: from causes to management — a review. *Eur J Orthod 2007 American Association of Orthodontists — 7 common bite problems: https://aaoinfo.org/blog/7-common-bit... AAO recommendation of an orthodontic check-up no later than age 7: https://www.aaoinfo.org/wp-content/up... -Ceramic brackets (polycrystalline vs monocrystalline/sapphire alumina; enamel wear, brittleness, friction, debonding): IntechOpen chapter, https://www.intechopen.com/chapters/6... ; Talic NF, Aust Orthod J 2017, https://faculty.ksu.edu.sa/sites/defa... Self-ligating vs conventional brackets (no significant difference in treatment time or pain): Yang X, et al. Angle Orthod 2016;86(1):149, https://angle-orthodontist.kglmeridia... ; https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles... ; history (Russell attachment, 1935): https://ijodr.com/archive/volume/7/is... Lingual braces (Fujita, Japan, and Kurz, USA, 1970s; tongue irritation, speech, hygiene): Dental Update, https://dental-update.co.uk/content/o... ; https://madsen.de/en/lingualtechnik/h... Align Technology / Invisalign FDA 510(k) clearance, 1998: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Align_T... Wear 20–22 h/day, trays changed every 7–14 days: Al-Nadawi M, et al. Effect of clear aligner wear protocol on the efficacy of tooth movement. Angle Orthod 2021. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles... Attachments and interproximal reduction (IPR): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti... Movements aligners control well / poorly (anterior intrusion yes; extrusion and rotation of rounded teeth poor): Rossini G, et al. Angle Orthod 2015 (summary: https://cats.uthscsa.edu/published_ca...) Mean accuracy 41% (Kravitz ND, et al. AJODO 2009): https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19121... ; ~50% (Haouili N, et al. AJODO 2020), cited in https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...