Orthodontic treatment without braces has been introduced more than half a
century before clear aligners have been introduced in orthodontics. Clear aligners have
been utilized to treat minor crowding for more than a decade. However, in the last few
years, there has been increased interest and many publications came out in different
prestigious peer reviewed journals about the possibility of using clear aligners to treat
difficult orthodontic cases. Different companies that manufacture clear aligners for
orthodontic tooth movement spent a huge time span and resources to optimize
treatment results and to provide more controlled tooth movement. The research and
development included, but not limited to design attachments that can provide optimum
tooth control, develop new plastic material that can have shape memory in order to
maximize its efficiency in tooth movement and developing protocols for different
malocclusions. There is a huge global interest in using clear aligners in orthodontics,
however it might take decades for traditional orthodontists to adopt clear aligners in
orthodontic practice. This chapter will briefly review the available literature about the
background of clear aligners and its future application in orthodontics.
Keywords: Aligners, Clear, History, Invisible, Minor, Movement, Orthodontics,
Relapse, Tooth.
