Best Invisible Braces

Invisalign treatment begins with a consultation with an Invisalign-trained dentist or orthodontist who will develop a customized treatment plan with you. Then, you will make an appointment with Invisalign's Smile Concierge Team to get a digital scan or plastic mold of your teeth, which your dentist will use to custom design your braces (the aligners) with the Invisalign lab. Once the aligners are fabricated, they will ship to your dentist's office. Invisalign requires you to wear the aligners 20 to 22 hours daily, removing them only to eat or drink and for cleaning. 

Your dentist will ask to see you every four to six weeks to monitor your progress and give you your next batch of aligners. While Invisalign treatment time averages 12 to 18 months, a common complaint is that completing treatment takes longer than anticipated.   

Invisalign aligners can correct various alignment issues, including crooked teeth, overbite, underbite, crossbite, and more, depending on the severity of the case. However, Invisalign is not recommended for people with short, round teeth or sharp teeth, as these can interfere with the aligner retention.  Additionally, Invisalign can't correct severely rotated or tilted teeth and dental bridges.  

Your dental office will set the price of Invisalign. Depending on the complexity of your case, fees can range from roughly $3,400 to $7,100, which excludes retainers (which you'll wear after treatment). But you will get as much personalized attention as needed through your dental office.

If you have young kids, Invisalign is the only brand that we reviewed that offers aligners for children ages 6 to 10.

ALIGNERCO claims to offer the most affordable invisible aligners in the U.S. With a price tag of about $895, including an impression kit and retainers, that may well be right. The company also offers two monthly installment plans, which add roughly $77 to $425 to the price, depending on which plan you choose. 

ALIGNERCO provides at-home care only, and you can choose all-day aligners or nighttime aligners, which you wear eight to 10 hours per day. Expect to change aligners every 10 days through a four- to six-month average treatment time, depending on the severity of your case. As you might expect, treatment time for nighttime aligners is longer since you wear them for fewer hours. And this option costs a bit more, roughly $1,095.

Like some other brands, ALIGNERCO requires you to make your own impressions with a kit. The company will refund the cost of the kit (about $40) if you are not an aligner candidate. Once your mold is sent back to ALIGNERCO, a team of experts develops your treatment plan—you will not meet with a dentist or orthodontist during this process. Your aligners will be sent to you about four to five weeks after you approve the treatment plan.

During your treatment, you won't meet directly with a dentist or orthodontist, but you will be assigned a Smile Crew Member, and you can contact them if you have any concerns. They will then get back to you with a response from a dentist.

ALIGNERCO's aligners address limited alignment issues, such as gapped teeth, crowded teeth, overbite, and underbite. Although the company promises its licensed team of experts will create your treatment plan, it does not provide any information on its website about who the dentists it works with are.

ClearCorrect offers in-office or at-home treatment with your own dentist or orthodontist. The service's in-office treatment is similar to Invisalign’s. Your dentist scans or takes a mold of your mouth. Then ClearConnect designs and fabricates your aligners and sends them to your dentist’s office.

With ClearCorrect Now, the company’s at-home treatment, the process is the same, but you take your own impressions, and the aligners ship directly to you—all under the supervision of your own dentist. Your dentist also then monitors your treatment remotely. However, if you need aligner attachments, your only option is an in-office treatment. 

ClearCorrect aligners cover the gum line to minimize the need for attachments. In contrast, Invisalign aligners are trimmed to follow the scalloped shape of your gum line for a more natural appearance.  

The estimated treatment time for ClearCorrect is conspicuously missing from its website, likely because it depends on the treatment plan your dentist creates. For example, some dental offices estimate treatment will take eight to 14 months, while others estimate one to two years, depending on the case. Regardless, be prepared to wear your aligners 22 hours per day.

Patient reviews for ClearCorrect are in short supply. The company website directs site visitors to its Instagram page, which has very few posts featuring patient comments. However, at least one of them was highly negative with no discernible company response. Other review sites show mixed, uncertain reviews on results, with several people complaining that the aligners are not the most comfortable and that their edges can irritate your gums.

Your dentist or orthodontist provides ClearCorrect, which means that pricing varies by provider. Average costs are hard to pin down but appear to range from about $2,000 to $5,000. However, the company does provide payment options, depending on where you live and how many aligners your treatment plan will require, which could reduce your overall cost.

ClearCorrect is not recommended for patients with short teeth, multiple missing teeth, dental implants and bridges, gum disease, and other difficult or complex oral issues.

Byte invisible braces are only available for at-home treatment and, like other brands, are best suited for minor to moderate alignment issues. The company promises an average treatment time of just four to six months, as long as you wear its aligners 22 hours a day and use the company’s proprietary HyperByte device. This is, by far, the shortest treatment time we’ve seen for invisible braces.  

What makes Byte able to deliver such fast results? HyperByte, the company’s FDA-cleared oral appliance, transmits high-frequency vibrations to your teeth roots and surrounding bone. Byte says this device speeds tooth movement and reduces discomfort if you wear it five minutes a day (or 10 minutes a day for nighttime aligners).

You’ll graduate to new Byte aligners every week, and while this aggressive replacement schedule may speed the straightening process, the company cautions you’ll feel soreness for a few days after switching to new aligners. If you change Byte aligners every week, you could well spend much of your treatment time in discomfort. However, if fast results are important to you, that discomfort may be worth it.  

As with the other at-home treatment brands, you’ll need to purchase a DIY impression kit for about $95. If Byte determines you’re ineligible for treatment, it will refund the cost of the impression kit. If you are eligible, an orthodontist or dentist creates your treatment plan and the aligners are delivered to your door.

If you opt for a one-time payment, you can purchase Byte for about $1,999 (note that this price does not include five years' worth of retainers to use post-treatment, as some of Byte’s payment plans do). However, if you opt for a payment plan, the total cost will be approximately $2,763, which includes retainers every six months for five years.

Note: If speed isn’t your primary concern, Byte offers nighttime aligners, which are worn 10 hours a day to complete treatment in an average of five to six months.

SureSmile invisible braces are only available through your dentist or orthodontist. Although the aligners can address simple and complex cases, the company website emphasizes that the aligners are most effective for minor tooth movement.  

The SureSmile process begins with a digital scan of your mouth, followed by custom design and fabrication of your aligners and final product delivery to your dentist. You’ll visit your dentist every three months unless you have a complex case that requires more closely supervised care.  

You can expect to wear your SureSmile aligners 20 to 22 hours per day and change to a new set every one to two weeks. Most invisible aligners we reviewed can be cleaned with a toothbrush. However, with SureSmile, you have to use the company's Retainer Brite products, which are not included in your treatment plan cost. They cost about $18 for 96 tablets, depending on which retailer you buy them from.

As with ClearCorrect, patient reviews for SureSmile invisible braces are scarce. This may be because the product is newer to market, but its exact launch date cannot be verified on their site. However, SureSmile is a longtime provider of other types of braces, including traditional, less-noticeable ceramic, hidden braces placed behind the teeth, and a hybrid solution of traditional braces followed by clear aligners. 

SureSmile pricing, which your dental office will determine, starts at about $2,000 and may be up to $4,000. If you have veneers or dental crowns, SureSmile may not work for you.