José Ignacio Delgado Castaño, IMDEA MATERIALS
Transparent aligners have been the leading demand in orthodontics over the past decades. They do not compromise aesthetics, are more comfortable than traditional dental braces, and allow for better oral hygiene. Moreover, they are much less invasive.
This growing popularity of clear aligners reflects a broader shift in how patients approach dental care—seeking options that are not only effective but also align with their lifestyle and confidence. Whether you’re preparing for a big event or simply want to correct years of gradual misalignment, transparent aligners offer a discreet and convenient solution. No metal brackets, no wires—just a gradual, comfortable path to a better smile.
Recognizing this need for innovation and patient-centric care, expert dental clinics have embraced cutting-edge orthodontic technologies to deliver not only straight smiles but also a smoother treatment experience. At the forefront of this shift are practices like Desert springs dental care, where comprehensive, personalized service meets the latest advancements in clear aligner therapy.
Here, patients benefit from a team dedicated to ensuring that every step of their smile transformation is both effective and tailored to individual needs. From initial consultation to final results, the focus remains on creating a supportive, welcoming environment where health, confidence, and aesthetics converge—making it easier than ever to take that next step toward a beautifully aligned smile.
However, ‘invisible’ aligners designed to gradually correct the position of teeth became the center of a troubling controversy before the summer. Despite their promising qualities, in March media outlets reported multiple complaints about their use, which led to a judicial investigation.
What lies behind the reported risks and damages? Is it possible to improve them to make them more effective and harmless?
The Low-Cost Treatment
The complaints are mostly not about the aligner itself, but about how they have been sold.
They have become trendy, which has led to more and more companies manufacturing and distributing them online at low prices. These companies design aligners based on photos of the mouth taken at home by the patient, sometimes without any supervision from an orthodontist, either in planning or during the treatment process.
The General Council of Dentists of Spain reported six of these brands to the Spanish Agency of Medicines and Medical Devices for dispensing a product directly to the public that is prescribed exclusively by dentists.
Just like any medical treatment, unsupervised use of aligners can be harmful to the user’s oral health and may even cause problems in other organs of the body.
The damages can range from treatments that do not deliver the expected results to bleeding, discomfort, loss of teeth, and even diseases related to the respiratory system, spine, or chronic migraines.
Not Always Better to Be Harder
But, setting aside the undeniable risk of unsupervised treatment, what about the aligner itself?
The main risk of using aligners is the force they exert on dental structures. The system must ‘push’ the teeth progressively to align them, and many of these aligners are made from materials that are too rigid. Rigidity causes them to apply excessive force during the first days of treatment, which is the main reason they cause notable discomfort initially. Later, the issue shifts: they deform quickly and stop exerting force, so many necessary dental movements for alignment are not completed.
So, we have a demanded treatment that needs improvement, and the way to do it is by renewing it.
This challenge highlights the delicate balance required in orthodontic care: effective force without compromising comfort. Aligners must be both gentle and persistent, a combination that’s surprisingly hard to achieve with off-the-shelf solutions. As dental technology evolves, so does our understanding of biomechanics and material science—two fields now collaborating to refine the aligner experience. Renewing this treatment means not just better materials, but smarter customization.
That’s why dental clinics that prioritize innovation are leading the charge in this renewal. Practices such as vibrant dental work closely with labs to ensure aligners are tailored not only to each patient’s bite but to their biology. They focus on strategic pressure points and duration, using data-driven planning to minimize discomfort and maximize results. The aim isn’t to speed things up recklessly—it’s to guide teeth safely and efficiently into their proper place.
This thoughtful approach to orthodontic renewal naturally extends into the broader realm of expert cosmetic dentistry and comprehensive oral care, where precision and personalization are equally paramount. Just as aligner technology blends biomechanics with material science to create a seamless experience, so too does advanced cosmetic dentistry combine artistry with cutting-edge techniques to transform smiles in a way that is both natural and lasting.
Patients seeking not only functional improvements but also aesthetic enhancements often turn to specialists who understand that every smile is unique.
The Los Angeles Veneer Doctor, for example, exemplifies this dedication by offering handcrafted porcelain veneers that are meticulously designed to complement an individual’s facial structure, color palette, and lifestyle. This level of customization ensures that cosmetic treatments don’t just improve appearance—they elevate confidence and oral health simultaneously. Whether it’s through veneers, whitening, or restorative procedures, these expert providers prioritize harmony and health, reinforcing that comprehensive care is about much more than just looks—it’s about creating smiles that feel as good as they appear.
In Search of New Materials
In research for invisible orthodontics, we seek a material that improves upon those used so far, that applies constant and sufficient forces on the teeth, and does not lose effectiveness.
The most important aspect of the treatment is that the tooth must be aligned correctly, neither too forward nor too backward. To achieve this, the aligner materials must accurately predict the movement of the teeth. They need to ensure a more controlled fluctuation between the initial and static forces. Only then can a continuous and effective treatment be guaranteed over time.
Currently, numerous companies and research centers are working to achieve this.
At the IMDEA Materials Institute, in collaboration with Secret Aligner, we are developing new materials with more predictable and defined strengths. These new materials maintain a balance between flexibility and deformation capacity to adapt to dental morphology. Additionally, they retain the ability to apply the necessary force for proper dental alignment throughout the process.
There are other advanced meta-materials, but they cannot yet be used in Europe.
The Goal?
After years of research, an innovative material is now available in the market that combines layers of various commonly used rigid materials with softer layers. This new material is composed of a derivative of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and a thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU); however, unlike the traditionally used TPU in rigid orthodontic materials, this TPU is soft.
The new material is versatile, allows for more efficient treatments, with less pressure and, above all, more comfortable and painless for the patient. Currently, only a few companies produce different versions of this material in the US, China, and India, among other places, which are then marketed worldwide. However, it rarely reaches the Spanish market because no company has yet manufactured this type of multi-layer material in Europe.
European Push Towards Independence and Competitiveness
In the European Union, several companies are tackling its production to reduce dependence on external suppliers. Local production will have a significant impact: it will facilitate access for both leading companies and smaller laboratories struggling with raw material supplies.
When invisible dental aligners of this new era can finally be used generically in Europe, costs will be reduced, and a more personalized experience for patients and professionals will be offered.
Moreover, supply security and quality would be ensured, and in the future, the material and its production could be improved to become more competitive.
These new materials will transform the industry and offer more efficient and sustainable solutions.
José Ignacio Delgado Castaño, Visiting Researcher, Biomaterials, IMDEA MATERIALS
The article was originally published in The Conversation. Read the original (content in Spanish).
