The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved an alternative to braces that uses a series of clear, removable aligners to move a patient’s teeth. They can be used by patients who already have their second molars, which usually erupt by a person’s late teens.

Use of this product requires an impression of the patient’s teeth, which is sent to a laboratory where a computer simulates how the teeth should move in order to be corrected. A series of custom-made aligners are then created based on this simulation. Patients wear each aligner for a couple of weeks and can remove them when eating, and while brushing and flossing their teeth. Generally, approximately 18 to 30 aligners are worn over a period of nine to 15 months. However, in some cases as few as 10 aligners may be used for as few as 5 months with good results.