In This Article
In This Article
A teeth straightening kit gives you a practical and affordable way to straighten teeth without seeing a dental professional or getting metal braces put on. It’s halfway between do-it-yourself braces and orthodontic treatment.
Similar to DIY braces, you can purchase them online and have them delivered to your home. These kits are much safer because there’s some dental guidance involved.
Here are our most recommended teeth straightening kits:
Buying a kit isn’t a straightforward process. A licensed dentist or orthodontist still has to qualify you for treatment and create custom aligners that fit your teeth. Every aligner kit is also unique, depending on the brand.
Below is a quick preview of what you can get from each aligner brand:
When you buy a teeth straightening kit, it doesn’t come in a package with ready-to-wear aligners. You are paying for an entire treatment plan, including any additional products that the company may offer.
Here’s what you will usually find in teeth straightening kits:
These are at-home braces made of clear BPA-free plastic. Also known as invisible aligners or teeth aligners, your kit includes enough trays to cover treatment.
The goal of aligner treatment is to get straighter teeth. Most brands offer two types of aligners:
Candid doesn’t offer night aligners. Dr. Lynn Hurst, Candid’s Co-Founder and Chief Orthodontist, says night aligners are not supported by any peer-reviewed studies.1
“They [daytime aligners] gently move your teeth into place using light continuous force... Because the protocols around nighttime aligner therapy generally specify only 10 hours of wear time per day... you may never experience the light continuous force necessary for effective healthy tooth movement.”
- Dr. Lynn Hurst, Chief Orthodontist and Co-Founder of Candid1
The kit has all the tools you need to take a dental impression or mold of your teeth. It contains impression trays, putty, instructions, and a prepaid package. Doctors use impressions to create custom aligners that fit your teeth and gum line.
Most aligner companies offer these kits alone. To continue with your treatment, you have to purchase the teeth straightening kit separately.
NewSmile and ALIGNERCO are the only brands that let you purchase an at-home impression kit alone or with your clear aligner treatment.
A teeth whitener dissolves teeth stains, so they become several shades lighter. Most brands provide at-home teeth whitening products with their treatment plans.
About their safety: Only Candid discloses the ingredients of their whitening foam. According to their website, its active ingredient is hydrogen peroxide.2
Other companies do not provide detailed information on their products. However, studies show that most teeth whiteners are hydrogen peroxide-based, which is both safe and effective when used as instructed.3
After completing treatment with at-home aligners, the next step is to wear retainers. A retainer maintains the alignment of your teeth by holding them in place.
Byte, ALIGNERCO, and New Smile provide one set of retainers with your teeth straightening kit. Candid and SmileDirectClub don’t have retainers included in their package. You have to purchase them separately from your at-home aligner treatment.
Here are our most recommended teeth straightening kits:
Below, we’ll walk you through the process of buying and using clear aligner kits:
First, you need to qualify for at-home teeth straightening with your preferred brand. Part of that process is taking an online quiz so they can quickly assess if you’re qualified for treatment.
Some aligner companies let you skip the survey and others don’t.
The next step is to buy an at-home impression kit and have it delivered to your doorstep. You can use it to take molds of your teeth, which you will send back to the company using a prepaid envelope.
If you buy Candid’s starter kit, you also have to take 8 photos of your face and teeth as suggested by the American Board of Orthodontics. It allows them to better assess you for conditions that may disqualify you for treatment.4
But if you opt for NewSmile treatment, you also get a one-on-one video call with an Impression Specialist. During the call, the specialist will guide you through the process so you can take accurate impressions of your teeth.
Aligner companies such as Candid, ALIGNERCO, and SmileDirectClub also have studios in several U.S. states. Instead of buying an impression kit, you can visit the nearest studio for an in-person assessment.
At the studio, a specialist (usually trained technician) will gather your dental records. This may include your dental and medical history, as well as digital scans and photos of your teeth.
A licensed dentist or orthodontist will review your impressions, photos, and dental records to see if you qualify for treatment. If you do, they will create your custom treatment plan and present it to you.
Your treatment plan either be a 3D image or an interactive 3D model of your teeth. It will show the progression of tooth movement throughout your treatment. It also gives you a visual of what your teeth may look like before and after treatment.
You can request for changes at this stage. But if you’re satisfied, you can approve the plan and have your custom aligners made. When they’re ready, the company will mail them to you with your teeth straightening kit.
You can start wearing your at-home clear aligners as soon as they arrive. If you opted for daytime aligners (which we recommend), you must wear them for 20 to 22 hours a day. You also have to switch invisible aligners every 1 to 2 weeks.
If there’s a teeth whitener with your kit, use it as instructed.
Companies such as NewSmile, Byte, and SmileDirectClub allow you to track your progress. But only Candid provides in-depth remote monitoring. An assigned orthodontist will review photos of your teeth every 2 weeks and decide if it’s time to move to the next aligner.
Treatment takes anywhere from 3 to 18 months. The actual length of treatment will depend on the brand of aligners and your treatment plan.
Byte includes a HyperByte® device with your teeth aligner kit. The company claims it shortens treatment time. The technology works by sending high-frequency vibrations (HFV) to the roots of your teeth and surrounding bone tissue.5
You can use HyperByte with your Byte aligners. But there isn’t enough evidence to support this claim. Studies on high-frequency acceleration (HFA) devices have contradicting results.6
If your kit includes teeth retainers, you should switch to them as soon as you finish treatment.
Here are our most recommended teeth straightening kits:
Before beginning treatment, there are certain criteria you have to meet. This ensures that you can safely and effectively straighten teeth with invisible aligners.
Adults with mild to moderate cases of malocclusion are candidates for at-home teeth straightening. Malocclusion is a medical term for misaligned or crooked teeth.
If you have dental crowding (e.g., overlapping teeth) and mild to moderate spacing issues (e.g., gapped teeth), then you may be eligible for aligner treatment.
Teenagers with minor cases of teeth misalignment may also qualify. But they must be at least 12 years old and have all permanent teeth.
Each aligner company has its own standards when deciding on eligibility:
ALIGNERCO and NewSmile do not specify who is qualified to use aligners and which problems they can correct. But they will ask you to take an online survey. Other companies will ask you to do the same, on top of taking dental impressions.
Important note: You may find it more difficult to qualify for Candid than other brands, but for a good reason. The company only prescribes aligners if they’re confident your treatment will be safe and effective.4
This means having good oral health and having seen a dentist in the past 12 months. Teenagers are also required to visit a Candid studio so they can get teeth scans and in-person consultation with a specialist7
Teens and adults with baby teeth, severe cases of malocclusions, and jaw misalignment cannot use clear aligners. Opt for orthodontic treatment like traditional braces if you have extreme teeth misalignment, significant bite problems, and huge gaps between teeth.
People with pre-existing dental restorations such as partial dentures, bridges, and tooth implants also cannot qualify for treatment. If you have a permanent retainer, it has to be removed.
Important note: If you have dental problems such as tooth decay, cavities, and gum disease, Candid’s orthodontists will refuse to treat you unless your doctor addresses them.
Teeth straightening kits include clear aligners made of non-toxic, BPA-free, and medical-grade plastic so you can wear them every day. While no studies are linked to specific brands, research suggests that invisible aligners are generally safe and effective.
A survey published in the Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA) shows that out of 470 respondents who used aligners, up to 87.5% were satisfied with the results. Only few (6.6%) experienced adverse effects.11
That being said, teeth aligner kits are associated with some valid concerns.
Dr. Stephen Belli, a board-certified orthodontist, says that moving teeth too fast can damage your gums and bone, and result in bite problems.12 When your bite doesn’t line up, it causes unnecessary friction, leading to teeth wearing out.
Teeth straightening kits generally have shorter treatment periods than metal braces and Invisalign, which last 18 to 24 months. Most aligners have an average treatment period of 6 months, which is the fastest time you can safely move teeth for orthodontic benefits.13
ALIGNERCO and Candid require at least six months of treatment which falls within the safe range. Some brands like SmileDirectClub, Byte, and NewSmile offer treatments in as little as 3 to 4 months, which is less than ideal.
Keep in mind that a faster treatment period doesn’t make it safer or more effective. But it doesn’t mean that aligners are completely unsafe.
Each patient gets a customized treatment plan based on their unique condition. So your actual treatment time may be a bit longer than advertised. For your safety, we do recommend seeing a doctor before you consider wearing aligners.
Invisible aligners either move your front teeth or the full arch, including your molars. Byte and NewSmile only move the social 6 or social 12.
The Social 6 (sometimes called the Social 12) refers to your most visible teeth when you smile. It comprises of the six front teeth on your upper arch, the six front teeth on your lower arch, or both — which totals to 12 teeth.
Social 6 or Social 12 treatment usually corrects minor cosmetic problems associated with misaligned teeth. However, you may end up with a “bad bite” since it only aligns your front teeth.
Social 6 or social 12 treatments do not make room for your front teeth to settle into their new position. Eventually, this pushes them back to their previous place.
Candid’s Co-Founder and Chief Orthodontist Dr. Lynn Hurst says the whole bite should be addressed for lasting results. This can be done with full arch tooth movement.
Candid is the only company that performs full arch tooth movement. ALIGNERCO and SmileDirectClub do not say if they do the same, or if they only move the social 6 or social 12.
Candid treatment begins by pushing molars back and expanding side arches. Once there is adequate room at the front, Candid will align your front teeth with the rest of your bite.
A teeth straightening kit is just one of few ways you can correct crooked teeth. Below, we discuss its pros and cons, and how it compares to other teeth straightening methods like Invisalign and traditional braces.
Here are the advantages of clear aligner kits:
Following are the disadvantages of clear aligner kits:
Candid has several advantages over other brands. For starters, they work exclusively with orthodontists who have at least 20 years of experience.
An orthodontist specializes in diagnosing, treating, and preventing teeth misalignment, making them experts in tooth movement. General dentists are simply concerned with a person’s dental health.
Most aligner brands work with a combination of doctors, dentists, and orthodontists, so you can’t expect the same level of care at all times. By limiting its network to orthodontists, Candid can provide you with consistent expert care.
Your assigned orthodontist will design your custom aligners and continue to monitor you until you complete treatment. Tools such as the CandidApp® and CandidScan® enable Candid to provide in-depth remote monitoring.
Qualifying for Candid treatment is also more difficult, but it better ensures your safety during treatment. You need to see a dentist and have good oral health before they prescribe aligners.
For people with mildly crooked teeth, at-home aligners are an affordable and convenient option to straighten teeth. These invisible aligners can be purchased online and will cost you less than orthodontic treatment.
You have several brands to choose from. The onboarding and treatment process is practically the same, but each aligner company has something different to offer:
Candid is the best at-home aligner treatment. The company works exclusively with orthodontists (teeth alignment experts) to provide comprehensive care.
They perform thorough assessments and remote monitoring to ensure your safety throughout treatment. Unlike other aligners, Candid moves all of your teeth for longer-lasting results.
Regardless of which brand you choose, you should get a dental checkup. Make sure that you have good oral health and that your teeth misalignment is mild enough to be treated with invisible aligners.
If you have severe bite problems and too many overlapping and gapped teeth, you might want to consider other teeth straightening methods.
Here are our most recommended teeth straightening kits:
