Spark vs Invisalign: What’s the difference?
Nowadays everywhere we look there is an ad for a different brand of Clear Aligners (Invisalign being the most well-known). This is because Clear Aligners have become an increasingly popular choice among patients looking for a more aesthetic alternative to braces. With so many choices, it can be hard to know which aligners are best because not all aligners are created equal!
Brief History of Clear Aligners
When it comes to Clear Aligners, everyone has probably heard of Invisalign. This is because Invisalign was the first major company to produce Clear Aligners, and they had the patents that prevented other companies from making aligners for 17 years, giving them a large competitive advantage and a big head start. Fast forward to 2022, and there are now over 40 different aligner companies on the market, and this is probably an underestimation since new ones are coming out all the time.
Not All Clear Aligners are Equal
With so many different options to choose from, it’s hard to know which Clear Aligner System is the best and also the right fit for you. To begin, it is important to make sure you are being seen by an Orthodontic Specialist since they will be able to evaluate which Aligner System is right for your individual case – click here to read more on this and the Danger of Direct to Consumer Aligners
Over the past several years, we at Happier Smiles Orthodontics have evaluated 5 of the most popular Clear Aligner Systems on the market used by Orthodontic Specialists. We evaluated each product to see which was consistently producing the best results, the shortest treatment times, and the best overall patient experience. Based on our experience, we have decided to use Spark Clear Aligners as our Aligner of choice for our patients.
The Benefits of Spark
The choice is clear; Spark has a special aligner material which is more clear than the most well known aligner brand, and it is also more stain resistant. See a side by side comparison below:
Additionally, with Spark they take the extra step to polish the edges of each aligner to improve overall patient comfort. Below you can see how smooth the edges of the Spark Aligners are.
But the real benefit to Spark is the way they make the aligners. Spark 3D prints at a much lower thickness layer for their aligners meaning that the aligners are more accurate and fit better. This increased accuracy leads to more predictable results, in a shorter amount of time.
Spark is our favorite Aligner System and the benefits are clear, but that doesn’t mean other Clear Aligners won’t work. When it comes to Aligners, the most important thing is to make sure you have an experienced Orthodontic Specialist designing your treatment plan. Aligners work very differently than braces and having an experienced doctor who has done extra training with a focus on Aligner treatment will help your treatment go more predictably and efficiently.
Want to see if you are a good candidate for Clear Aligners?