I know that Invisalign treatment includes attachments that are placed or cemented on the teeth by an orthodontist. I searched if other providers of clear aligners also have attachments and I don’t see any article saying that they have that. Are aligners as effective as Invisalign if they don’t use attachments?
Technically, yes, they can still work without attachments. However, it is recommended to use attachments with your aligner treatment. It gives the doctor more control in the tooth movement, and the more control the doctor has, the shorter your treatment time will be because that means the doctor can better control the undesirable side effects.
Certain movements of teeth can’t be achieved without attachments. Having no attachments limit the possibilities of treatment. The more complex your case is, the more necessary the attachments are.
Attachments are a key part to the system because they give the pushing surface aligners need to make teeth move. Aligners apply forces by pushing on the teeth. Having attachments would make the movements easier, faster, and more controlled. Aligners without attachments will still be effective but it might not be that effective compared to having attachments.
Most providers of aligners don’t need to have attachments for it to work. But I believe it would be better to have attachments because it can control the force applied on the teeth that it is trying to move.
As far as I know, Invisalign is the only provider who uses attachments to speed up the process of straightening teeth. I’m not so sure though since dental technology keeps on improving.
Not all cases require to have attachments. Simple cases usually don’t need them.
1 Like
Having attachments when you have Invisalign will make tooth movements more predictable. Having them will make movements easier and faster.
"Well, attachments allow the force to be more specific in force level and direction of movement. The more specific the movement, the more efficiently you get to the desired treatment results. Without an attachment, it’s like gripping a wet watermelon seed.
While technically, yes, Invisalign can still work without attachments. However, I recommend using attachments with your Invisalign treatment for at least half of the total treatment. It gives the doctor more control in the tooth movement, and the more control the doctor has, the shorter your treatment time will be because that means the doctor can better control the undesirable side effects."
-Smile Pop by Dr Courtney Schiefelbein
1 Like
Does this mean that even simple cases should have attachments?
Is Invisalign the only provider which makes use of attachments?
Very simple or basic cases can be fixed even without attachments.
Thank you all for you replies. I ended up not needing any attachments. I have a mild to moderate case so I didn’t need it. Though I asked my provider and she said that other difficult cases are really advised to have attachments.
As far as I know, only Invisalign has attachments. I’m not so updated so I’m not sure about that.
Yeah, 
I believe so.