Many people who didn’t spend their teenage years in braces wish that they had straighter teeth. While there is no rule that says that adults can’t wear braces, most people find traditional metal braces to be somewhat embarrassing and uncomfortable.
At-home aligners can provide you with minor corrections for your smile without the need for an orthodontist. If you’re thinking about investing in at-home aligners for your teeth, be sure to start with our guide. We’ve reviewed and ranked 6 of our favorite home aligner providers that can help you fall back in love with your smile.
Best Home Teeth Aligners
Thinking about trying out home teeth aligners? Read on to learn a little more about our favorite companies.
Best for Guaranteed Financing: SmileDirectClub
One of the first things that most people think about when they consider dental treatments is the price — and for good reason. When you consider that the average cost of traditional metal braces on average cost around $5,600, you might think that you simply can’t afford to correct your smile.
One of the first companies to begin offering home aligner treatment, SmileDirectClub also makes it easier to afford your treatment by guaranteeing financing through SmilePay. SmilePay is easy to get started with, forgoing long, complicated application processes for a quick and simple online application. You can begin financing your treatment with just $250 down, making SmileDirectClub both affordable and convenient.
Best for Guaranteed Results: byte
If you had braces as a teenager, you were probably given a retainer by your orthodontist after you completed treatment. Unfortunately, many people who had braces see their teeth shift after the conclusion of treatment — even if they wear their retainers every night.
If you’re concerned about your teeth shifting after you finish treatment, you might want to consider choosing byte for your home aligners. Byte’s unique “byte for life guarantee” means that if, for whatever reason, your teeth shift after you complete your treatment, the byte team will create a new treatment plan for you free of charge so long as you complete your entire treatment and wear your retainers. This can be a major benefit if you had unsuccessful orthodontic treatments in the past and are concerned about overpaying for ineffective aligners.
Best for Nightwear Plan Options: NewSmile
If you’re searching for the most discreet way to straighten your smile, you may want to consider a night aligner plan. Unlike standard home teeth aligners, night aligner plans only require that you wear your aligners while you’re sleeping. These types of plans can be especially beneficial if you’re uncomfortable with others knowing that you’re using home aligners or if your aligners interfere with your day-to-day work or schooling.
Unlike most competitors, NewSmile’s night aligner plan is almost the exact same price as its standard full-time wear plan. You’ll pay just $92 per month when you select the night aligner plan, which is $4 more a month than its fast-track plan.
Best for Orthodontic Services: Candid
If you’ve never thought about receiving braces or teeth alignment treatments, you might not know the difference between a general dentist and an orthodontist. A general dentist will provide you with basic routine oral health like cleaning and X-rays, as well as specialized procedures like root canals and dental implants. Orthodontists are dentists who went on to receive specific training in the use of oral devices like headgear and braces to correct teeth misalignment.
While many home teeth aligner providers utilize general dentists when creating your treatment plan, Candid only works with certified orthodontists to provide you with the highest possible level of expertise. Though Candid’s pricing is higher than most other services, its specialized team ensures that your treatment plan is curated by the top professionals in the dental health industry.
Best for Affordability: ALIGNERCO
If you’re looking for the most affordable way to straighten your smile, be sure to consider ALIGNERCO when you start your search and price your options. While competing home aligners typically cost between $1,800 and $2,000, ALIGNERCO allows you to fund your plan for as little as $90 a month for an average total cost of $1,145 for your complete treatment plan.
You can save even more by choosing to pay for your treatment in a single lump-sum payment. If you cover the cost of your total treatment plan at once, you’ll pay just $995 for your set of aligners. This is one of the most affordable rates that we’ve seen when comparing home teeth aligners, which makes ALIGNERCO our choice for budget shoppers.
Best for More Severe Cases: Invisalign
One of the largest limitations of home teeth aligners is that there are a limited range of cases that the aligners can correct. While traditional braces can correct everything from overbites to basic crowding issues, most home aligner providers are upfront in saying that their products are most effective only for minor alignment and crowding issues.
Maybe the most well-known home aligner treatment providers, Invisalign is best for men and women who have more severe crowding and jaw alignment issues affecting their smile. Able to correct a wider range of oral health issues, Invisalign can be effective in treating gaps between the teeth, issues with overbites, cross bites, open bite and more.
Though Invisalign is one of the most expensive home aligner treatment providers, it can be the best option if you have teeth alignment issues that are untreatable with smaller-name providers.
Home Aligners vs Braces
The process for getting and fitting clear aligners is relatively straightforward and can typically be done remotely in most cases. When you first enroll in your plan, your aligner treatment provider will ship you an impression kit, which includes trays and molding that you’ll use to create a mold of your current smile.
After completing your impression, you’ll send your impression kit back to your aligner company. Your aligner provider will use the kit to create a custom set of aligners formatted to the unique crowding and spacing of your current dental alignment. Depending on the company you choose and your treatment plan, you might receive multiple impression kits and sets of aligners.
When you correct your smile with traditional braces, you’ll usually start out by visiting an orthodontist’s office. Your orthodontist will take a look at your current dental alignment and use x-rays to determine a treatment plan.
After creating your treatment plan, your dentist will apply metal brackets to your teeth before running a wire through these brackets. As your smile shifts and changes, you’ll return to your orthodontist’s office on a regular basis for adjustments. At your follow up appointments, your orthodontist will tighten your braces by replacing the wire, which causes your teeth to gradually shift over time.
The length of time that you’ll need to wear your braces will vary depending on the severity of your dental alignment issues. The average treatment time for traditional braces is 18 to 36 months, including both your initial brackets and follow-up treatments with a retainer. The average clear aligner treatment takes between 6 to 18 months to be completed depending on the severity of your alignment issues.
One of the biggest benefits that come with choosing home aligner treatments is that you’ll pay significantly less for your treatment plan. On average, you can expect to pay between $1,000 and $3,000 depending on the company you choose and your treatment plan. On the other hand, you can expect to pay between $1,800 and $5,500 for traditional braces. However, traditional braces are effective in treating a much wider range of alignment and jaw issues.
Pros and Cons of Home Teeth Aligners
| Pros | Cons |
| - Home aligners provide you with a significantly more affordable way to straighten your smile when compared to traditional metal braces - Home aligners are designed to be discreet - Most home aligner treatments involve minimal office visits - Home aligner treatments can be completed in as little as 6 months | - Most home aligner treatments can only treat minor alignment issues - Home aligners don’t provide you with the opportunity for X-rays before you start your treatment plan |
Correcting Your Smile
If you’re thinking about investing in treatments for your smile, we recommend visiting your dentist for a check-up first. Your dentist can take x-rays of your teeth and recommend a plan of action to correct your smile. Your dentist can also let you know if your current dental alignment issues are too severe for home treatment alone.
Review our list of the best home teeth aligners and start your treatment now.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does home aligner treatment take?
Most home aligner treatments take between 6 to 18 months to be completed.
How often do I need to wear my home teeth aligners?
Most treatments require that you wear your home aligners for 22 hours a day unless you are on a night-only aligner plan.
About Sarah Horvath
Sarah is an expert in the insurance, investing for retirement and cryptocurrency space.