Ortho and guards
Clear aligners, retainers, mouthguards, night guards and snore guards.
SmileLiner clear aligners
Custom clear aligners, made and backed by our own lab.
Discreet, comfortable and made from your scan. Ask the lab about SmileLiner for your patients.
Clear aligners
Removable trays of BPA-free material, custom-thermoformed for the best fit. Treatment comes in four, six or eight stages, depending on the case; aligners always come in pairs, upper and lower, and each stage is worn for about two weeks.
- Stages
- Four, six or eight
- Each stage
- About two weeks, upper and lower
- Material
- BPA-free trays
In pairsAligners always come in pairs, upper and lower, and each pair moves the teeth one small step.
- Material
- BPA-free thermoplastic trays
- Wear
- About 20 to 22 hours a day, out only to eat and clean
- Stages
- Four, six or eight, about two weeks each, upper and lower together
- Send
- Scans or impressions of both arches, the bite and photos
- Movements
- Mild to moderate crowding and spacing; larger movements may need attachments
Retainers
Clear or spring retainers that hold the teeth in place after treatment: a long-term way to keep alignment in the anterior.
- Best for
- Holding alignment after treatment
- Types
- Clear or spring
Wire retainersAn acrylic base with a labial wire holds the front teeth, and the wire can be adjusted chairside.
- Clear
- Thermoformed trays, about 0.75 to 1 mm, nearly invisible
- Wire
- An acrylic base with a labial bow, adjustable chairside
- Spring
- Small corrections to the front teeth while holding the rest
- Wear
- As prescribed, usually nightly long term
Spring retainersSprings can make small corrections to the front teeth while the retainer holds the rest.
- Clear
- Thermoformed trays, about 0.75 to 1 mm, nearly invisible
- Wire
- An acrylic base with a labial bow, adjustable chairside
- Spring
- Small corrections to the front teeth while holding the rest
- Wear
- As prescribed, usually nightly long term
Mouthguards
Custom mouthguards thermoformed on a model of the patient’s teeth, so they fit closely, stay in place and let the athlete breathe and speak more easily than a store-bought guard.
- Best for
- Contact sports
- Made
- Thermoformed on the patient’s model
Custom fitMade on a model of the patient’s own teeth, a custom guard stays in place without clenching to hold it.
- Material
- Laminated EVA, about 3 to 4 mm
- Coverage
- Usually the upper arch, to the last molars
- Fit
- Thermoformed on the patient’s model, so it stays in without clenching
- Replace
- When it is torn, thin or loose, and as children grow
Night guards and snore guards
Night guards protect the teeth of patients who grind and clench while they sleep; the lab makes them soft, soft and hard, or hard. Anti-snoring appliances hold the lower jaw forward to keep the airway open.
- Best for
- Bruxism, clenching and snoring
- Night guards
- Soft, soft and hard, or hard
- Snore guards
- Custom anti-snoring appliances
Which oneHard acrylic lasts longest for heavy grinders; soft is more comfortable for light clenchers; soft and hard combines both.
- Hard
- Acrylic, about 2 to 3 mm: the longest lasting, for heavy grinders
- Soft
- Flexible EVA, for light clenchers
- Soft and hard
- A dual laminate: soft inside for comfort, hard outside for wear
- Coverage
- The whole arch, upper or lower
- Snore guards
- Hold the lower jaw forward; snoring can signal sleep apnea, so screen before you treat snoring alone
Hard acrylicA clear hard guard covers the biting surfaces of one arch, so grinding wears the guard instead of the teeth.
- Hard
- Acrylic, about 2 to 3 mm: the longest lasting, for heavy grinders
- Soft
- Flexible EVA, for light clenchers
- Soft and hard
- A dual laminate: soft inside for comfort, hard outside for wear
- Coverage
- The whole arch, upper or lower
- Snore guards
- Hold the lower jaw forward; snoring can signal sleep apnea, so screen before you treat snoring alone
How it worksThe connectors hold the lower jaw slightly forward during sleep, which keeps the airway more open.
- Hard
- Acrylic, about 2 to 3 mm: the longest lasting, for heavy grinders
- Soft
- Flexible EVA, for light clenchers
- Soft and hard
- A dual laminate: soft inside for comfort, hard outside for wear
- Coverage
- The whole arch, upper or lower
- Snore guards
- Hold the lower jaw forward; snoring can signal sleep apnea, so screen before you treat snoring alone
Front connectorUpper and lower trays joined at the front; the connector holds the lower jaw forward to keep the airway open in sleep.
- Hard
- Acrylic, about 2 to 3 mm: the longest lasting, for heavy grinders
- Soft
- Flexible EVA, for light clenchers
- Soft and hard
- A dual laminate: soft inside for comfort, hard outside for wear
- Coverage
- The whole arch, upper or lower
- Snore guards
- Hold the lower jaw forward; snoring can signal sleep apnea, so screen before you treat snoring alone
What to send
- A scan or impressions of both arches
- The orthodontic or clear aligner Rx form
- Photos if the case needs them
Talk to the lab first
Questions about staging, retainers or a guard? Call (305) 940-4040, or send the lab a message.
Send your case to Ceramics Dental Lab
We accept conventional impressions, and digital files from most intraoral scanners.