Aligner attachment

The AAO’s entry for attachments

Under the heading Attachments, the Glossary of Orthodontic Terms of the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) describes them as tooth-colored bumps set on the teeth during clear aligner treatment. The AAO’s entry goes on: “They help move the teeth while a patient wears aligners. They are removed once treatment is complete.” The AAO sets the word bumps in quotation marks, and bumps is also the everyday word for them.

Attachments in a clear aligner plan

Aligner attachments come up when a clear aligner plan calls for them, and Align Technology, which makes Invisalign® clear aligners, describes the role of its own attachments on its patient page: “Attachments are custom-made to fit your teeth and positioned to guide the movement of your teeth. They work like handles, giving your clear aligners something to gently push on”.

Whether a plan needs them is the orthodontist’s decision, and Align puts it in a question and answer on the same page: “Will I need SmartForce attachments? Only your orthodontist can say for sure.” Align also says the number needed varies with the specifics of each malocclusion. How clear aligners work, and where attachments fit in, is explained on the practice’s clear aligners page.

Why an aligner attachment is not a bracket

An aligner attachment is not a bracket, though the AAO’s glossary calls the bracket an attachment too: a small attachment bonded to each tooth, with a slot for the orthodontic wire. The difference lies in the appliance each belongs to, braces for the bracket and clear aligners for the attachment. The everyday names differ as well: Align says its attachments are also known as buttons, and the AAO’s everyday name for a bracket is a brace. Each word has its own page, the bracket among the parts of braces and the attachment among the glossary’s aligner words.