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Ortho - international magazine of orthodontics No.1, 2016

| trends & applications clear aligners 16 ortho 1 2016 eCligner—aesthetic orthodontic appliance Author: Dr TaeWeon Kim, Republic of Korea Over the last two decades, transparent removable orthodonticapplianceshavebeendevelopedtotreat patients who desire a more aesthetic and comfort- abletreatmentoptioncomparedtotraditionalmetal braces. There have been many published journal ar- ticlesdeclaringtheeffectivenessofclearappliances, andoneofthemajoradvantagesoftheseappliances is the patient’s ability to remove them for eating, brushing, and other reasons. The eCligner System is a clear plastic removable orthodontic appliance produced by a vacuum for- mer. It is made of non-toxic and biologically accept- able PET-G material, similar to PET milk bottles and elastics. In crowding cases of 2–3 mm, orthodontic treatment with eCligner clear aligners can be as short as 4–5 months (Figs.1–3). Development of Clear Aligners and the eCligner System In late autumn of 1998, the inspiration for moving teeth with transparent removable orthodontic ap- pliances came to me while I was observing soap bubblesinmybathroom.Isuccessfullystartedusing these appliances to treat simple relapse cases and named them Clear Aligners. Although several ap- pliance companies use the term ‘clear aligner’, it was thenameIoriginallycreatedformarketingthis technology worldwide. Making clear aligners in the laboratory requires precise tooth movement control in the model set-up. CAPRO(IV-Tech,Korea)softwarewasusedtooverlap two digital photos for checking the range of move- Fig.1: eCligner transparent orthodontic appliance. Fig.2: eCligner covers gingival tissue for gingival stimulation,material elasticity and comfortable fitting. Fig.3: eCligner wearing,easy to take out by patient. Fig.4: CAPRO (IV-Tech,Korea) programme for handmade Clear Aligner,overlap two photos to check the movement range in 2-D. Fig.5: Handmade ClearAligner. Fig.4 Fig.5 Fig.2 Fig.1 Fig.3 12016

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