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The high aesthetic demands of patients have increased their requests to align their teeth using clear aligners, including Invisalign. Patients also want to have their teeth whitened for the same purpose; the use of Invisalign as a bleaching tray at night has been reported in few studies. However, whether 10% carbamide peroxide affects the physical properties of Invisalign is unknown. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of 10% carbamide peroxide on the physical properties of Invisalign when used as a bleaching tray at night. Twenty-two unused Invisalign aligners (Santa Clara, CA, USA) were used to prepare 144 specimens to test their tensile strength, hardness, surface roughness, and translucency. The specimens were divided into four groups: a testing group at baseline (TG1), a testing group after application of bleaching material at 37 °C for 2 weeks (TG2), a control group at baseline (CG1), and a control group after immersion in distilled water at 37 °C for 2 weeks (CG2). Statistical analysis was conducted using a paired t-test, Wilcoxon signed rank test, independent samples t-test, and Mann–Whitney test to compare samples in CG2 to CG1, TG2 to TG1, and TG2 to CG2. Statistical analysis showed no statistically significant difference between the groups for all physical properties, except for hardness (p-value < 0.001) and surface roughness (p-value = 0.007 and p-value < 0.001 for the internal and external surface roughness, respectively), which revealed a reduction in hardness values (from 4.43 ± 0.86 N/mm2 to 2.2 ± 0.29 N/mm2) and an increase in surface roughness (from 1.6 ± 0.32 Ra to 1.93 ± 0.28 Ra and from 0.58 ± 0.12 Ra to 0.68 ± 0.13 Ra for the internal and external surface roughness, respectively) after 2 weeks of dental bleaching. Results showed that Invisalign can be used for dental bleaching without excessive distortion or degradation of the aligner material. However, future clinical trials are required to further assess the feasibility of using Invisalign for dental bleaching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Our objective was to test the hypothesis that thermoplastic clear aligners (Invisalign®; Align Technology, Santa Clara, CA, USA) are more pleasant for patients than conventional fixed orthodontic appliances.Subjects and Methods: This was an observational retrospective study in which subjects were matched for age, treatment modality, and the treating orthodontist. A total of 60 adult patients (30 in the Invisalign group and 30 in the conventional buccal fixed appliance group) who met the inclusion criteria completed a validated self-reporting questionnaire, rating their experience after appliance activation in regard to oral impact experience and satisfaction of both treatment modalities. Categorical variables were compared using the χ2 test, Fisher's exact test, and the Z test. Continuous variables such as pain level and age were analyzed using the 2-sample t test.Results: Patients on clear aligner therapy reported significantly more difficulty in speech (p = 0.035) necessitating change in speech delivery (p = 0.003). In addition, they reported better chewing ability (p < 0.001), no restrictions on amounts or types of food (p = 0.02), and less mucosal ulcerations (p = 0.01). Effects on daily routine, use of analgesics, and overall treatment satisfaction were not significantly different between the 2 groups.Conclusion: Clear aligner therapy is not necessarily more pleasant, but it is more tolerable as it satisfies patient needs over food consumption and absence of mucosal ulcerations. However, clear aligners affect pronunciation and speech delivery in the short term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]