10 tips and tricks with CLEAR aligners : simplebooklet.com

Tip #1 - P. C. S. Tip #2 - Give options Tip #3 - Understand what you seeTip #4 - Understand mechanicsTip #5 - Vertical meets horizontalTip #6 - When in doubt...Tip #7 - Size mattersTip #8 - Position mattersTip #9 - To IPR or not to IPR?Tip #10 - Repeat, repeat, repeatBonus tipLinksTestimonialsCONTENT03page 4page 5page 6page 7page 8page 9page 10page 11page 12page 13page 14page 16page 17learn.theclearinstitute.com© 2024 The CLEAR Institute Inc. All rights reserved

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linkLEARN APPLYUNDERSTANDMASTER04 It is the responsibility of each course attendee to verify the requirements of the province or state licensing board(s) toensure CE hours are applied for license renewal. https://bit.ly/MOCA101

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learn.theclearinstitute.comDr. Stephane REINHARDT, DMD graduated from theUniversity of Montréal in 1992. He then started hisgeneral practice in Brossard, Quebec, Canada,where he developed a particular interest inorthodontics.In 2004 he introduced clear aligners in his practiceand quickly became passionate about thetechnique. He is the first Canadian dentist to winthe Invisalign Summit Shootout. With now morethan 1500 cases completed, Dr. Reinhardt is anexpert and a key opinion leader in the field ofclear aligners.Dr. Reinhardt is an international speaker for TheC.L.E.A.R. Institute and answers an increasingdemand for education by dentists and their teamsin understanding and integrating alignerorthodontics in the dental practice. He is a guestspeaker for the orthodontic residents at CaseWestern Reserve University. Dr. Reinhardt is a published author, a PEERreviewer of the International Journal ofOrthodontics (IJO), a (G)nathos Faculty, and amember of the IAO, AGD, ODQ, and MENSAInternational. When he is not on the road orworking, he enjoys good times with his threechildren and always finds a good excuse to playthe guitar ABOUT THE AUTHOR© 2024 The CLEAR Institute Inc. All rights reserved05

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06linkLEARN APPLYUNDERSTANDMASTERhttps://bit.ly/moca201 It is the responsibility of each course attendee to verify the requirements of the province or state licensing board(s) toensure CE hours are applied for license renewal.

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I started using clear aligners in 2004. At thattime, you almost had to be a little crazy (Iwas!) to decide to treat patients and moveteeth with "plastic." One thing is for sure: youhad to be confident and learn fast how to thinklike plastic!Go back to 2004: there was no social media, noBluetooth, no iPhone, iPad, no YouTube, and noTwitter. Netflix was a company where youcould rent VHS cassettes... delivered by mail!(that's it; I feel old now). BTW, if you don'tknow what a VHS cassette is... I hate you! I fell in love really fast with the product. Icould see the benefits it brought to my patientsand the excitement in the eyes of my team.During these years, using clear aligners, Ideveloped tips and tricks through mysuccesses... and failures. And I am happy toshare 10 of them in this book.Enjoy and have fun Making the MOVE!Stephane Reinhardt, DMDDirector Education Program / EducatorThe CLEAR Institute Inc.INTRODUCTIONlearn.theclearinstitute.com© 2024 The CLEAR Institute Inc. All rights reserved07

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When you see a patient in consultation, andyou see that they would benefit from a clearaligner treatment, DO NOT TALK ABOUT ITbefore they truly understand the problem.Too often, we start by giving our patients theSOLUTION before they even understand thatthey have a problem.We should always start with explaining thePROBLEMS first, then explain what theCONSEQUENCES of that PROBLEM are, andfinally, once they understand and they OWN theproblem (it is not YOUR problem!), then we cantalk about the SOLUTION. And it is not clearaligners!The solution is to move the teeth and bringthem back in the right functional position sothey can close properly together. And for that,we will use clear aligners.Clear aligners are the tools we use, and theyare not the solution.Example: "Mrs. Smith, your teeth are not closingproperly together (PROBLEM). Therefore they arewearing out (CONSEQUENCE). To stop the processand avoid future problems, I suggest moving themin the right position."TIP #1: P.C.S.08learn.theclearinstitute.com© 2024 The CLEAR Institute Inc. All rights reserved

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Give options to your patients. People like tochoose. Ideally, every time you propose atreatment plan, you should have 3 options.It's important to use the right words. We giveoptions or alternative treatments. Notcompromised treatments. The first option is simple: it's always "Donothing."The second option is the ideal treatment thatthe patient should do. The "textbook"treatment. For example, an adult patient with aclass III skeletal and dental relation wouldneed orthodontic treatment with anorthognathic surgery to be featured on thecover of an orthodontic reference book.The third option for this patient would be tokeep the class III skeletal relation and treatonly the teeth. Everything is possible. The important is toinform the patients and give them enoughinformation for them to make the rightdecision.TIP #2: GIVE OPTIONS09learn.theclearinstitute.com© 2024 The CLEAR Institute Inc. All rights reserved

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No matter what system you use (ex. Invisalign),you must understand the software you use toset up your treatment.It is important to make the difference betweenwhat the technicians (or the software AI, or acombination of both) will send you "the setup"and what you will do with it "the treatmentplan."There is a difference between both. You knowyour patient. You know your case. You are thedentist. YOU are the one responsible, and youneed to be in control.When you look at a virtual setup, even if yousee teeth that are moving, you actually see aforce system. You are looking at how the forcewill be applied to the teeth.It is sometimes counterintuitive, and you mayneed to make a paradigm shift. But this iswhere you will do most of the work and all thetime you will spend on the software (ex.ClinCheck software for Invisalign) will be allthe time you will gain in the overall treatment.Don't let the software decide for you!TIP #3: UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU SEE10learn.theclearinstitute.com© 2024 The CLEAR Institute Inc. All rights reserved

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When using clear aligners, we must rememberthat we are actually doing orthodontics.We sometimes hear: "We will do an Invisaligntreatment for Mrs. Smith." When actually, whatyou will do is an orthodontic treatment for Mrs.Smith, and Invisalign is the tool or theappliance you will use to do it.To understand orthodontics, to understandwhat you are doing, you need to understandmechanics.Tip, torque, center of resistance, center ofrotation, moments of force, couples, momentsof couples, and translation, are all concepts wemust understand.It is not always easy to master these concepts,but it can be done. And it makes all thedifference when planning a case or when tryingto understand when things do not go asplanned. And I am not saying "if things..." but"when things...".The only way to ensure you will never haveproblems with clear aligners is to decide not touse them!TIP #4: UNDERSTAND MECHANICS11learn.theclearinstitute.com© 2024 The CLEAR Institute Inc. All rights reserved

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learn.theclearinstitute.com© 2024 The CLEAR Institute Inc. All rights reservedIf you want to understand the principles, if you wantto be able to build your own treatment plans, if youwant to prevent problems and know what to dowhen things don't go like they are supposed to, thenthis is the course for you! Everything you need to get comfortable treating andplanning your phase I and teen cases. Theory andmechanics, case examples, mistakes we made andtips and tricks we developed over our 20 years ofexperience with aligners.3212If you want to understand the principles, if you wantto be able to build your own treatment plans, if youwant to prevent problems and know what to dowhen things don't go like they are supposed to, thenthis is the course for you! This is THE program where you finally connect thedots and where everything starts making sense.Learn the mechanic's principles to fully control yourcases. The software and the AI are there to help, butYOU are the doctor.

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One of the most useful tricks to rememberwhen you are planning your mechanics andyour movements on the software, is to think ofhow the direction of the forces will be orientedcompared to the position of the teeth.For example, if you want to extrude a tooth,the force will be vertical. Same thing if youwant to intrude a tooth. If you want to rotate atooth, the force will be horizontal.To be efficient, we need a surface where wewill apply the force. Because of the morphologyof the teeth, we do not always have a sufficientsurface where we can apply the force.This is where we need to add attachments. Buthow should we orient the attachments?The best way to remember it is to have thesurface of the attachment where the force willbe applied perpendicular to the force vectoryou will apply.In other words, a vertical force will need ahorizontal attachment and a horizontal forcewill need a vertical attachment.TIP #5: VERTICAL MEETS HORIZONTAL13learn.theclearinstitute.com© 2024 The CLEAR Institute Inc. All rights reserved

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One of the most popular questions I receive is: "Should I put an attachment on this tooth?"When in doubt, put an attachment. You willnever be in trouble because you put anattachment on a tooth that doesn't really needone.On the other hand, if you remove attachmentswhere they are needed, you are compromisingthe success of the treatment.When the software puts an attachment on atooth, it usually needs an attachment. If youdecide to remove it, it should be to change itfor another type of attachment.Don't listen to your patients who want todictate treatment to you. "I don't wantattachments on the anterior teeth" they willsometimes say. This can lead to movements nothappening. And guess who will complain thatthe teeth are not straight?What is the limit to the number of attachmentswe can add to a case of clear aligners? It canbe an attachment on every tooth. Just makesure your patients can remove the aligners!TIP # 6: WHEN IN DOUBT...14© 2024 The CLEAR Institute Inc. All rights reserved

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It's all about the surface! The first principle tounderstand with clear aligners is that they pushon teeth. They do not pull.Since they are pushing, the surface where theforce will be applied becomes important. Atooth with a small surface will be harder tomove than a tooth with a big surface.One of the ways we can help movement happenis by adding attachments to the teeth.Regarding attachments, we can choose the size,length and thickness. Since the force will be applied to theseattachments, it is essential to have them aslong and thick as possible. Why would you put a 3mm attachment on atooth that can take a 5mm attachment? Youwill almost double the size where the force willbe applied!If you work with Invisalign, you can useconventional rectangular attachments (size 3, 4or 5mm) or optimized attachments (OA).When choosing OA, go into your clinicalpreferences, and choose the largest that fits. TIP #7: SIZE MATTERS15learn.theclearinstitute.com© 2024 The CLEAR Institute Inc. All rights reserved

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I will never stress enough how attachments areessential and contribute to the success oftreatments with clear aligners.Another thing I constantly repeat when Ilecture is: THINK LIKE PLASTIC!Take an aligner in your hand, no matter thebrand. If you manipulate it, you will see thatthe more you go towards the incisal orocclusal, the stiffer they get. If you think like plastic, you would probablyprefer to grip yourself on an attachment at thestiffest part of the aligner. This should dictatewhere you will put the attachments on theteeth. If the region where the aligner is stiffgrabs the attachment, you have a better chancethat the force will be applied efficiently.This is why I prefer to have my attachments inthe incisal or occlusal third of the teeth. Andnot near the gingival like we see too often. Thelimit should be the maximum convexity of theteeth. Using the biggest attachments possible in thecorrect orientation will help you avoidfrustration with teeth not tracking. TIP #8: POSITION MATTERS 17learn.theclearinstitute.com© 2024 The CLEAR Institute Inc. All rights reserved

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Who is afraid of IPR? Maybe you are. I am notbecause I am aware of studies and scientificliterature proving that we do not harm patientswhen performing IPR. But if I can do a casewithout IPR, I will prefer that.We plan IPR because we need space. If youdecide to plan your cases without IPR, you willhave to find another way to create the spaceyou need.Options are:ExpandingProcliningDistalizingExtractionThere is not only one good way to do things;otherwise, we would all do the same thing. It'simportant to know that if you are comfortablewith IPR, you should decide where and when todo it. Once more: NOT THE SOFTWARE!You have to plan the IPR when you have goodaccess between the teeth. Sometimes thesoftware will plan IPR where teeth areoverlapping. You have to change it andcommunicate when you want to do it duringthe treatment.TIP #9: TO IPR OR NOT TO IPR19learn.theclearinstitute.com© 2024 The CLEAR Institute Inc. All rights reserved

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We spend a lot of time explaining ourtreatments to our patients.We spend a lot of time explaining our informedconsent to our patients.We spend a lot of time explaining that they willneed retention at the end of their orthodontictreatment.We spend a lot of time explaining that they willhave to wear the aligners for 21 to 22 hoursdaily.We spend a lot of time explaining theimportance of treating them because they arewearing out their teeth.The reality is... they forget! We think what we told them 6 months ago isstill fresh in their head. The reality is... they will remember maybe 10%of what we tell them when they are in thedental chair. This is why you and your team have to repeat,repeat, repeat. All the time. (now read thispage one more time ).TIP #10: REPEAT, REPEAT, REPEAT21learn.theclearinstitute.com© 2024 The CLEAR Institute Inc. All rights reserved

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Get educated! In this era of popularity whereAI seems to slowly take control ofeverything, resist and don't rely on thesoftware to "do the job" and decide for you.It is there to help, for sure. It is a great toolthat allows us to better treatment plan ourcases. But tell yourself that the software andthe technicians working on the "setup" arenot dentists. They are not diagnosing andtreatment planning your cases.You have to spend time learning how clearaligners work. You have to think like plastic!You have to understand orthodontics. I amnot saying it is easy, but it can be learned.There is no reason why you should not be ascomfortable using clear aligners in yourpractice as you are with any other type oftreatment you already offer.It is time to stop separating orthodontics andthe rest of what we do. It is time, now morethan ever, to Make the MOVE!The CLEAR Institute is there to help youlearn, understand, use, integrate and masterclear aligners.BONUS TIP22learn.theclearinstitute.com© 2024 The CLEAR Institute Inc. All rights reserved

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Depending on the level of knowledge andconfidence you have with clear aligners,depending on your experience using thesetools and providing orthodontic treatmentsto your patients, you will find on The CLEARInstitute's online learning platform thecourses, programs and services that willanswer your needs.Everything is in place for you to become aleader in clear aligner treatments. And asyour education partner, we want to be part ofand witness your success.Have fun Making the MOVE!Stephane Reinhardt, DMDDirector Education Program / EducatorThe CLEAR Institute Inc.23learn.theclearinstitute.com© 2024 The CLEAR Institute Inc. All rights reserved

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Schedule hereSpend private time online with one of oureducators on a Zoom meeting which will berecorded and sent to you afterward. Ask questionsabout your cases, review some features, somenotions, and principles, tips and tricks, orwhatever you would like to address during thisprivate meeting*.These private consultations are all recorded and alink will be sent to you so that you can review whatwas said during that consultation session**.We can also provide, on demand, a written andmotivated version of therecommendations that will be made during theseconsultations***.ONLINEONLINECONSULTATIONCONSULTATION© 2024 The CLEAR Institute Inc. All rights reservedlearn.theclearinstitute.com24

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learn.theclearinstitute.com© 2024 The CLEAR Institute Inc. All rights reservedAt The CLEAR Institute, our education in clear aligner therapyis grounded in scientific facts and rich clinical experience, notjust checklists. We focus on understanding the fundamentalprinciples and mechanics, empowering dentists to makeinformed, superior care decisions.26

10 tips and tricks with CLEAR aligners

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