Updated 12 September 2026.
It is essential to select the cases that are likely to work and bring satisfaction to our patients. We can only achieve this through identification and management of realistic patient expectations and abiding by accepted orthodontic principles.
Is your patient’s aligner fatigue going to dictate the end point of your next case?
Planning for treatment success is often challenging as predictability varies from case to case. It can be difficult to identify the most important factors that would impact achieving predictable levels of patient satisfaction.
To help Dentists with less clear aligner experience, Active Aligners preload protocols into the treatment planning system to help weed out those cases that are unlikely to be predictable.
Embarking on clear aligner treatment provision need not be daunting. We hope we can help you select appropriate cases to start your journey.
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Green means suitable for treatment
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Amber means there are limiting factors to carefully consider
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For the Red cases, listen to your alarm bells, they are ringing for good reason
Moderate arch collapse as well as significant crowding will necessitate multiple attachments as well as IPR. These cases should be attempted only after gaining suitable experience with simpler cases to get accustomed to IPR and attachments. Monitoring of these cases is imperative to ensure tracking and that sufficient IPR has been performed.
Managing patient expectations with these cases is vital as a “perceived perfect” result is often difficult to achieve. Smile enhancement can meet the patient’s expectations if they are forewarned about the predicted results.
<strong>TOP TIP- <strong>“Establish patient expectations from the outset”
The above figures show a simple example of lateral incisors in crossbite.
When the aligners are in situ, they can confer enough bite opening to separate the occlusion so as to move the teeth ‘over the bite’. The correction will be a relief to the patient, both aesthetically and functionally.
This is a good example of smile enhancement through single arch treatment.
TOP TIP: “Consider the conservative nature of moving teeth rather than invasive restorative procedures”
Why Use Active Aligners?
Drawing on the results of thousands of clear aligner treatments, Active Aligners has established treatment planning protocols to enhance the likelihood of treatment success. An expert team of orthodontists and technicians help to establish parameters to aid you in your case selection.
What this means for you is that if a case is deemed as too complex or unlikely to succeed, the treatment plan will come back as a rejection or be flagged as predicting a compromised result.
Our aim is to help clinicians achieve successful results. That’s why the company ethos is “For Dentists, By Dentists” with a caring and conscientious know-how that is beyond compare. We will support you directly, respond to your queries, even provide training in your practice.
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Case selection, a three part series
- Part 1: picking cases that will work
- Part 2: managing patient expectations (you are here)
- Part 3: the cases to turn down
Thinking about your first case?
The free accreditation course takes under an hour and carries verified CPD. After that you plan your first case with us, a named person on our UK team helps you upload it, and Dan mentors anything tricky. Your first case is half price.
Start the free accreditation course
Send me the age, one line, and a photo if you have one
I will tell you honestly whether it is a good first case, and the first plan is on us. No fee, no minimum, nothing to sign. I look at every one of these myself.
