Who this is for
Adults, mostly. People who had braces as teenagers and watched their teeth drift back. People who were told at nineteen that it was too late and have believed it for two decades. People whose front teeth have crowded slowly enough that they only noticed in photographs.
Aligners changed adult orthodontics because the objection was almost never the treatment. It was walking into a client meeting in metal brackets.
The thing nobody selling aligners will tell you
The brand matters far less than the planning.
Invisalign has the largest marketing budget in dentistry and a genuinely good track record. Spark and SureSmile are strong systems. All of them move teeth by applying controlled force through a sequence of trays, and all of them are only as good as the plan that determines where those teeth are supposed to end up.
That plan is a clinical judgement, not a software output. The software will happily generate a sequence that produces a straight-looking front six and a bite that does not work. An orthodontist looks at the whole picture — how the jaws relate, where the midlines sit, what the roots are doing, whether the gum support can take the movement.
The question worth asking any clinic: who plans and monitors the case — an orthodontist, or a general dentist following the manufacturer's suggested sequence? Both exist in Lisbon at similar prices. Here, our orthodontist plans every case personally.
What we work with
We use Invisalign, Spark, SureSmile, SecretAligner and Angel Aligner. All five give us confidence in the result — solid clinical evidence and a high manufacturing standard. Having five systems available is not brand agnosticism for its own sake — different cases genuinely suit different systems, and being tied to one manufacturer means recommending it regardless.
Our most recent addition, Angel Aligner, is made by Angelalign Technology — a company with more than 20 years in digital orthodontics, operating in over 60 countries, with Class IIa MDR certification and CE marking under EU medical device regulation. Its trays follow the natural contour of the gumline for comfort, and its angelButton feature builds anchorage points directly into the aligner for more complex tooth movements, avoiding the resin attachments usually bonded to the teeth.
We will tell you which system fits your case and why. Having a range of trusted options means recommending the one that best suits your teeth — not the only one we happen to offer.
How the process runs
It starts with an assessment: photographs, X-rays and a digital scan. From that we build a treatment plan and show you a simulation of the projected result, along with a realistic timeframe and a written price.
At that point you decide. If aligners are not right for your case, that is where we tell you — before you have paid for anything.
Once treatment begins you change trays on a schedule and come in periodically so we can check the teeth are tracking the plan. They sometimes do not, and catching it early is the whole point of the check-ups. Skipping them is the most common reason aligner treatment underdelivers.
At the end, retainers. Permanently, in some form. Teeth move throughout life whether or not you had orthodontics, and the treatment you paid for is only kept by retention.
Cost
Aligner treatment is priced by case complexity, not by a flat rate, because a mild relapse case and a full-arch correction are different amounts of work. We give you a written price after the assessment and it does not change afterwards.
Some insurance plans contribute to adult orthodontics; many do not. See how health insurance works in Portugal, or send us your insurer's name and we will check what your plan does.
If you live abroad
Aligner treatment needs periodic monitoring, which makes it a poor fit for someone flying in once. If you are in Portugal regularly it can work well — we plan the appointments around your travel.
If you are considering treatment here purely on price, read our dental tourism page first. It is honest about which treatments travel well and which do not, and orthodontics is in the second group.
