My Family Dental Orthodontics
Invisalign & Clear Aligners
Invisalign, Spark, Angel Aligners and other clear aligner systems: virtually invisible, removable, and planned at your local North Queensland clinic.
Clear aligners are a series of custom-made trays, each worn for about two weeks, to gradually move your teeth into position: worn around 22 hours a day and removed only to eat and clean your teeth. We offer Invisalign, Spark, Angel Aligners and other clear aligner systems, so the choice is matched to your case rather than to whichever brand we happen to stock. Treatment often takes 6 to 8 months for mild to moderate cases.
Clear & removable
Take them out to eat, brush and floss
~22 hrs a day
Worn full-time except when eating or cleaning
6–8 months typical
For mild to moderate cases; longer if complex
Invisalign & more
Invisalign, Spark, Angel Aligners, Clearpath, Aalto
Crooked or crowded teeth aren’t just a cosmetic concern. They can make cleaning harder and put uneven wear on your teeth. Clear aligners have made straightening far more appealing for adults and older teens who don’t want a mouthful of metal, because they’re almost invisible and come out whenever you eat or clean your teeth.
That discretion is exactly why aligners are popular with working professionals and university-age patients across the region: from students around Townsville’s Kirwan and Bohle Plains estates to young adults in Innisfail on the Cassowary Coast who’d rather not commit to fixed braces.
How Clear Aligners Work
Your treatment is a planned series of aligners, each one made to fit your teeth at a particular stage. You wear each pair for around two weeks, then swap to the next set. Every change nudges your teeth a little closer to their final position, so the movement is gradual and controlled rather than forced.
The aligners are worn roughly 22 hours a day: the key to a good result is simply keeping them in. You take them out to eat, to drink anything other than water, and to brush and floss, then pop them straight back in.
The Benefits
- Virtually invisible: most people won’t notice you’re wearing them.
- Removable: eat what you like and clean your teeth normally.
- Comfortable custom fit: smooth aligners rather than brackets and wires.
- Fewer chair-side adjustments: often fewer visits than traditional braces.
- Easy to keep clean: brush and floss with the aligners out.
Clear aligners are best suited to mild to moderate crowding, spacing and alignment issues. If your case is more complex, we’ll tell you honestly whether aligners or another approach will give you the better result.
Timeframes & What to Expect
Mild to moderate cases often take around 6 to 8 months; more significant movement can take more than a year. When you first start, you may notice a slight lisp for two to three weeks while your tongue adjusts. This settles for most people. Some tightness after switching to a new set is normal and shows the aligners are doing their job.
The Systems We Work With
Most practices carry one aligner brand and fit every case to it. We work with several, including Invisalign, Spark, Angel Aligners, Clearpath and Aalto, so the system is chosen to suit your teeth rather than the other way around.
Which one is right for you comes out of the assessment, not the brochure. Some cases suit one system's attachment design better; some are simple enough that the choice barely matters. We will tell you which we are recommending and why.
What is available at each clinic
| Clinic | Aligner systems |
|---|---|
| Townsville (Kirwan) | Invisalign, Spark, Angel Aligners, Clearpath, Aalto |
| Bohle Plains | Invisalign, Spark, Angel Aligners, Clearpath, Aalto |
| Innisfail | Invisalign, Spark, Angel Aligners, Clearpath, Aalto |
| Bowen | Invisalign, Spark, Angel Aligners, Clearpath |
| Ingham | Invisalign, Spark, Clearpath |
| Emerald | Invisalign and clear aligners available |
At Bowen, Dr Tsering Gurung provides both clear aligners and conventional orthodontic braces, so a case that turns out to need fixed appliances can be handled at the same clinic rather than referred on.
Cost & Payment
Because treatment is tailored to your teeth, the fee is set by how many aligners you need, which reflects how much movement is involved. We confirm your exact fee in writing once your treatment is planned. Flexible payment options are available to spread the cost, and if your health fund includes orthodontic cover we’ll claim any rebate through HICAPS.
Important: Orthodontic results and timeframes vary between individuals and depend on wearing your aligners as directed. Fees noted are indicative; your treatment plan and quote are provided after an assessment. Seek advice appropriate to your circumstances from a qualified health practitioner.
Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Clear aligners are a series of custom-made trays worn over your teeth. Each pair is worn for around two weeks before you move to the next in the series, and each set shifts your teeth a little closer to their final position. Because the aligners are clear and removable, most people find them a discreet, low-fuss way to straighten their teeth.
It depends on how much movement your teeth need. Mild to moderate issues often take around 6 to 8 months, while more significant cases can take more than a year. We’ll give you a realistic timeframe after assessing your teeth and planning your treatment.
For the best result, aligners should be worn around 22 hours a day: essentially all the time except when you’re eating, drinking anything other than water, or cleaning your teeth. Consistency is what keeps treatment on track, so the more disciplined you are, the smoother it tends to go.
Some people notice a slight lisp when they first start wearing aligners as the tongue adjusts to them. For most, this settles within about two to three weeks and isn’t noticeable to others.
The fee depends on how many aligners your treatment needs, which reflects how much tooth movement is involved: a short, simple case costs less than a complex one. We’ll confirm your fee in writing once your teeth are scanned and your treatment is planned, and flexible payment and health-fund options are available.
It suits regional patients well, because much of the movement is built into the aligner series in advance and there are fewer chairside adjustments than with fixed braces. That matters when a routine orthodontic visit from Ingham means a round trip of around 220 km, or roughly two hours each way from Bowen.
Two things. Only water goes in while the trays are in place, because sugary and acidic drinks get held against the enamel by the tray, and cold drinks are constant here. And never leave your trays in a parked car: a dashboard in a North Queensland summer gets hot enough to distort the plastic, which means a treatment setback rather than an inconvenience.
From the Blog
Related Reading
How Do Clear Aligners Work?
A clear explanation of how clear aligners clear aligners straighten teeth, what they can treat, how long it takes, and what the process involves.
Read Article →How Much Do Clear Aligners Cost? What Shapes the Price
How clear aligner fees are worked out in North Queensland, what drives the price, health fund contributions, and payment plans at My Family Dental.
Read Article →Clear Aligners vs Braces: Which One Is Right for You?
Comparing clear aligners clear aligners and traditional braces to help North Queensland families and adults choose the right way to straighten their teeth.
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