Do you know how many Orthodontic Labs and companies produce aligners in the world today? Hundreds and hundreds. Are all final products the same? My answer is no!

There is a summation of errors that does not allow a final product of excellence. The first mistake starts with the impression. Did you know that a worldwide statistic showed that 70 per cent of impressions are distorted?

In order to achieve a high-quality product, the impression requires a great deal of attention, whether it is made of alginate, silicone or something else.

From there, there may be an error in model development or even 3D scanning by the lab.

Do you think there are no others? You are wrong!

Another very recurrent mistake is the production of prototyped or stereolithographed models; in order to save money, many dental technicians invest in equipment created for other sectors such as goldsmithing, buying machines costing between €6000 and €40000 thinking they have made the deal of the century.

High-quality 3D printing methods still require a lot of extra money: one has to invest at least 70000€-100000€ to produce accurate models.

Beyond that, another mistake is thermoforming. Completely inadequate disc moulding systems are frequently used.

The equipment for this type of work must be of quality, efficient and effective.

Nice and straight does not mean precise.

See how easy it is to have a poor quality product? Did you expect that?

Fabio Fantozzi