Resources
Plain explanations of how digital aligner planning works, written for the doctors and laboratories who use it.
Articles and guides
Clear aligners4 min read
Refinement planning in clear aligner treatment
When to refine an aligner case, what records a refinement needs, how to diagnose why a tooth did not track, and how to plan the second sequence.
Aligner labs4 min read
Planning clear aligner cases for dental laboratories
How a laboratory can add aligner planning capacity: intake from many doctors, batch handling, production-ready output, and keeping approval with the clinician.
Orthodontic workflow4 min read
How doctors review a digital treatment setup
A review routine for digital clear aligner setups: what to look at in the 3D viewer, which tables to read, how to comment usefully, and when to approve.
Dental technology4 min read
Intraoral scan quality for aligner planning
What makes a scan unusable for aligner planning, how to check yours before you submit, and the capture habits that stop cases being sent back.
Treatment planning4 min read
How treatment staging works in clear aligner cases
How planned tooth movements are divided into aligner stages: per-stage limits, sequencing, overcorrection, stage counts and what the doctor should check.
Treatment planning4 min read
What a digital treatment plan should include
A checklist a doctor can hold a planning supplier to: the models, tables, schedules, assumptions and version history a complete aligner plan should contain.
Dental technology4 min read
What files are required for digital aligner planning?
The scan formats, records and instructions a planning service needs for a clear aligner case, and the mistakes that delay a case at intake.
Treatment planning4 min read
Anchorage in clear aligner treatment
Every planned movement has a reaction. How anchorage is created in aligner cases, why round tripping and unwanted movement happen, and what to check in a plan.
Clear aligners4 min read
How dentists can outsource clear aligner planning
A practical guide for general dentists: what to send a planning service, how to write the prescription, how to review what comes back, and what stays yours.
Treatment planning4 min read
Overcorrection in clear aligner planning
Why plans build in overcorrection, which movements commonly need it, the risks of too much, and how the decision should be documented and reviewed.
Digital orthodontics4 min read
Digital setup vs traditional orthodontic planning
How a digital orthodontic setup compares with plaster study models and diagnostic wax setups: what each shows, what each costs in time, and where they overlap.
Treatment planning4 min read
How many aligners does a case need?
What actually drives aligner stage count: the largest single movement, per-stage limits, sequencing, arch balance and the decisions that shorten a plan.
Attachments4 min read
Why are attachments used in clear aligners?
What clear aligner attachments do, which movements need them, how their shape and position are chosen, and how they are planned and bonded.
Attachments4 min read
Clear aligner attachment types and when to use them
Rectangular, beveled, optimized and anchorage attachments compared: what each shape does mechanically, where it belongs, and how placement changes the result.
IPR5 min read
What is IPR in clear aligner treatment?
Interproximal reduction in aligner cases: why it is used, how the space arithmetic works, how it is planned by contact and stage, and what the doctor reviews.
Digital orthodontics4 min read
In-house vs outsourced aligner planning
The real trade-offs between planning aligner cases in-house and outsourcing them: skill, time, cost structure, control, capacity and what a hybrid looks like.
Orthodontic workflow5 min read
How does digital aligner planning work?
The steps of a digital aligner planning workflow, from case submission and scans through setup, staging, doctor review, revisions and approval.
Clear aligners5 min read
How to choose a clear aligner planning partner
What to evaluate in an aligner planning provider: the plan itself, revision handling, communication, data practice, and the red flags worth walking away from.
Treatment planning6 min read
What is digital clear aligner treatment planning?
A plain explanation of digital clear aligner treatment planning: what a digital setup is, what a planner does, and what the treating doctor decides.
Frequently asked questions
- What files can I submit?
- Common dental 3D formats: STL, PLY and OBJ for scans. Photos as JPG, PNG or WebP. Radiographs as images, DICOM or PDF. Case requirements may ask for more.
- Do you provide the aligners?
- No. Alignodontic DPS is a digital planning service. After you approve a plan we prepare lab-ready files for your own laboratory or manufacturing partner.
- Can I request changes?
- Yes. Comment on the plan in general, on a specific tooth, a stage, an attachment or an IPR contact, and request changes. Each revision is a new numbered version.
- Does the doctor approve the final plan?
- Always. The treating clinician retains final clinical control. Only a version the doctor approves moves toward production.
- How long does planning take?
- Standard cases are delivered within 2 working days. On the CAD Designer and Ortho-Reviewed tiers you can request the 8-hour expedited track, which may carry a supplement: staging, the interactive 3D review link and the PDF report in your portal within 8 hours. Either clock starts once the case is accepted and all required records have been received; if something is missing, the case is marked Incomplete records and you are told what is needed. The portal shows the current stage at any time.
- Can laboratories use your service?
- Yes. Laboratories can route cases through Alignodontic DPS, track their status, manage revisions with the treating doctor and receive production files.
- Can you handle multiple cases?
- Yes. The portal is built for clinics and labs with a steady case volume, and each case keeps its own number, files, versions and history.
- Can I review the plan online?
- Yes. Approved reviewers open the plan in the browser, rotate the model, switch between initial, stages and final, and comment directly on the case.
- Do you support attachments and IPR?
- Yes, where they are included in the selected service. Both are documented tooth by tooth.
Ready to start your next case?
Create the case, upload the scans and review the plan online.