Simpli5, Red White & Blue, and RW II are registered trademarks of AOA Orthodontic Laboratory a subsidiary of Sybron Dental Specialties, Inc.
Invisalign is registered trademark of Align Technology, Inc.
The clear braces alternatives.
While Invisalign ® may be the most familiar brand, there are other invisible braces products available.
Three of these are the Simpli 5 ®, Red White & Blue ®, and RW II ® systems, all manufactured by
AOA Orthodontic Laboratory, Inc.
From the standpoint of the patient's experience, the aligners used with all three of these systems look very similar to and are used in
identical fashion as those utilized with the Invisalign ® system.
They differ, however, in the manner in which they are fabricated and the types of cases that they are intended to treat.
What types of orthodontic cases can the Simpli5 ®, Red White & Blue ®, and RW II ® systems be used with?
AOA Orthodontic Laboratory's removable aligner systems are primarily
intended for use with treatment plans that involve the correction of
minor to moderate malalignments of (only) anterior teeth. This includes:
- Minor malocclusions: small rotation, torque, tip, and spacing problems.
- Post orthodontic refinement.
- Correction of orthodontic relapse due to failure to wear a retainer.
- Minor alignment improvements in preparation of other dental work such as the placement of porcelain veneers.
- Patients who desire clear braces treatment but do not need the intensity of the Invisalign ® system (or even Invisalign Express ®).
As you will find out shortly, each of the systems we detail on this page
varies by way of the number of aligners that it involves.
Since each individual aligner is typically intended to produce tooth movement on the order of 1/2 mm
(a little more than 1/64th of an inch),
the greater the number of aligners the system offers,
the more severe the malalignments it can be used to correct.
An overview of AOA Orthodontic Laboratory's removable clear braces products.
Simpli 5 ®
- Simpli5 ® is a five-aligner system that can be used to treat one or both of a patient's dental arches (upper/lower).
In the case of dual-arch treatment there will be a total of ten aligners worn.
Simpli 5 ® was introduced as a new product in late in 2006, however, from a technical standpoint it is simply
an elaboration (in terms of the number of aligners and arches treated) of AOA Lab's previously available
Red White & Blue ® system.
Red White & Blue ®
- The Red White & Blue ® orthodontic system is a three-appliance product used to treat
just one dental arch (either upper or lower).
Compared to Simpli 5 ®, this system is intended for use with less involved cases.
This diminished capability, however, is only
founded on the reduced number of aligners worn and arches treated. The aligners themselves are the same.
It seems that a decision to designate between these two systems is strictly one of marketing and pricing.
The name Red White & Blue stems from the fact that each of the clear aligners
is tagged with a small colored dot so the patient can easily identify the sequence in which they should be worn.
RW II ®
- The RW II ® system consists of just two aligners and is used to treat just one dental arch.
The aligners used with RWII ® are a little different than those you see with the typical
clear braces system.
These aligners are lined with a soft, flexible inner lining that is claimed to allow for a greater amount of tooth
movement per aligner, yet by way of using a lighter force.
The other advantages of this lining are that it increases the retention of the aligner
and makes it more comfortable to wear. Even with the soft lining, RW II ® aligners are clear and
when worn look like normal invisible braces.
Each of these systems is typical of removable clear braces products.
From the standpoint of the dental patient, each of these systems, Simpli 5 ®, Red White & Blue ®, and RW II ®,
is a typical invisible braces product as we describe on all of the other pages of this topic.
They are worn, cleansed, associated with the same potential side effects and such,
just like Invisalign ®.
Estimated treatment times and checkup intervals.
The expected treatment time associated with each of these products differs due to the fact that
the each system involves a different number of aligners.
In general, AOA Orthodontic Laboratory's invisible
braces aligners are worn on the order of two to four weeks each. Simple math implies the following treatment times for each product.
- Simpli5 ®
- 5 aligners X 2 to 4 weeks = 10 to 20 weeks of treatment time.
- Red White & Blue ®
- 3 aligners X 2 to 4 weeks = 6 to 12 weeks of treatment time.
- RW II ®
- 2 aligners X 2 to 4 weeks = 4 to 8 weeks of treatment time.
AOA Laboratory literature suggests that checkup evaluations may be as infrequent as six to eight weeks.
In this case, the dental patient will need to be given the additional aligners that their case requires.
After the expected 2 to 4 weeks of wear, and at that point when the fit of the current aligner seems passive, the patient
should advance to wearing the next aligner.
Send this page to a friend.
Bookmark / social bookmark this page.
