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Getting your teeth fixed can be an environmental hazard
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This commentary discusses the environmental hazard of discarded dental aligners, which end up in landfills and take decades to decompose, releasing microplastics in the process. The author calls for aligner manufacturers and dental practitioners to adopt take-back and recycling programs to reduce the contribution of orthodontic plastic waste to the global microplastic burden.
Discarded aligners often end up in landfills where they take decades to decompose, releasing microplastics into the environment. This needs to change. Microplastics have been declared a global emergency thanks to their ubiquitous presence in all aspects of life: air, soil, food and now, human organs. These particles can enter the human body by swallowing […]
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Towards Sustainable Orthodontics: Environmental Implications and Strategies for Clear Aligner Therapy
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This review examines the environmental footprint of clear dental aligners, which are made from plastic polymers and generate significant waste since patients use multiple sets over treatment. The manufacturing and disposal of aligners contributes to microplastic pollution, and the paper suggests the dental industry should adopt more sustainable materials and recycling programs to reduce this impact.
The Microplastic Footprint of Orthodontics
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This review pulls together existing research showing that orthodontic devices like clear aligners, retainers, and tooth-colored fillings can shed tiny plastic particles—known as microplastics and nanoplastics—into your mouth over time. While scientists are still studying exactly how these particles affect our health, the paper suggests practical steps dentists can take to reduce this plastic exposure, which matters since millions of people wear these devices for months or years at a time.
Experimental assessment of damage and microplastic release during cyclic loading of clear aligners
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Researchers tested three popular brands of clear orthodontic aligners under simulated chewing conditions and found that all released microplastic particles during use. Since patients wear aligners for extended periods each day, this represents a direct and ongoing source of microplastic ingestion, raising questions about the cumulative exposure from dental devices that are growing in popularity.
Orthodontic Clear Aligners as a Potential Source of Microplastic Exposure: Implications for Human Health and Environmental Sustainability
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If you're using clear plastic aligners to straighten your teeth (like Invisalign), this review of existing research suggests that everyday wear and tear from chewing and saliva may cause them to shed tiny plastic particles into your mouth. Scientists don't yet know how much this affects your health, but it adds to growing concerns about microplastics — tiny plastic fragments already found throughout the human body — while also raising questions about the environmental waste from millions of discarded aligners. More research is needed before we know if this is something to actually worry about.
Microplastics in Orthodontics
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This paper reviews how microplastics can leach from dental and orthodontic materials such as toothpaste, retainers, aligners, and adhesives, with the oral cavity being a direct route for microplastic ingestion. As orthodontic treatments become more common, especially clear aligner therapy, understanding the extent of microplastic release from these devices is important for assessing patient exposure.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.