Many adults are hesitant to pursue orthodontic treatment because of the cost, inconvenience, or both. However, the clear aligner industry has changed significantly over the past few years, moving toward direct-to-consumer clear aligner systems that save both time and money.
Linea is one of the most interesting options on the Australian market, striking an excellent balance between in-person and at-home care. In this review, we’ll take you on a deep dive into this new clear aligner service, with all the facts you need to determine if it’s right for your smile.
Table of Contents
What Is Linea?
Linea is a Melbourne-based clear aligner company that blends the convenience and cost-effectiveness of remote aligners with the safety and oversight of in-person treatment. They were founded in 2020, but spent a long time in development, ensuring they truly got things right before they launched in January 2022. Now, Linea is available in every state.
Linea stands out thanks to their unique hybrid approach to clear aligner treatment.
Unlike other remote companies, Linea treatment kicks off with an in-person appointment with one of their partnered dentists. These dentists have experience administering clear aligner treatment from other providers like Invisalign, but now have incorporated Linea into their offerings.
You’ll begin your treatment in person, but the majority will take place remotely. Each month you’ll upload photos of your treatment progress to the Linea app for their clinical team to review to make sure your teeth are moving as expected.
Linea organizes treatment into three distinct tiers depending on your condition’s severity.
Each tier has its own cost, expected treatment plan length, and potential for supplemental attachments.
Compared to other remote clear aligners, Linea can make more complex dental shifts since the in-office care allows for attachments. However, it’s still limited to correcting mild and moderate misalignments. Skeletal concerns will require a more traditional approach, like braces or Invisalign.
Pros and Cons of Linea
There are plenty of reasons to consider Linea treatment, but it won’t be right for everyone. Here are the treatment’s major pros and cons.
Linea Pros
- You’ll get expert dentist insights both in-person with the doctor of your choice and through Linea’s in-house team of dentists.
- Because it mixes in-person and remote treatment, you can correct more severe issues than with purely at-home options. Your dentist can outfit your teeth and aligners with attachments that increase strength and facilitate more precise movements.
- Linea and your dentist will track your progress remotely, unless your aligners or plan need modifications. You’ll upload photos using the Linea app so they can monitor your progress.
- Linea crafts their aligners from premium Erkodur materials and manufactures them in Australia.
Linea Cons
- The price is slightly higher than other remote aligner companies in Australia. Linea costs either $2,698, $3,698, or $4,998+, depending on the severity of your misalignment.
- Though capable of correcting more complex conditions than fully remote options, Linea cannot address concerns that relate to the jawbone or other significant misalignments.
How Does Linea Work?
Linea’s aligners function just like any other brand: the shape of the trays directs pressure against the teeth, encouraging movement. Each aligner in the series is slightly different, altering the pressure and steadily moving the teeth into place. The process consists of four stages.
Stage One: Professional Review
Linea helps you connect with a dental professional near you, who will examine your teeth and take a 3D bite scan.
Stage Two: Smile Design
Using the 3D scan, the Linea team will create a bespoke treatment plan that considers not just your teeth, but the unique proportions of your face.
Stage Three: Aligning Your Smile
Your in-person dentist will check your aligner fit, add attachments, and otherwise prep your teeth. Then, you’ll wear your aligners according to the treatment plan and regularly check in using a scanbox phone attachment.
Stage Four: Wrapping Up Treatment
Linea will organize a final appointment with your in-person dentist. They’ll check your results, remove any attachments, and provide your post-treatment retainers.
Effectiveness
A clear aligner brand can offer all the bells and whistles it wants, but if it doesn’t successfully align your smile, it’s not worth your time. Thankfully, Linea’s scope of treatment means they can handle a wider range of cases than fully remote systems.
Linea treats adults and teens with mild-to-moderate dental alignment concerns.
If you’re looking to make minor shifts in tooth position, and you don’t have active tooth decay or gum disease, you’re likely a good fit. Linea can close gaps and eliminate crowding, as well as align the midline. However, your dentist can also address slightly larger gaps and potentially correct overbite, underbite, and crossbite issues that are dental (not skeletal) in nature.
Of course, there are some exceptions. For example, if you still have your wisdom teeth, your in-person dentist will need to determine if now is the right time to align your smile. Veneers and crowns might disqualify you if they aren’t in excellent condition, and bonding, bridgework, and implants cannot move.
Linea’s in-person appointments allow them to incorporate attachments to help make more complex tooth shifts.
Fully remote treatment options can’t provide anything other than removable treatment, but since Linea has an in-person element, your dentist can apply supplemental attachments if your condition requires them.
Not every patient will need them, though. Tier 1 is only for mild cases, which rarely require them. But patients on Tier 2 may need attachments, which can improve the aligners’ control and range of tooth movement, according to this 2023 study.
For patients in Tier 3, your dentist and Linea orthodontist may also use bands that wrap around the attachments to exert additional force.
At the end of each month, you’ll upload photos of your progress for Linea’s remote team to review.
You’ll submit these photos via your patient portal or Linea’s mobile app. From there, the company says their customer care team will review them, and that “your dentist will also monitor your progress all throughout your treatment and is available to address any questions specific to your treatment.”
This consistent oversight helps Linea make sure your teeth are moving as planned. If they notice any deviations, they can adjust your treatment plan.
If your results don’t match your treatment preview, Linea will help you get there.
Linea works hard to ensure you get the smile you want; but if your smile doesn’t quite reach the results promised in your initial treatment plan, they will issue refinement aligners. Tier 1 treatment comes with one refinement, Tier 2 includes two, and Tier 3 includes as many as you need.
The only exception is if you need refinements because you failed to wear your aligners consistently for 22+ hours per day or you didn’t complete your monthly check-ins. In this case, your dentist may charge you $150 for a rescan.
Affordability
A major part of Linea’s appeal is its price. It’s often substantially less than fully in-office treatments like Invisalign, and milder cases are priced competitively with direct-to-consumer aligners like Byte and SmileDirectClub. Still, while it is comparably affordable, for the average Australian, it represents a significant investment.
Depending on your condition, your treatment will be either $2,698, $3,698, or $4,998+.
Linea treatment is two-fold: in-person assessments and monitoring through the Linea app. But whether the oversight is in person or remote, dentists’ time isn’t free. The price of your treatment, however, depends on the amount of care you need. Typically, the more severe your misalignment, the more time it takes to correct.
Their Tier 1 treatment covers milder cases that require no attachments or IPR (interproximal reduction), and it costs $2,698. According to Linea, most patients require Tier 2 treatment, which costs $3,698 and includes both IPR and attachments, if you need them. If your case is more complex, you’ll fall into Tier 3, which is priced at $4,998 and covers IPR, attachments, and banding.
These prices cover nearly everything you need — including your treatment plan, aligners, app access, scan box, customer service, and remote monitoring. However, you will need to pay $300 for your initial consultation. Though Linea claims they accept 95% of cases, if they determine you aren’t a viable candidate for treatment they will refund you $150 of the consultation fee and refer you to an orthodontist.
Medicare won’t cover Linea treatment, but private insurance may contribute.
Medicare rarely covers any costs associated with Linea treatment, since it’s commonly classified as a cosmetic treatment. However, if you have a private policy, you might receive some coverage, but you’ll need to contact your provider to find out.
Flexible financing options can help break up the cost of treatment.
If Linea is a bit too much to afford outright, don’t worry — they offer payment plans that can make their prices more manageable. They partner with Humm and Zip, two third-party financing sites, to facilitate these plans.
Both companies often require credit checks, so not everyone will qualify. But if you do, you can spread out your payments over several months.
Your treatment will include at least one refinement and a few bonus items.
Sometimes, when patients reach the end of treatment, the results don’t fully align with their expectations. If this is the case, you’ll get new diagnostics from your dentist and Linea will make more aligners to perfect your smile. Each treatment tier comes with a certain amount of free refinements. The higher the tier, the more rounds of refinements your plan will include — assuming you comply with your treatment plan.
You’ll also get a few bonus items included in your total price. Perhaps the most notable is your first set of aftercare retainers. Plus, you’ll get dental whitening, as well as some helpful accessories, including a protective aligner case, chewies, an “outie” tool, and an instruction booklet.
Though your first set of aftercare retainers are included in your treatment package, you’ll typically have to replace them every 6–12 months. Priced at $300, Linea’s retainers are significantly higher than some competitors. However, the more you buy, the cheaper they are. Buying retainers in bulk is a solid approach, since you’ll need to protect your smile forever.
Convenience
Traditional orthodontics require frequent in-person appointments; and this ongoing of time commitment can cause busy adults to delay aligning their smiles. While it requires some in-person appointments, Linea treatment is less time-intensive than fully in-office options like Invisalign.
You’ll begin your Linea journey by taking a short quiz on their website.
You’ll answer a few questions about your alignment, if you have wisdom teeth or dental implants, and any prior orthodontic treatment. If your answers don’t disqualify you from treatment, they’ll ask for your email and contact you with instructions for taking diagnostic photos of your teeth.
Once you submit your photos, the Linea dental team will review them. If your smile looks like one they can improve, they’ll book you an appointment with one of their partnered dentists. At this appointment, the dentist will examine your teeth and gums, then take 3D scans, X-rays, and intraoral photos.
Then, they’ll review these diagnostics to ensure Linea is the right system for you. If they determine you’re a great candidate, they’ll upload all the images to the Linea platform and collaborate with the company’s in-house orthodontist to design your treatment plan.
About a week after your appointment, they will email you a 3D simulation of your new smile.
This preview will show your projected results based on the custom treatment plan they crafted. Unlike most other clear aligner treatments, Linea’s treatment planning also considers how your smile will complement your facial features and balance.
If you aren’t thrilled with your smile design, the Linea team and your in-person dentist can make adjustments. Once you love the look, you’ll pay for treatment and they’ll put your aligners into production.
Your aligners should arrive at your dentist’s office within 2–4 weeks.
After they do, you’ll come in for an appointment where your doctor makes sure everything fits well and adds attachments or completes interproximal reduction, if necessary. You’ll then take all your aligners home and start the journey to your new smile.
During treatment, you’ll wear your aligners 20–22 hours per day and use each set for 10–14 days, depending on the specifics of your treatment plan. You’ll take them out to eat and drink anything other than water — just be sure to clean the aligners and your teeth before putting them back in!
Throughout treatment, you’ll check in 3–5 times with your dentist and about once a month remotely with Linea.
This typically means uploading photos to the Linea app so they can see how things are progressing. Not only will they monitor alignment changes, but they’ll also check the health of your teeth and gums to make sure your treatment is safe every step of the way.
Treatment length varies based on the difficulty of your case and how diligently you stick to your aligner plan.
Their Tier 1 treatment plan typically wraps up in 4 months, their Tier 2 treatment usually takes between 5–14 months, and the Tier 3 treatment lasts for 15+ months.
Once you’ve worn your final set of aligners, head back to your dentist to get any attachments removed and check your results. If you need refinements, your doctor will complete the same steps as at the initial appointment to create more aligners. If your results perfectly meet your expectations, your dentist will provide retainers and you can begin wearing your retainers.
Appearance
Most adults are hesitant to sport metal wires and brackets, but that doesn’t mean the need for orthodontic treatment disappears. Fortunately, clear aligners are highly discreet — allowing adults to keep a low profile while they straighten their smiles.
Across clear aligner brands, you’ll find many similarities, but because of differing manufacturing practices and materials, there are some small differences.
Linea makes their aligners with smooth, shiny plastic.
They use Erkodur plastic, which is BPA-free and TGA-approved. These durable aligners are fully transparent and slightly reflective. Some brands like SmileDirectClub opt for plastic with a slightly frosted appearance, which mimics the matte surfaces of our teeth. That said, plenty of people enjoy a little extra shine in their smiles — so it all depends on your preferences.
Linea cuts their aligners straight across the top, helping them exert more force.
There are two primary ways to shape the top of an aligner: cut straight across, or scalloped to mimic the natural peaks and valleys of the gum line. Straight-cut aligners overlap the gums, which may improve their force transfer, according to this 2022 study. However, this overlap can make the aligner slightly more noticeable than scalloped options.
Linea may use attachments and bands depending on your condition.
If you are on the Tier 2 plan, Linea may supplement your treatment with small, tooth colored attachments which are bonded to your teeth. This allows Linea to treat more complicated issues, but it also makes your treatment more visible.
On the Tier 3 plan, your treatment plan could include attachments as well as rubber bands. Again, these features allow Linea to correct more complex misalignments, but they are more noticeable.
Like other clear aligners, you should remove your clear aligners before eating and drinking to prevent staining.
All clear aligners are susceptible to certain stains, so it’s best to remove them before meals or when drinking anything other than water. The pigments in food and drink can stain your aligners — not to mention that the pressure of chewing can damage them.
Customer Experience
Remote treatments can be more flexible and convenient than in-office ones. But although this more relaxed approach can feel liberating, you want to be sure that your provider will have your back if you run into any issues.
Generally speaking, in-person options excel in this area, thanks to their face to face appointments — but that doesn’t mean remote options will leave you high and dry. It depends somewhat on your dentist, but Linea’s blend of in-person and remote oversight may help deliver the best of both worlds.
Linea’s customer support team is available seven days a week.
Linea is still a relative newcomer to the clear aligner scene, but so far it seems like they’re maintaining a high level of responsiveness to their customers. Though their online reviews are slightly limited, many highlight the value of being able to reach their team every day of the week.
Don’t forget: you’ll also have a dentist you can visit if need arises. It can be comforting to have that option available just in case a phone call or other remote communication doesn’t feel adequate.
Once a month, you’ll send photo updates to Linea’s remote team of dentists, and you’ll attend 3–5 in-person appointments throughout your treatment.
You will upload progress photos of your smile to either your patient portal or the Linea app. From there, Linea’s clinical team will review your photos to ensure your teeth are shifting according to plan.
This level of oversight exceeds many of Linea’s peers, not just because of the in-person appointments, but because your remote updates will be monitored by a team of general dentists.
Linea will provide refinements if your results don’t match your treatment plan.
If you reach the end of your aligner treatment and your smile still needs some movement, Linea will issue refinement aligners to make the final tweaks. Each treatment tier includes a certain number of refinement rounds for free. This can give you peace of mind that even if your treatment takes a little longer than expected, Linea will see this through until the end.
What Are Linea Patients Saying?
Linea is a relatively new company, so there aren’t many reviews available online. While the few that we found are positive, we feel we need a bigger pool before we can make any assertions about the overall patient experience. From the limited number of third-party reviews available, here is a sampling we found to be informative.
Alternatives to Linea
Linea is one of our top-rated clear aligner providers, and we’re confident they can provide high-quality results. Though they’re a great provider, we think several other remote and in-person options are worth considering.
Invisalign vs. Linea
Invisalign is one of the biggest names in the clear aligner industry — and for good reason. They’ve been in business for over two decades and have straightened more than 15 million smiles. This is a fully in-person option, which means it can treat more complex conditions than at-home aligner brands. However, it also means you’re likely to pay more for treatment and that you’ll need to make room in your schedule for regular in-person appointments.
Byte vs. Linea
Thanks to some innovative technology, personalized customer support, and a lifetime warranty, Byte is our top-ranked at-home clear aligner provider. Their treatment includes the proprietary HyperByte device — which Byte says can help reduce discomfort, and some studies suggest may encourage faster dental shifts. Byte’s treatment is fully remote and is $2,749 for All-Day treatment and $3,399 for At-Night.
EZ Smile vs. Linea
With a sticker price of $2,499 and several financing options, EZ Smile is a budget-friendly remote option. EZ Smile has less treatment oversight than Linea, partially because they’re a fully remote treatment and also because they only require one check-in halfway through treatment. However, they’re affordable, convenient, and have many satisfied customers.
SmileDirectClub vs. Linea
SmileDirectClub innovated the clear aligner industry by offering remote treatment in 2014. Though they got started in the US, they’ve since expanded across nine countries. Since their start, they’ve treated over two million people. Like Byte, they offer a flexible nighttime-only treatment option that allows you to straighten while you sleep. Even better? Both treatments are the same flat rate: $3,149.
Final Thoughts
Linea aligners give adults yet another option for affordable, convenient teeth-straightening treatment. They provide robust remote oversight combined with in-person appointments at their partner practices — a revolutionary approach to treatment. They might not be perfect for every case, but we think they have a lot to offer.
Frequently Asked Questions
How are Linea aligners different from other remote brands?
They’re different because they aren’t fully remote. Other at-home aligner companies offer little to no in-person interaction. You might get a scan from a technician, but that’s it. Linea gives you a minimum of three appointments with your dentist — more in the rare cases that require refinements. They also ensure monthly remote oversight via their scan box, while many other companies request less frequent check-ins, or none at all.
What are the advantages of choosing Linea over traditional metal braces?
First, know that it isn’t always possible to trade braces for Linea, since Linea can’t treat some of the more severe misalignments that braces can. However, if either would work for you, there are a few key benefits to wearing Linea over a fixed appliance.
- They’re invisible.
- Treatment is mostly remote, while braces typically require an in-person visit every 4–10 weeks.
- They are a solid piece, which means there are fewer things that can break.
- They are cheaper.
- They don’t require dietary changes.
Why not just go fully in-person or fully remote?
Both in-person and remote treatments have advantages and disadvantages. A hybrid system lets you get the best of both worlds while avoiding most of the disadvantages of each approach.
Is the plastic in Linea aligners safe?
Yes! It’s a dental-grade BPA-free plastic that doesn’t contain latex or gluten.
Is there anything I need to bring to the initial consultation?
A list of questions, any inspiration photos, and if you have a private dental policy, your insurance card. Any dental history information, including X-rays, would also be helpful.
What is the best time of day to change to the next aligner set in the series?
Whenever works best for you, although most companies suggest switching right before bed. Aligners can cause some soreness to biting pressure for a few hours after you change to the next in the series. Since you aren’t eating while you sleep, wearing them overnight can let you adjust without pain.
Do I throw my aligners away once I’ve finished with them?
No, you should always keep all your aligners until you finish treatment.
What are attachments?
Attachments are small, tooth-colored shapes that a dentist can affix to your teeth. They then become handles that the aligners can grip for more accurate shifts.
What happens if an aligner breaks or I lose one?
Depending on if you recently switched aligners or are close to your next switch, Linea will either ask you to move back to the last aligner, or jump ahead.
How does Linea’s price compare to traditional braces?
The average cost of braces treatment in Australia is $7,500. Linea is $2,698, $3,698, or $4,998+, depending on the severity of your misalignment.
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