Spark Clear Aligners Review: Are They Right For You?

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Everybody knows the name “Invisalign”, but not everybody knows about the dozens of other clear aligner providers out there — the brands that aren’t quite household names yet.

If you’re looking for an alternative to Invisalign, one option is Spark Aligners. But how do you know if Spark is the best possible option for you? In this review, we’ll cover the pros and cons of Spark, see how it stacks up against the competition, and help you decide if it’s the right treatment option for you.

Spark: The Basics

Spark’s tagline is, “your smile is your logo.” From their software to their plastics, they’ve designed every element of treatment to help you achieve your signature smile. The system is manufactured by Ormco, a global company known for its cutting-edge orthodontic solutions. They launched Spark in 2017 in Australia and New Zealand as a pilot program, then released it commercially in the US in 2019.

Spark’s start-up procedures are pretty straightforward. First, find a doctor who uses the system. Spark offers a provider locator feature on their website to make it simple. Set up your consultation, then show up to get a 3D scan of your dental anatomy plus photos and typically X-rays.

Your doctor will import all this data into the Approver program — Spark’s proprietary software. Approver analyzes all the elements of your smile and comes up with a plan for moving your teeth, as well as a preview of your finished smile. But this is just the rough draft, not the final plan. Your orthodontist will fine-tune everything, making sure it is perfect for your needs and goals, and send it off to Spark’s team for one more review. Then, you get to see the preview of your future smile and either ask for changes or approve treatment.

They’ll manufacture your aligners and send them to your orthodontist. You’ll need to come into the office to get them and check the fit. Then, you’ll return for visits around every 4–10 weeks to make sure your teeth continue moving as planned.

You’ll wear each aligner for 7–14 days — depending on the complexity of movement it needs to make — and you must keep the aligners in for 22 hours per day. While treatment length varies between patients, most will finish with Spark in twelve months or less.

Adults, teens, and children can use Spark, making many people eligible for treatment. However, their treatment can only address mild-to-moderate class I and II malocclusions. If you have a complicated misalignment or one that involves the jaw, you might need to look into other systems.

Is Spark a Good Option? Our Perspective.

Spark is fairly new to the clear aligner scene, and it is still growing its client base and provider network. Still, based on the patient testimonials and reviews available, we think it makes a solid choice for many people. Spark scores a 4.1 out of 5 stars overall.

We’ll provide a lot more detail on Spark’s scope of treatment, affordability, convenience, appearance, and customer experience, but here’s a quick summary of the biggest pros and cons:

Scope of Treatment

Clear aligner therapy is an investment in yourself; you want it to pay off. Spark delivers — in most cases. It can treat a wider range of misalignments than at-home aligner treatments like Byte, but not quite as versatile as Invisalign. However, your specific misalignment will determine whether it can work for you.

Spark focuses on milder cases than Invisalign, but can treat a wider range of conditions than at-home aligners.

Remote aligner companies treat mild-to-moderate class I and limited class II malocclusions. Invisalign, SureSmile, and 3M Clarity (among others) can address nearly all malocclusions, no matter the class. Spark Aligners can straighten a variety of moderate Class I and II malocclusions, plus some limited cases of Class III misalignments.

According to Spark, if you have the following conditions, you might be a candidate:

• Crowding
• Crossbite
• Deep Bite
• Open Bite
• Overbite
• Spacing
• Underbite

Most in-office clear aligners use attachments, but Spark claims theirs are more effective.

According to a study published in Applied Sciences MDPI, this is because of their software’s attachment template. It provides more accurate placement that is three times more effective at preventing bonding failures, making the attachments more effective as a whole.

Besides engagers, Spark also incorporates posterior bite turbos, which let them move the molars in limited cases (which is why they can treat more severe cases than at-home aligners).

Most patients need to come in for check-ups every 4–10 weeks on average, but the exact schedule can vary.

It depends in part on the complexity of your case. The simpler your misalignment, the less likely things will go wrong and the longer you can go between visits. And if your orthodontist uses attachments, they’ll have to check them often.

Spark also allows their providers to use remote monitoring and either skip in-person visits or space them out further. Though they don’t have their own remote monitoring system and app, some orthodontists work with outside companies that provide this service.

Spark is one of a few aligner companies that use two different plastics for their aligners.

They use either TruGEN or TruGen XR, depending on the movements each aligner set needs to make. Orthodontists usually use TruGEN, which is more flexible, for the majority of treatment, and the more rigid TruGen XR for refinement aligners. However, your orthodontist can switch things up as needed for the best results. Both are BPA, mercury, latex, and phthalate-free.

Affordability

Many adults put off orthodontic treatment for years — even decades — because they need to save up to afford it. Spark has a pretty high price tag, especially when you consider its limited scope of treatment.

According to the Spark website, treatment costs $3,500–$8,000 in most cases.

To give this some context, Invisalign has a standard price range of $3,000–$8,000, while traditional metal braces usually run $4,000–$6,000 — both of which have a wider scope of treatment. And there are other in-office aligner systems that exceed Spark’s reach while sometimes beating its price point, such as SureSmile and ClearCorrect.

At-home aligner systems cost as little as $995, but Spark can correct some slightly more serious cases. Then there’s Candid, which often starts around $3,500. But it’s a hybrid treatment — you start in your dentist’s office, then check-in from home for the rest of your treatment.

There are several factors that can influence the cost of your treatment.

The biggest are the complexity of your case and how many aligners you need. As you’d imagine, the more complex the case, the bigger the price tag. However, going virtual for your check-ins might also impact cost, but you still need to pay your orthodontist for their time.

Spark is eligible for dental insurance coverage, but you need to check your policy.

Not all dental insurance policies cover orthodontics for adults, and when they do, they often exclude treatments they consider cosmetic. You need to get the details from your insurance provider before assuming they’ll contribute to your Spark treatment.

Spark does not offer financing directly to patients. Luckily, many orthodontists’ offices do. If the cost of Spark is too much to manage outright, speak with your doctor about your options. You can also use your HSA or FSA funds if your account administrator allows it.

Convenience

Price is one of the biggest barriers between patients and the smile they want, but convenience is up there too. With treatment timelines that can exceed two years and frequent appointments, braces or aligners can clutter your schedule. We think that Spark offers efficient treatment and start-up procedures, but some might find it difficult to find a provider.

The average treatment time for Spark Aligners is just twelve months. Most other in-office aligners often take about 15.

Spark advertises pretty efficient treatment timelines, but that’s largely because they treat milder cases than most of their in-office competitors. Compare Spark’s average to at-home aligners — which have an even smaller scope of treatment and often take around six months — and you’ll see this at play.

The hardest part of getting started with Spark Aligners is finding a provider.

Dentists and orthodontists in the US just started using Spark in 2019. Given the events of 2020, growth was understandably slow, with many people sticking to remote clear aligners over ones that require visits to a medical office. As a result, it might be hard to connect with a Spark provider near you.

Spark tries to simplify this by connecting you with a provider if you contact them. The problem is that most orthodontists offering the system are concentrated in larger cities. Other in-office treatments have many more providers, and at-home options will mail impression kits to help you get started anywhere in the US.

Once you locate a provider, the start-up process is the same as other in-office aligners.

Your treatment journey starts with an initial consultation, which includes an exam, 3D intraoral scan, photos, and usually X-rays. The orthodontist will upload the scans to Spark’s treatment planning program and the algorithm interprets them to determine your ideal smile and the most efficient path to get there. They will then send the treatment plan to your orthodontist for review. After that, Spark’s team reviews it again, your doctor finalizes it, and they send it to you for approval.

If you give the go-ahead, Spark will manufacture your aligners and ship them to your orthodontist. You’ll come in to get them, check their fit, and make sure you understand the rules of treatment.

Most patients need to visit their orthodontist around every 4–10 weeks for check-ups.

This is standard for clear aligners. However, Spark stands out in that they let their orthodontists use their aligners with any remote monitoring software. Technically, orthodontists can do this with pretty much any clear aligners, but not all providers are fans of it.

Appearance

Adults often want discreet orthodontic treatment, and right now, the most invisible option is clear aligners. Still, small differences between them can make a big difference in how they look. Ultimately, your personal tastes will dictate which aligners you think look best.

Thickness can impact the plastic’s visibility on your teeth and how much aligners impact your speech.

Depending on the brand, clear aligners can be as thin as 0.5mm or as thick as 1mm. Spark Aligners are 0.75mm thick no matter which of their materials your orthodontist uses. This makes them slightly less visible and helps you get past the usual lisp that clear aligners can cause.

Their engagers are beveled, which makes them less likely to come off, but also helps hide them.

Spark customizes this beveling to match the surface of each tooth, so they blend in well. While you can still spot them from certain angles, overall, we think they are less visible than other companies’ aligners.

There are three big factors that impact aligners’ visibility: shine, clarity, and texture.

Our teeth are naturally matte, slightly translucent, and textured. In our opinion, the least visible aligners are typically those that have these same qualities. Spark makes their aligners shiny, ultra-clear, and slightly textured. While the average person still might not notice them, those familiar with clear aligners or retainers might spot them.

Spark opts for a scalloped cut along the gum line.

According to one study, this might not match a straight cut’s force transfer, but we think it hides the upper edge better.

Additionally, Spark designed their TruGEN plastic to resist stains. Although you should still remove them when eating or drinking anything other than plain water, just like with other aligners, if you have an occasional cup of coffee, your aligners are less likely to discolor.

Patient Experience

Even if your aligners are the most effective and affordable in the world, without the right support, you won’t have a good orthodontic experience. With Spark, everything about the patient experience comes down to the orthodontist you work with. However, we think their in-person treatment can deliver more personalized and robust care than you’d get from at-home aligners — custom support on par with Invisalign or other in-office brands.

Communication channels vary between orthodontists’ offices.

You can bet that phone will be an option for reaching your doctor, but not everyone enjoys calling people. Some offices have patient portals that facilitate text-based communication or use other apps to let patients contact them while still following the HIPAA protocol. Be sure to ask your doctor about your options.

In-person appointments provide plenty of hands-on care.

When you visit your orthodontist every 4–10 weeks for check-ups, they’ll provide new aligners and examine your teeth, making sure your teeth are moving as expected. This gives them the chance to make adjustments to your treatment plan and address minor issues before they escalate and potentially derail your treatment.

Spark does not offer any guarantees directly to the patient.

Instead, each orthodontist sets their own policies and satisfaction guarantees, so ask your doctor what they offer. Your eligibility typically relies on you completing your treatment plan correctly, so wear your aligners 22 hours a day, change them according to schedule, and take good care of them.

Best Alternatives to Spark Aligners

In our view, Spark is a solid choice if you want in-office treatment for mild-to-moderate misalignments. However, given their cost and scope of treatment, you might be interested in learning more about their competition. Below are three alternatives we think are worth considering.

Invisalign ($3,000–$8,000)

This is the brand that started it all and remains the most established and widely used aligner system in the US. Its price is similar to Spark’s, but it comes with a wider scope of treatment, more discreet aligner design, and great convenience — even if you just consider the effort to find a provider.

Byte ($2,199)

While Spark’s scope of treatment is slightly larger than Byte’s, it’s not by much. And when you look beyond that, we think Byte has a lot going for it. They say their HyperByte device can give you a more comfortable aligner fit, and there’s even evidence that devices like it can encourage faster dental shifts for some patients. The price is more than $2,500 less than Spark at its most affordable, and you get to complete treatment entirely from home. They even offer nighttime-only aligners to make things easier on your schedule.

Candid ($3,500+)

Candid may cost around the same amount as Spark, but it’s a hybrid treatment rather than having remote monitoring as an optional add-on. They can treat pretty much the same conditions, and they’re both available to general dentists as well as orthodontists. As a result, their availability is pretty similar to Spark’s.

Final Thoughts

Spark gives your dentist fine-tuned control, uses high-quality plastics, and delivers reliable results. Just remember that its limited scope of treatment means it might not be able to tackle your misalignment. And if price is your motivator, you can find more affordable alternatives, both in-office and remote.