Invisalign Attachments and Buttons Explained
What the small tooth-coloured bumps and elastic buttons do, whether they show, and what to expect when they come off.
Attachments are small tooth-coloured composite bumps your dentist bonds to certain teeth so the aligners can grip and apply the right force in the right direction. Most Invisalign cases use several. They are not optional decoration: they are how the aligners achieve rotations, extrusions and other movements that smooth plastic alone cannot.
Attachments vs buttons
Buttons are small fixtures used with elastics to correct the bite, for example pulling the upper and lower arches into a better relationship. Not every case needs them. Where they are used, you attach small elastic bands between buttons as instructed, usually changed daily.
Do they show?
Attachments are matched to your tooth shade, so at conversational distance they are discreet, though up close and on front teeth they are visible. They sit under the aligner during wear. At the end of treatment your dentist polishes them off, which is quick and painless and leaves no mark.
Attachments are placed at the start of active treatment, covered in the treatment process hub.
Frequently asked questions
Do Invisalign attachments show?
They are tooth-coloured and discreet at normal distance, though visible up close on front teeth. They are polished off at the end of treatment with no mark left.
Does removing attachments hurt?
No. Your dentist polishes the composite off in a short, painless appointment at the end of treatment.