What Do Dental Professionals Really Think About Appliance Cleaning?
We asked UK dental professionals about the problems they see every day
Aligners and retainers may be increasingly common, but keeping them clean remains a very real challenge.
As part of our research into removable appliance hygiene, Sonic Dental surveyed 310 UK dental professionals, including dentists, hygienists and orthodontic staff, about the issues they encounter in practice.
And the results were striking.
The Appliance Hygiene Problem
90% said they believe current home-cleaning methods are either inadequate or only partially effective.
77% reported patients regularly complaining about odor or staining.
77% had seen aligners or retainers scratched or damaged by brushing.
And 71% said they frequently see poor aligner or retainer hygiene in their patients.
Together, the results highlight a familiar problem: patients are wearing removable appliances for hours every day, but many are still relying on cleaning methods that dental professionals believe could be improved.
What Happened When Professionals Evaluated the Sonic Pro?
We also asked dental professionals who evaluated the Sonic Pro about their experience.
The results were extremely positive.
100% rated appliance cleanliness as Good or Excellent after using the Sonic Pro.
100% said they would recommend the Sonic Pro to their patients.
The survey represents professional opinion rather than clinical evidence of product performance, but it provides valuable insight into the real-world appliance hygiene problems dental teams encounter with their patients.
And it helps explain why Sonic Dental cleaning technology is now stocked in more than 2,000 dental practices.
See the Full Results
We've put the key findings from the survey into a simple one-page report.
PDF TO LINK: Dental Professional Survey 2026.pdf
Internal survey commissioned by Sonic Dental. Results represent professional opinion.