Top 5 InBrace Alternatives: The Best Hidden & Lingual Braces Now That InBrace Is Discontinued

If you've been searching for InBrace — or if you were already in treatment when the news broke — you already know: InBrace is gone. As of April 22, 2025, InBrace officially ceased all operations due to financial difficulties, sending a letter to providers confirming they would be winding down immediately. No new orders are being accepted, no new patients are being taken on, and long-term support for adjustments, repairs, and refinements is no longer available.

For patients and orthodontists who loved what InBrace represented — a completely hidden, fixed, compliance-free lingual braces system — the shutdown left a real gap. The good news is that the lingual and hidden braces market didn't disappear with it. Several strong alternatives exist, and one in particular carries forward everything InBrace promised — and improves on it. Here are the top five InBrace alternatives available today.

1. InSmile™ Lingual Braces — The Best InBrace Alternative

If you're looking for the closest — and frankly the best — successor to InBrace, InSmile™ Lingual Braces are the answer. Like InBrace, InSmile is a completely hidden, fixed lingual braces system that attaches to the back of your teeth using custom brackets and a proprietary Smartwire®. From the moment your braces are placed, they are completely invisible — no trays, no front-facing brackets, no visible hardware of any kind.

Where InSmile truly steps forward from InBrace is in its process and customization. The system is built around four clear steps: consultation and records, smile design, treatment visits, and braces off. At your initial appointment, your orthodontist takes photos, X-rays, and a full intraoral scan. InSmile's clinical team then collaborates directly with your doctor to design a fully customized treatment plan built around the precise contours of your individual teeth — not a one-size-fits-all wire. Your custom Smartwire® is then placed at your first treatment visit, and from that point, the system works 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, continuously guiding your teeth into position.

This is the critical difference between InSmile™ and every other InBrace alternative on this list: it requires zero compliance from the patient. You don't remove trays. You don't follow a wear schedule. You don't change anything about your daily routine. Patients consistently describe the experience as nearly effortless — appointments are infrequent and short, and many say they forget they're even in treatment between visits. As one patient put it: "I haven't really had to change anything. I still eat the food I want, and I don't really have any limitations." Another noted: "I honestly think it straightened faster than traditional braces and it also fit my professional life perfectly."

For former InBrace patients or orthodontists now searching for a system to replace InBrace in their practice, InSmile™ is the most direct, most capable, and most proven replacement available. The infrastructure exists, the technology is fully supported, providers are active and accepting new patients, and the patient experience mirrors exactly what made InBrace so appealing in the first place — while backed by a company that is operational and growing.

InSmile™ is the best InBrace alternative for:

• Former InBrace patients who want to continue hidden lingual brace treatment

• Orthodontists looking to replace InBrace in their practice with a fully supported system

• Teens and adults who want completely invisible, fixed orthodontic treatment

• Patients who need a compliance-free alternative — no trays, no wear schedule

• Anyone who wants continuous, around-the-clock results with no lifestyle disruptions

2. 3M™ Incognito™ Lingual Braces — Custom but Complex

3M™ Incognito™ is one of the most established lingual braces systems on the market and is often cited as the gold standard of fully customized hidden braces. Like InSmile™, Incognito brackets are placed behind the teeth, fully hidden from view. Each bracket is custom-milled to the individual contours of the patient's teeth using gold alloy, making it a highly precise system capable of treating complex cases.

The trade-offs are significant, however. Incognito is widely considered the most technically demanding lingual system to place and adjust, requiring extensive orthodontist training and resulting in longer, more frequent appointments. It is also among the most expensive options on the market, often pricing patients out of treatment entirely, and the tongue-side hardware placement has a steeper and longer comfort adjustment period than most patients anticipate. Available — but demanding.

3. Invisalign — Familiar, but Not Hidden

Invisalign is the most recognizable name in clear aligner orthodontics and was among the most frequently recommended substitutes for InBrace immediately after the shutdown. Using a series of removable, transparent plastic trays, Invisalign can produce excellent results for mild to moderate cases and is offered by a vast network of providers nationwide.

The fundamental problem for former InBrace patients is that Invisalign is not a lingual brace — it's a removable aligner worn on the front of your teeth. It is nearly invisible, but not truly hidden. More critically, it only works when you're wearing it, requiring approximately 22 hours of daily wear. For patients who chose InBrace specifically to avoid compliance demands, Invisalign requires a significant mindset shift. Results are patient-dependent in a way that InSmile™ and Incognito are not.

4. Harmony Lingual Braces — A Solid Option, Harder to Find

Harmony Lingual Braces, produced by American Orthodontics, offer fully customized, low-profile lingual brackets designed using digital workflows and 3D imaging technology. Like InSmile™ and Incognito, Harmony brackets are placed behind the teeth and are invisible from the front — making them a legitimate hidden braces option for patients who need a fixed, compliance-free treatment.

The limitation is access. Harmony has a significantly smaller provider network than Invisalign and is less widely available than InSmile™ or Incognito in most U.S. markets. Patients in smaller cities or suburban areas may struggle to find a trained Harmony provider nearby. It's a capable system — but availability makes it a secondary choice for most people searching for an InBrace replacement.

5. SureSmile® Lingual — Technologically Strong, but Niche

SureSmile® Lingual combines 3D digital imaging with robotically bent custom wires to deliver a lingual braces treatment that is highly accurate and personalized. For orthodontists invested in digital workflow and precision planning, it represents one of the more sophisticated systems on the market, and the results for patients who find a qualified provider can be excellent.

The challenge is the same as Harmony — provider availability is limited, and the system sits on the more expensive end of the lingual braces spectrum. SureSmile® Lingual is also less consumer-facing than InSmile™, meaning patients often have to actively seek it out through specialist practices rather than finding it easily through standard orthodontic consultations. A strong option in the right hands, but not the most accessible first stop for someone freshly navigating the InBrace shutdown.