What Are Invisalign "Buttons" and Where Are They Attached.

Think of attachments on teeth as little handles on them which allow the aligners to 'grip' onto a more challenging tooth.  Otherwise the tooth surface is smooth and the aligners sometimes slip on the tooth surface.  These originally were not used as much as they are today.  They have helped to give us a much more predictable result, and that is a great thing.  Attachments called buttons can be used for the patient to wear rubber bands to correct certain problems that can't be corrected otherwise, also a great thing.  These improvements help to make the Invisalign experience better for both the patient and the doctor.

WHAT ARE INVISALIGN ATTACHMENTS?
Invisalign attachments are small tooth-colored bumps that are temporarily placed during Invisalign treatment. These attachments are important as they serve as "handle-bars" that allow the Invisalign trays to easily grasp your teeth. At the end of Invisalign, these attachments are very easily polished off.
WHY USE ATTACHMENTS?
Invisalign only works if the trays can adequately hold your teeth during tooth movement. If the trays are very loose, they are not gripping your teeth enough to move your teeth as desired. An important part of orthodontics, which should not be underestimated, is efficiency - the trays need to grasp your teeth properly for orthodontics to progress predictably and successfully.
Many patients say they feel the trays CLICK into place because of the attachments These attachments help establish that perfect fit of the trays that is essential for ideal orthodontics.
With all this being said, there still are situations - like very mild tooth movement - where attachments are less important and used less frequently.

During Invisalign treatment, attachments may need to be added to specific teeth in order to allow the aligners to apply additional forces on teeth to intrude, extrude, or rotate them.  I have only seem them placed on the lip/cheek surfaces of the teeth.  The attachments are made from composite resin, which is the same material used in tooth-colored fillings.
The orthodontist does have some say in the placement location and the size/shape of any attachment.  He or she can even request that certain teeth not have attachments placed on them (this mostly occurs with front teeth).  Just understand that to forgo having attachments as a part of treatment might mean that your Invisalign treatment may take longer and may not produce an ideal result.
The attachments are generally not offensive or irritating to the lips or cheeks.  With the aligner placed on the teeth, the attachment may feel like (at the very worst) a smooth bump.