India, Aug. 17 -- Riya had been staring at the same two browser tabs for nearly three weeks. One said, "Clear aligners before and after." The other said, "ceramic braces results." Both promised straighter teeth. Both had decent reviews.

She wasn't chasing a perfect smile. She had a job interview at a company that she had dreamed of joining; her cousin's wedding was coming up in a few months, and she had a slight overbite that had quietly bothered her since her teenage years.

The problem wasn't whether she wanted straighter teeth. The problem was deciding how to get there.

Should she choose clear aligners from brands like Toothsi, which offers nearly invisible and affordable aligners, or other aligner brands that are comparatively high ...