Plastic is really hard to fix. A new class of smart plastics can heal breaches all on their own, to mend cracked phone screens or stitch up airplane wings.

Invisalign has been a popular alternative to traditional braces since it received approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1998. The custom clear plastic trays stay in your mouth ...

Clear aligners, also known as invisible braces, are custom-made mouthpieces molded from medical-grade plastic that apply pressure to teeth, guiding them to the desired position.

But what is much less recognised is the invisible proliferation and pervasion of plastic into the fabric of our essential natural processes – eating, drinking and breathing.

The study revealed that on average, a one-liter bottle of water contains about a quarter million invisible plastic particles, or nanoplastics.