How Long Does Invisalign Take to Straighten Your Teeth?
The most effective Invisalign treatment is accomplished when wearing the aligners 22 out of 24 hours per day. The average Invisalign case takes between 6 months and 1 year.
Although orthodontic movement of teeth dates back the French dentist Pierre Fauchard in 1728, modern orthodontics has become much easier for patients in 1997 when two Stanford University students realized that retainers could not only be used to keep teeth straight, but they could be used to move teeth as well, and they started the process known today as Invisalign.
The technique has become so widespread that Invisalign has become a household word, and they have completed over 8 million cases, quite a prodigious feat in only 23 years.
So, what are the key facts about Invisalign?
The Invisalign® aligners are what move the teeth. A plan is made and developed by your dentist on the computer in consultation with the Invisalign staff. When the plan is ready, it appears in the form on a “ClinCheck®”.
Invisalign ClinCheck
This is a computer-generated motion picture of how your teeth will move and how long (approximately) the treatment will take. Although the ClinCheck is very accurate, teeth don’t always move the way they are shown. This can result from many factors, including inadequate wearing of the aligners, “ankylosed teeth” or other factors. When you see your ClinCheck, you have the options of changing or modifying treatment before the aligners are fabricated. Although, as soon as you approve the plan, the Align company begins the manufacturing process.
How Does The Invisalign Process Work?
The Invisalign process of moving teeth can treat overbites, underbites or cross bites very readily. It is up to the dentist to make the final plan to fix your bite. To do this they will take orthodontic records that include x-rays, photographs and models or scans of your teeth the way the are now.
In some cases, Invisalign can use a boost from traditional braces to make the process move effective or faster. I sometime ask patients if they don’t mind wearing traditional braces for 2 to 3 months to shorten the treatment by 50%.
When you receive the aligners, your dentist will show you the proper way to insert and remove the aligners, how to tell if there is a problem. The aligners slip over the teeth and are removable by you. You will receive special cases to store your aligners, as well as instructions for proper home care, and cleaning your teeth and the aligners. Your dentist will schedule time to add small tooth colored “attachments” that act as little helpers to move the teeth where they are planned to go. The dentist will also “slenderize” teeth to allow the teeth to slip into the correct positions.
The aligners are made in batches and the whole batch is sent to the dentist. Usually a new aligner is provided for you and changed every week or two weeks, depending on your plan. When a set of aligners is given to you, an appointment is made to return for a progress check. When you return to pick up more aligners, the dentist will check on the effects of the treatment, and if necessary, change some aspects, or give you more instructions on how to accomplish the result.
When wearing Aligners, you can even ask the dentist to provide whitener so you can whiten your teeth by placing the whitener in the aligner and accomplish whitening your teeth while straightening them at the same time!
How Long Does Invisalign Take to Straighten Your Teeth?
The most effective Invisalign treatment is accomplished when wearing the aligners 22 out of 24 hours per day. Remove them only to eat and clean your teeth. That allows the teeth to move without relapsing or returning to the start position over and over. The teeth need consistent pressure to move into the right positions. If you wear Invisalign only at night, the pressure is interrupted, and treatment may take twice as long or may fail altogether.
Of course, when you have a social occasion, like a wedding, or a party, you can leave the aligners out for a period (a day or less) without a problem, unless that is done every day. Certainly, wearing your aligners every night is best as well.
The average Invisalign case takes between 6 months and 1 year. This depends on how crowded or out of position the teeth are to begin with. The are some methods including Propel that can make the treatment go even faster.
Check out our Guide to Invisalign Aligners
Invisalign Custom & Clear Aligners
Advanced Dentistry with a Gentle Touch
Red Bank & Middletown, NJ
Dr. Robert Korwin, DMD MAGD MICOI
The clear alternative to metal braces for adults and teens.
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