If you have mild to moderately crooked or crowded teeth, and are looking into your teeth straightening options, you are probably interested in an Invisalign treatment, since you can correct your teeth invisibly. With Invisalign, you can straighten teeth without the look of traditional braces.
However, you may be wondering how long does Invisalign take to straighten teeth, or does an Invisalign treatment length vary much?
What Are Invisalign Aligners?
Invisalign aligners are clear aligners that come as trays that fit over your teeth, and are virtually invisible. You get several trays that are sequenced so that your overall Invisalign treatment moves your teeth a little more closely into the correct position with each tray. Each Invisalign aligner tray will gradually straighten teeth more, while each subsequent tray brings teeth closer to the final, end result of perfectly straight teeth.
Comparison To Metal Braces
An Invisalign treatment typically costs the same as traditional braces. Your dentist will discuss your Invisalign treatment cost, which will depend on how complex your case is and how many aligners you need.
The advantage of this advanced clear aligner system is that they are removable aligners, so you can take them off to eat, unlike traditional braces. This means you can eat more easily, and brush your teeth to keep them cleaner than you can with traditional braces. They are also gentler on your teeth surfaces, and many people find them more comfortable, so regardless of how long the treatment takes, the treatment process is much more pleasant, so it won’t feel as long.
The Invisalign Process To Straighten Teeth
Development Of Your Treatment Plan
It is recommended to find a dentist that is experienced with Invisalign aligners, who can determine if you are a good candidate for them.
You will have a better idea of your treatment time period after your consultation with your dentist and a treatment plan has been developed. X-rays and photographs of your teeth will be taken as part of this.
Series of Custom Clear Aligners Made To Fit Your Teeth
Next, impressions of your teeth are made and sent out. Invisalign creates sets of clear trays for you to use in sequence. These sets are then sent to your dentist. Creating your set of custom trays usually takes about four weeks. Your Invisalign aligners gradually shift your teeth, so that by the end, you are left with the straighter teeth you were looking for.
You receive several trays, with each tray designed to straighten a little more. Typically, you will wear each tray for two weeks, for at least 20 to 22 hours a day. After the two weeks, you then start using the next tray.
SmartForce Attachments
As part of your Invisalign treatment, you may need SmartForce attachments. These are little, tooth-coloured attachments that adhere to your teeth. They act as handles for the Invisalign aligners to have better traction and enable more predictable tooth movement.
Not everyone needs these SmartForce attachments, as these are for more complex cases. If you do need them, your doctor attaches them to your teeth and removes them when you don’t need them any more.
Monitoring of Orthodontic Treatments
People wearing Invisalign aligners need to go back to their dentist every six to eight weeks, for monitoring of this orthodontic treatment. This ensures that the treatment process is going as it should, and teeth movement is according to plan.
Average Invisalign Treatment Time
Usually, Invisalign treatment takes a year to 18 months, on average, but this depends on the corrections needed and your compliance in wearing them.
Treatment Time Factors
Severity of Cases
The length of time will depend on how much straightening is required, which will affect how many trays are needed. Severe cases will take longer to straighten teeth.
Compliance in Wearing Braces
It will also depend on how long per day that you wear your Invisalign braces; if you do not wear them for the minimum number of hours, your Invisalign treatment will take longer.
Crowding and Gaps
Correcting crowded teeth usually is shorter than fixing a gap. Mildly crowded teeth can be adjusted in about six months to a year. There is a maximum gap size of 6 mm that can be closed with an Invisalign treatment. To close a gap as large as this, you can expect it to take up to two years.
Robson Square Dental provides Invisalign treatment and can set you up with this virtually invisible method to straighten your teeth. We ensure your aligners fit correctly, and that your treatment plan is optimized for you, for the best treatment outcome. We will discuss with you how long your treatment period is expected to be, for your individual situation.
