How Long Does Invisalign Take? Factors That Affect Your Treatment Timeline

Dentists may be tempted to oversell the benefits of Invisalign in order to sign up more patients, but it is essential for patients to head into the treatment journey with realistic expectations.

Without the patient’s support, treatment is more likely to fail, as it is entirely dependent on active participation. Going into the treatment plan under the false assumption that it will be much quicker can lead to treatment failure.

With this in mind, we’re taking a deep dive into the factors that will influence your treatment journey. Armed with this knowledge, you can feel empowered to make the right choice for your needs.

Read on to learn more about how Invisalign works, what factors impact your individual treatment time, and what events could occur that could mean that your treatment takes longer.

How does Invisalign work?

Orthodontics is a term that is used to refer to treatments designed to correct the alignment of your teeth. Traditional orthodontics works by placing fixed brackets on each tooth and then running a wire between them. This wire is adjusted to create tension and apply pressure to the teeth. Over time, the teeth are gradually moved into the correct alignment.

Invisalign is a modern treatment plan that casts aside the fixed brackets and wires and uses a series of clear plastic aligners to achieve the same objectives.

It starts with a dental scan to create a 3D computer-generated image of your teeth. Each tooth is isolated and then the ideal path of movement is plotted. The computer software then creates a series of aligners that will gently apply pressure to the teeth and move them into the optimal alignment.

When planning orthodontic treatment, it’s important not to move the teeth too quickly. First, this would be very painful. The teeth are held in place by soft tissue ligaments. These will allow for gradual movement, but a sudden or severe movement would lead to the tooth becoming loose and unsupported.

This is why treatment needs to be gradual, and it’s also why Invisalign is so popular. By making the aligners clear and nearly invisible, patients are less concerned with the treatment time. They feel more confident wearing their aligners, whether it is for 6 months or 18 months.

What factors impact Invisalign treatment times?

First and foremost, the most important factor to consider when determining your treatment time will be the severity of your alignment problems. For simple cases, you can expect the treatment to be much quicker. As mentioned above, longer treatment times aren’t something to worry about with Invisalign, as the treatment will fit in seamlessly around your life.

Another factor that can impact Invisalign treatment times is whether you have had braces in the past. If you had braces as a teenager and are addressing alignment problems that may have come about since you stopped wearing your retainer, this can often be a faster fix. This is because the alignment issues are less likely to be as severe as someone who has never had orthodontic treatment.

If you choose to fix both your top and bottom jaw, then this will also increase the treatment time. This is often a more flexible treatment plan, as your bite will also be affected.

How can I speed up my Invisalign treatment?

While there isn’t really any way to speed up the treatment time, there are steps you can take to ensure that you don’t slow it down.

Perhaps the biggest reason that treatment takes longer than it should – or fails entirely – is when the patient doesn’t follow the treatment plan. You need to commit to wearing your aligners for 20-22 hours per day, and the longer you wear them, the better.

Failing to wear your aligners for the required time will completely derail your treatment plan. It means that your teeth won’t be moved to the correct position, so moving to the next aligner in your case will be more painful.

Failing to wear your aligners could even lead to the treatment failing altogether. When this happens, you will either need to stop the treatment plan, or you will need to start again with fresh scans of your mouth and a new case of aligners. This will incur an additional cost and make the overall expense much higher.

Which is the fastest Invisalign treatment plan?

If your goals are purely aesthetic, then you can select a treatment plan that will allow you to achieve the results you are looking for much faster. A treatment plan that only addresses the top front teeth that are visible when you smile can enable you to achieve a smile transformation in as little as 6 months.

This treatment won’t address any issues with your bite or jaw alignment, but it can help you to improve your smile very quickly. However, since Invisalign is a clear and nearly invisible treatment plan, most people don’t mind wearing their aligners for longer.

How can I maintain the results?

After undergoing extensive orthodontic treatment, the last thing you want is for your teeth to move back to their previous crooked state. To prevent this, it is vital that you continue to wear a retainer at night time.

Your teeth will stay in perfect alignment for as long as you continue to wear your retainer. Occasionally forgetting to wear it at night time won’t cause your teeth to move back overnight, but persistently failing to wear your retainer will allow your teeth to move back into their original alignment.

If this happens, you would need to start orthodontic treatment again to address the problem.

Curious about how Invisalign could work for you? Get in touch with our team to find out if you are a suitable candidate.