How Long Does Invisalign Take to Really Straighten Your Teeth?

by maria | Last Updated: July 19, 2020

A smile is not just the best makeup but the therapy as well. Unfortunately, all aren’t naturally gifted with perfectly aligned teeth to have a confident smile. Thankfully, a qualified orthodontist could help you get the freedom to smile by aligning your teeth using the advanced aligner technology. If you are scared of torturous metallic braces and brackets to move your teeth, then be happy, as clean and transparent plastic aligners are here to help you look good.

gray-double-bell-clock

Invisalign, the largest producer of clear aligners, is revolutionizing the way dental alignments are done. Made of clear plastic, these custom-fit teeth aligners correct your teeth without making you feel bad about your look in public. Although it is a little costly compared to traditional wire braces, it gives you more flexibility, faster results, and fewer visits to the dentist.     

Invisalign is best for teens and adults with mild or moderate misalignment and spacing issues. Since these are custom-built for a tight fit, you should consult your dentist to discuss suitability and treatment plan, including the time required and cost. If you want to know all about clean aligners and how long does Invisalign take to straighten teeth, then read further.   

Invisalign Treatment Time

Aligning teeth is an art and since it involves your face and mouth it is really complicated and takes time to move teeth into the desired position. The whole treatment is done in several steps and your dentists will fit several versions of aligners to make slight adjustments over a period of time. So, the duration of the Invisalign alignment treatment depends on the level of complication and expectation of perfection along with your dental hygiene.   

Going by dental experts’ opinion, on average, the treatments take around 12 months. However, it depends on several factors, especially the original status of the dental structure. Your dentist will examine your dental anatomy and decide the suitability of Invisalign aligner and approximate time it will take to straighten your teeth. Here are the factors that could increase (up to 18 months) or decrease (less than 6 months) the duration of your Invisalign treatment.

Crowding of Teeth

Misaligned teeth are all about crowding in a small space, meaning your natural teeth growth doesn’t have the required space in your jaw. If your teeth crowding is of mild level then treatment duration could be less than average time. If crowding is moderate, the treatment could cross the 12-month average time. Depending on the investigation, your dentist might suggest an alternative treatment.

Gaps in Teeth

Spacing between your teeth could be another factor that decides the duration of the Invisalign treatment. The misalignment could be due to large gaps, called diastemata, caused normally by tissue overgrowth or smaller teeth in a large jaw. So, the treatment duration will vary depending on the spacing. If it is high then it will take longer to move teeth to the desired position. If your condition involves both crowding and spacing, then it might take longer than average to get perfect dental straightening.    

Your Age

The result of the Invisalign aligner depends on your age. In the case of children the growing teeth and changing jawline make it a bit complicated. Whereas, in adults and teenagers the results could be more dramatic. As compared to adults, better alignment results could be achieved in a short duration. Your dentist will suggest a better treatment strategy to get better results in relatively less time.  

 Treatment Discipline

Irrespective of factors like crowding, spacing, or age, the dental alignment result depends on your commitment and discipline to follow instructions. A little laziness could extend your teeth straightening duration significantly. You have to wear Invisalign aligner for at least 22 hours, every day. You have the freedom to remove it while eating or for cleaning, but wear even when you are sleeping.     

Final Words 

If you go by thousands of positive feedback, one could easily say that Invisalign aligners are quite popular and this happens only when people get desired results. As compared to traditional metal braces, which normally take over 2-years to fix teeth, Invisalign takes almost half of the time to give you a perfect smile. Get in touch with your dentist to know about the suitability of Invisalign teeth aligners and start your journey to get the perfect dental crown in the shortest possible time.  

Maria Giovanisci is an enterprising dentist from London. Maria graduated from the University of Murcia and began her professional career in her own dental clinic before, she decided to embark on a joint project with her two colleagues. Aside from contributing on this blog, she also works in the public health sector at the new Torrevieja Hospital.

Smileee Orthodontics
Address: 71 Wimpole Street, London W1G 8AY
Tel: +44 20 3974 2002
Email: [email protected]

Opening Hours

Weekdays 8am - 8pm
Weekends 9am - 5pm