So one of the first things people want to know about Invisalign is how long it will take. Everyone wants to know how long before they’ll commit to it. Makes sense since you have to schedule around work, social events and personal milestones. Knowing the timeline helps you get your mind and body ready for the process of straightening your teeth.
The length of treatment varies for each person. If there’s not much crowding and only a few small gaps, it can be fixed in 6-12 months. Moderate alignment issues can take 12-18 months to fix. It can take 18-24 months or more for severe cases and lots of misalignment, biting issues or tooth movement. How long you wear the aligners depends on your situation.
There are several factors that affect how fast your teeth respond to treatment. The worst the misalignment is the most important thing. Teeth that only need a little adjustment move into place faster than teeth that are badly rotated or out of place. It’s also important how many teeth need to be moved. It takes less time to fix the alignment of a few teeth than to move many teeth around in your mouth.
Age affects the length of treatment but not as much as most people think. Younger patients’ teeth move a little faster since their bones are still more flexible. Invisalign works for adults too. Most of the time the difference in treatment time between age groups is minimal. It doesn’t matter how old you are as much as how committed you are to wearing your aligners correctly.
Following the rules is the most important thing you can do. You need to wear your Invisalign aligners for 20 to 22 hours a day. People who take their aligners off a lot or for a long time slow down their progress a lot. Some people need to stay in treatment for months longer because they don’t wear their aligners every day. Following the directions will help you finish your treatment on time. We will tell you how long things will take when you come to Dentistry on the Pines for the first time. We look at your teeth and use digital planning software to figure out the whole process. This plan tells you how many aligners you need and how long each phase will take. We can’t tell you an exact date when the work will be done because everyone’s body reacts differently, but our predictions are right for most patients.
The type of movement needed affects how long the treatment will take. It takes longer to turn crooked teeth than to fill gaps between them. Moving teeth up and down or changing their angle takes longer than sliding them sideways. Of course treatment takes longer when there are complicated movements that go in more than one direction. Your treatment plan takes all of these into account when we figure out your expected timeline.
Every 2 weeks most patients get new aligners. Some cases allow you to change every week, while others have you wear each set for 3 weeks. Your plan will determine when you can move up. Faster isn’t always better since teeth need time to move safely. If you hurry you can harm the roots or the bone tissue around them.
Progress checks during treatment help you stay on track. People who use Invisalign usually come in every 6 to 8 weeks. At these appointments we can check if the teeth are moving as expected. Sometimes we notice that some teeth aren’t doing what we expected they would. Making small changes to your plan can help you fix these issues and avoid big delays.
The refinement phases can add time to the total treatment. After you finish your first set of aligners your teeth may not be in the right places yet. Extra refinement aligners improve the results even more and fix any teeth that won’t move. We talk about refinements during the planning talks, even though not every patient needs them.
Retention is just as important as active treatment time, but it doesn’t count. After your teeth have moved into their final positions you will wear retainers to keep everything in place. You may have to wear retainers all the time for a few months at first. Eventually you can wear them at night and that will be enough to retain the results. This time of retention goes on indefinitely to keep teeth from gently migrating around. When you look at the timelines for Invisalign and regular braces they are usually pretty close to the same. Both usually take 12 to 24 months. The biological process of moving teeth is more significant than the tools used to do so. There is a limit to how fast you can move your teeth without damaging them.
Some dental practices say they have faster treatment options that say they can move teeth faster. These procedures use different instruments or ways to get bones to move. Not all dentists agree with these treatments because they don’t always work the same way. We only do procedures that have been proven to work and deliver safe, reliable results.
If you have realistic expectations you will be more likely to stick with your treatment. Teeth don’t always move in a straight line. Some months you’ll see tremendous changes and other months you’ll see things move more slowly. This is very normal and doesn’t mean your treatment isn’t working. Trust the process and wear your aligners every day and you’ll get the best results.
Sometimes things happen that make it hard to stick to treatment regimens. If you lose or damage your aligners, go on vacation and forget to wear them, or get sick and can’t wear them you may have to wait longer. When things don’t go as planned giving yourself a little extra time might help you deal with stress. Most of the time the delays are minimal and won’t impact the date you finish your treatment by much.
Our Cosmetic Dentistry method knows that time is often linked to certain goals or events. Before a wedding, a job interview or a reunion you may want your smile to be straighter. Talking to us about these timeframes helps us figure out what matters most to you. We can’t always speed up biological processes but we do our best to meet your needs when we can.
Sometimes the decisions about treatment are affected by work responsibilities. People who work in industries where how they look matters, including performers, public speakers and others may be worried about being seen while they get treatment. Invisalign is almost invisible which handles these concerns quite well. Most people finish treatment without anyone noticing they are wearing aligners. Age doesn’t stop treatment from working but it can affect how long it takes. Teenagers sometimes need a different way of doing things than adults. They need to be monitored during treatment because their teeth are still growing. We adjust how we plan and talk to individuals based on whether they are adults or teens.
Taking care of your mouth while you get treatment will help you avoid delays. You can’t use Invisalign if you have cavities or gum problems while wearing it. You need to take care of these issues first. Our Dental Hygiene services help you take care of your teeth and gums while you get braces. Regular checkups and cleanings uncover problems before they get worse.
When you start Invisalign treatment in Vaughan you will be working with experts who know how to deal with timing issues. We will give you an honest estimate of how long things will take and guide you every step of the way at Dentistry on the Pines. Book an appointment to find out how long your case might take. You can prepare with confidence for the straighter smile you deserve if you know your own schedule.