What is Invisalign? How long will it take? We'll answer these questions and more with this look inside the Invisalign process!

If this is something you're interested in then you should really consider trying Invisalign braces. These will give you straighter teeth without you having to wear traditional, clunky braces. Want to know more? 

Then you're in the right place! Keep reading to find out everything you need to know about the Invisalign process.

The Invisalign process is a cosmetic dental procedure that involves fitting your mouth with a series of clear trays. These shift your teeth into a new position gradually over time. To understand why this can take a while, it's important that you understand how Invisalign works.

Invisalign uses trays that look like thin clear mouthguards, which fit over your teeth. During the Invisalign process, your dentist will fit a series of trays to your teeth. Each tray will encourage your teeth to move a little more until they end up where you want them. 

Invisalign works based on the same principle as regular braces. Both teeth straightening techniques that move your teeth a bit at a time. With regular braces, this is done by tightening the wires between each bracket.

Most patients go through their series of trays over the course of a year, although this can vary. You'll usually notice a difference in the position of your teeth after wearing your trays for two to three months.

Some people will go through more trays than others as well. This depends a lot on the position of your teeth before straightening.

A lot of dentists encourage you to keep your trays in for a while after your teeth have reached their final position. This can prevent them from moving back when you take the trays out.

A number of things can affect how long straightening teeth with Invisalign takes. This depends a lot on the patient. 

The longer you wear your Invisalign trays for, the quicker they will work. So if you want your treatment to be as quick as possible, you should keep them in as much as you can. Ideally, you should wear them for 22 hours every day.

Major alignment issues can take a while to correct simply because your teeth will have further to move. In contrast, minor adjustments can happen much quicker. But this isn't the only thing that can affect how long your teeth take to straighten. 

Having crowded teeth is a common cause of alignment issues. The extent of the crowding will affect how long your Invisalign treatment takes. 

Mild crowding is fairly easy to fix. In fact, this can take just six months to fix a mild crowding issue with Invisalign. 

If your crowding is more extensive, Invisalign will take longer and you may have to look at further teeth straightening options. Your dentist will discuss these with you at your initial consultation.

They may recommend having some teeth removed to help their alignment. You may also need to use headgear at night to help correct severe over-crowding.

Gaps are the opposite of over-crowding and they are much easier to fix. This means that closing a gap with Invisalign can take just eight weeks! A bigger gap may take a little longer to close but the won't take anywhere near twelve months.

Unfortunately, preventing the gap from reoccurring can be more of a challenge. This is because there will be little in place to stop your teeth from shifting back.

This is why it's important that you use a proper retainer after you've stopped using Invisalign. Wearing this at night will help to keep your teeth in place long after you've stopped using Invisalign. Some dentists may also recommend fitting a small wire retainer behind your teeth to keep them in place.

Adults' teeth generally move more slowly than children's and teenagers'. However, with Invisalign, the process for adults doesn't take longer than it does for children. This is probably because adults are more likely to keep their trays in for longer. 

On average, Invisalign takes half the time of traditional braces!

Traditional braces usually take around two years to work properly. A serious misalignment could mean that you have to wear them for much longer. In contrast, most people only have to wear Invisalign for twelve months.

On top of this, you're less likely to encounter problems that could slow down your teeth straightening with Invisalign.

For example, if a traditional brace wire snaps or a bracket comes off you'll have to schedule an appointment to get this replaced. Until you get this fixed your braces will no longer work properly.

This won't be a problem that you encounter with your Invisalign trays. They are much more durable than traditional braces. Plus, you can take them out when eating and doing other activities that could damage them.

This means that once you've got your first Invisalign impression, you won't need any additional appointments. Just go to your dentist's every two or three weeks for your new tray! 

The Invisalign process is a great option for anyone who wants straight teeth but doesn't fancy traditional braces. If you think this could be the right option for you, get in touch to speak to your dentist today!