If you are considering Invisalign treatment to straighten your smile, your next question is probably how long does Invisalign take. While there are no quick fixes for orthodontic treatment, it’s important to remember to trust in your dental practitioner’s expertise and the success rate of Invisalign aligners. Let’s take a closer look at treatment and how long you can expect to see results.

How Does Invisalign Treatment Work To Straighten Teeth?

Invisalign’s clear aligners are made from plastic and they are fitted over your teeth. The aligners move each tooth individually by applying force to the outside. While the aligners are not fully invisible the clear plastic they made from makes them imperceptible from a distance and much less limiting than traditional metal braces. 

When you visit your dental practitioner he will be able to show you images of how your teeth need to move in order to straighten them. You will be given different boxes of aligners, which you will be expected to change every two weeks. Each set of aligners marks a point that the teeth must move into, in order to straighten.

Invisalign treatment is effective because it moves the teeth very little over a period of time. Each set of aligners has been created specifically to move your teeth into the correct position. When your teeth have moved into the correct position, you will change your aligners for the next set in the sequence. Your dentist makes use of computer-aided technology to create aligners to achieve a straight set of teeth.

While you won’t be able to physically see the changes in position every two weeks, the fact that you are using a new set of aligners is proof that your teeth are shifting. You will also notice that the new set of aligners is tighter or less comfortable than previously, and that the aligners become more comfortable with the passage of time. This is simply because your teeth fit better once they have moved into the right spaces for the aligner. 

Changing your Invisalign aligners for the next set is similar to having your metal braces adjusted by your dentist – except it is more comfortable. In the same way the traditional braces have to be tightened to compensate for the shifting teeth, clear aligners must be exchanged for the next set. 

Wear Your Aligners All The Time

The other major responsibility that you have is to ensure that you wear the aligners for the necessary 22 hours a day. This is really important for you to meet your teeth correction milestones. It is tempting not to, because Invisalign aligners can be removed – and maybe if you’re at a party or an event where there is a mixture of eating and social interactions, it might seem passable to leave them out.

In order to make sure you don’t interfere with your treatment, you must only take them out for eating and drinking and have them in for the rest of the time.

As a guideline you can probably expect a treatment duration of between six and 18 months for Invisalign aligners, depending on your personal needs. In the event that you can see progress, make sure you continue with treatment. Don’t think that your teeth look straight enough and stop wearing the aligners – you need to follow through with your full course of treatment.