Invisalign straightens teeth with a series of clear, removable aligners in place of fixed braces. Each aligner moves your teeth a little further, and because they are close to invisible and come out for meals, most people around you will not notice you are having treatment. Your course is planned from a 3D digital scan of your teeth.
How it works
Your dentist scans your teeth and designs the whole movement on screen, from where the teeth are now to where they should finish. From that plan a set of aligners is made, each one slightly different from the last. You wear each for one to two weeks, for 20 to 22 hours a day, taking them out only to eat, to drink anything other than water and to clean your teeth. Small tooth-coloured attachments are often bonded to some teeth to give the aligners something to grip. You come in every six to eight weeks so that progress can be checked against the plan.
What it can treat
Crowded teeth, gaps, teeth that have drifted back after braces in the past, and many problems with the bite, including mild to moderate overbite, underbite and crossbite. Some movements are still done better with fixed braces. Your dentist will tell you at the assessment which applies to you, and if braces would give a better result you will hear that too: see orthodontics.
Your first appointment
- An examination of your teeth and gums, because teeth are moved only in a healthy mouth
- A 3D scan, with no putty impressions
- A preview on screen of how your teeth could look at the end
- A written plan: how many aligners, how many months and what it costs
Living with aligners
The first few days of each new aligner feel tight; that is the aligner working, and it passes. You may lisp slightly at the start. You can eat what you like, because the aligners are out when you eat, but you need to brush before they go back in. The result depends on wearing them: aligners that spend the day in their case do not move teeth.
After treatment
Teeth try to drift back for the rest of your life. Retainers hold them where they are: usually a thin wire bonded behind the front teeth, a clear retainer worn at night, or both. They are part of the treatment, not an extra.
Common questions
How long does it take? Simple cases take around six months, more involved ones twelve to eighteen. Your plan gives you a figure before you start.
Does it hurt? Pressure and tenderness for a day or two with each new aligner, which ordinary painkillers settle.
Am I too old? No. Healthy teeth can be moved at any age.
Can I whiten my teeth as well? Yes, usually at the end: see teeth whitening.
More about how we provide it, and the clinics that offer it, is on our Invisalign page.
