As amazing as Invisalign is, it doesn’t give you a straight smile instantly. This treatment slowly and gradually shifts your crooked teeth into the right and aligned positions. With that said, would-be patients will have a natural question: How long does Invisalign take to work? Your Copperas Cove orthodontist takes this point seriously, so please don’t worry. Just keep reading to learn about Invisalign’s average treatment time, the factors behind it, and how to shorten it.
So, How Long *Does* Invisalign Take?
While the timing can vary between patients, Invisalign often takes about a year to work. It takes that much time to straighten one’s smile greatly.
Of course, it’s still possible to see progress before the one-year mark. Many patients see notable changes in their grin within four to six weeks of starting Invisalign. In just a month or two, the aligners will have moved a patient’s teeth in slight but detectable ways.
For a precise estimate of your Invisalign treatment time, you’ll need to consult your dental provider. They can assess your smile (via an oral exam) to determine how long the aligner process will take.
What Makes It Take So Long?
As for why Invisalign usually takes a year (or a few months more or less), various factors impact the treatment time. These include:
- Your Age – As it happens, older teeth tend to be more firmly set in one’s jaw. That means teenage patients enjoy a faster Invisalign process than their adult counterparts.
- Severity of Case – Whether Invisalign takes a long or short time partly depends on the severity of your smile’s misalignment. While treatment can “fix” mild crowding and tooth gaps quickly, it needs more time to address major alignment issues.
- Treatment Compliance – For Invisalign to run on the shorter side, patients need to meet its suggested wear time. Not doing so can extend the treatment process by months.
Can You Do Anything to Shorten the Process?
If there’s any good news, it’s that you can keep the Invisalign process short. All you need to do is the following:
- Keep a Clean Smile – Oral issues like cavities and gum disease often delay Invisalign. So, prevent such problems by cleaning your smile with twice-daily brushing and once-daily flossing.
- Meet the Proper Wear Time – Your treatment will go faster if you meet the suggested Invisalign wear time. In other words, please wear your aligners for 20-22 hours per day.
- Get Dental Checkups – Your dentist can assess your Invisalign progress and replace trays as needed.
How long Invisalign takes is largely up to you, all things considered. Given that fact, use the tips above to keep your treatment on the shorter side!
About the Practice
Benchmark Dental & Orthodontics is based in Copperas Cove, TX. Led by Drs. Celebi, Ahmed, Rahman, and Mansuri, our practice sees tailored smile care as its core mission. We thus offer a wide range of top-tier and customized treatments, ranging from dental checkups to dental implant surgery. Our office is even a certified provider of Invisalign clear aligners! For more details or to book a visit, please contact us on our website or by phone at (254)-547-4866.