How long does Invisalign treatment last?
Before starting orthodontics, the patient always has many questions about the treatment: about the total price, the expected results and even the duration of the treatment.
In fact, many of the questions from patients who decide on Invisalign – also known as invisible orthodontics – focus on the estimated duration of the treatment.
In this content, we will explain in detail what orthodontic time depends on and its approximate duration.
What does the duration of treatment depend on?
When we refer to a common orthodontic treatment, we usually speak of an approximate duration of 18 months.
However, not all cases are the same and each one has its own peculiarities.
Less severe cases may be solved in a short period of time – in about 6 or 7 months.
However, other patients may require more complex treatments and, therefore, longer orthodontic treatment -approximately 24 months-.
Therefore, the duration of orthodontic treatment will depend on the needs of each case.
The complexity of the case will be determined mainly by two factors.
Alignment of the teeth
The first factor is the previous alignment of the patient’s teeth, that is, whether they are already aligned or not.
Unaligned teeth will require longer orthodontic correction.
On the contrary, those patients who only require small movements in some dental pieces will have to wear orthodontics for less time.
This second context usually occurs when the patient has already undergone orthodontics in the past but has not respected the retention phase.
There may also be patients who, despite having aligned teeth, require a longer and more complex orthodontic treatment.
This occurs in patients whose main problem lies in the bite.
The bite
The most determining factor in establishing the duration of orthodontics is the patient’s malocclusion, that is, the bite.
In this sense, different types of bites are diagnosed (open bite, overbite, crossbite, scissor bite, class I, class II, class III).
A bad bite can have several causes; hereditary, bad dental habits during childhood, congenital defects, among others.
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Therefore, when the bite is not morphologically and functionally in the correct position, orthodontic treatment will require more time.
Although the duration of Invisalign treatment may vary from one person to another as it depends on the degree of malocclusion, we can say that most of the time it lasts around 18 months.
How long will your Invisalign orthodontics last?
Now that you know the two key factors that determine the duration of Invisalign treatment, it is important that you know what the procedure to follow is.
To do this, you must go to the dentist and undergo a preliminary study. That will help orthodontic professionals to determine how long your treatment will require to achieve the desired results.
In the first consultation, the orthodontic team will make a global study of your mouth. With X-rays (lateral skull and panoramic), photographs (extraoral and intraoral) and impressions (with traditional techniques such as alginate and plaster or with more advanced technologies such as an oral scanner).
With all this information, the orthodontist assesses your case in detail and explains to you personally which orthodontics. According to your lifestyle and needs, can help you correct the alignment of your teeth and your bite with the greatest comfort.
If the patient opts for Invialign invisible orthodontics, depending on their initial state and the corrections required, different treatments are available, which we are going to detail below.
Duration of Invisalign Express or Invisalign i7
Invisalign i7 is also known as express invisible orthodontics.
This orthodontic treatment is aimed at patients whose teeth malposition problems are very slight and are only in the anterior sector.
In fact, it is designed to correct slight dental crowding and a recurrence of a previous orthodontic treatment.
Normally these patients have already had orthodontics but have not completed the retention phase.
Invisalign Express usually has an average duration of about 6 months and is usually completed with a maximum of 7 aligners.
The truth is that it is not a very common orthodontic treatment. In fact, it is only a valid option for patients with very slight malpositions exclusively in the anterior sector.
Clear aligners
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INVISALIGN CLEAR ALIGNERS
Duration of Invisalign Lite
This orthodontic treatment is also aimed at patients who are highly concerned with esthetics.
It is also a short orthodontic, since it usually lasts a few months. And is completed with 14 clear aligners, although it depends on each case.
Invisalign Lite is ideal for those patients whose cases are not severe, and who simply need to correct the position of some teeth or not very serious problems related to the bite.
Therefore, it is the perfect orthodontic solution for those patients who take care of their esthetics to the millimeter and who only need slight corrections derived from overcrowding, deviations or diastemas.
Duration of Invisalign Full or Comprenhensive
The most frequent Invisalign orthodontics is Invisalign Full, since it is capable of correcting any malposition and altered occlusion, thus allowing a much greater and comprehensive dental restructuring.
The approximate duration of this orthodontic treatment is 18 months. One of the main advantages is that it is performed with no time limit or limit of aligners.
Some cases, with non-severe problems, can be solved in less time than expected.
However, patients with severe malocclusion problems can take longer than 18 months.
Without a doubt, it is the most complete option because it offers unlimited possibilities.
Duration of Invisalign Teen
This orthodontic treatment has the same characteristics and requirements as Invisalign Full, but it is for children and adolescents between 11 and 18 years of age.
The only difference with respect to Invisalign Full is that it is a less traumatic system for patients thanks to its characteristics.
The main differences lie in:
- Compliance indicators: the aligners have blue indicators that allow parents to monitor whether the teenager is wearing the aligners for the required time (22 hours a day).
- Additional set of splints: to replace the original ones in case the child loses or breaks them.
- Dental development guides: for teeth that are in the birth phase. I.E., that have not yet erupted or are still developing.
Invisalign Teen is the ideal option for the most demanding children and adolescents who attach importance to their physical appearance.
In addition, it avoids the uncomfortable friction and pain caused by braces with brackets.
What is the total duration of treatment?
To determine the total duration of treatment with Invisalign, it is necessary to know the different phases of the treatment.
As we have already seen, the first phase is the diagnosis and evaluation of the patient.
Once orthodontics has been decided, the orthodontist designs the treatment plan so that the patient can begin treatment as soon as possible.
In our clinic we have the iTero Element, a state-of-the-art intraoral scanner that allows us to send digital impressions telematically.
This allows us to shorten the time to start orthodontics.
However, some clinics continue to take impressions with plaster and alginate.
In this case, because the impressions have to be physically sent to the manufacturer of the aligners, the start of treatment may be delayed for a few weeks.
Once orthodontic treatment has begun, the timing of the treatment phase depends on the initial state of the malocclusion and alignment of the teeth.
At this stage, the splints should be renewed every two weeks and the orthodontist should be consulted once a month.
Once the orthodontic treatment is finished, the refinements come.
This phase is aimed at perfecting small details and imperfections.
Depending on the case, this phase may extend the treatment for a few more weeks.
With the perfect result, the retention phase begins.
The objective of this last stage is to preserve the results obtained with orthodontics. Since the teeth tend to return to their original position naturally.
In order to ensure that the teeth never move again, retainers (fixed and removable) must be worn for life.
In the final phase, the orthodontist will periodically check that the results of the treatment are maintained over time.
Therefore, between the initial phase and the refinements, the total treatment time may be extended by a few weeks.
