Invisalign and clear aligners: what to expect, month by month
Most clear aligner courses at our practices run nine to twelve months, though a case can take anywhere from six to eighteen. You wear each aligner at least 22 hours a day, change to the next one every week or two, and see us every four to six weeks.
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A year is a long time to commit to something you have to think about twice a day. Nothing dramatic happens in any given week of clear aligner treatment, which is exactly why it helps to see the whole shape of it before you start.
Straightening teeth at our practices means clear aligners or fixed braces. Invisalign is available at selected practices. Our other practices offer other clear aligners, such as Spark and SureSmile. This guide follows a typical clear aligner course, and your dentist confirms the details for the system you are offered.
Before you start: the consultation
Treatment starts with a consultation. Your dentist looks at your teeth and your bite and talks through the options that could work for you, clear aligners or fixed braces. An orthodontic consultation is a £25 deposit, taken off the cost of your treatment if you go ahead.
Where a practice has a 3D digital scanner, it is used to scan your mouth and help plan treatment. Some practices can use that scan to show where your teeth could end up and roughly how long it would take. Not every practice offers this, so ask yours when you book.
Whatever your practice offers, the decision to go ahead is yours. If the plan does not convince you, that is a perfectly good place to stop, and our guide to braces options for adults covers the alternatives.
Month one: the adjustment
Your first set of aligners arrives and the routine starts. Each one is worn at least 22 hours a day. In practice that means they come out for eating, for drinking, and for cleaning your teeth, and go back in afterwards.
Expect some tightness for a day or two after each new aligner goes in. It is not painful, but you will notice it, and it fades as the teeth settle into the position that aligner is asking for. The first fortnight is also when most people work out their own version of the habit: where the case lives, and when they take them out at work without making a moment of it.
Months two to four: the rhythm
By now the routine has stopped being a decision. You move to the next aligner every one to two weeks, and you see us every four to six weeks so we can check that the teeth are tracking the way the plan expected and hand over the next sets.
Those reviews are short. They are also the point at which a course that has drifted gets caught early, which is why they are not optional.
Months five to nine: the middle
This is the least eventful and most important stretch. The changes between one aligner and the next are small by design. Progress is easiest to see against where you started, not against last month.
Clear aligners are close-fitting and virtually invisible, so most people around you will not know you are wearing them. Invisalign aligners are made from a medical-grade, FDA-approved material called SmartTrack.
The last aligner, and after
Most courses finish somewhere between nine and twelve months. Depending on what the case needs, treatment can run from six months to eighteen. Hold onto the estimate you were given at your consultation; it was made from your teeth.
Teeth move back. A retainer, worn as we advise, is what keeps the result you have just spent a year earning. Treat it as the last stage of the treatment.
If clear aligners are not the right fit, there are other routes. We also provide fixed braces, and we work out which one suits you at consultation.
Want us to take a look?
Book an appointment at whichever of our five practices suits you. We will check what is going on and talk you through your options.
