What to expect with Invisalign treatment

In the adult world time is not only money, it is also a factor that many consider when undertaking any kind of treatment. Many adults simply do not have the time to wait around for results and will often opt for faster solutions if possible.

This is no different in dental care, particularly orthodontics. If you are an adult who has misaligned teeth, you may be looking for a quick and easy way to straighten them. Depending on the severity of the misalignment that you wish to treat, there may be a solution for you in invisible aligners.

When you come to see our team at Clear Braces Direct, we may be able to help. We specialise in the use of invisible aligners like Invisalign London, which is a discreet and quick aligner that we have used with thousands of patients to straighten their smiles. So it is safe to say that we know what we are doing!

But how long is it going to take to get the straighter smile you want? And what is involved when you begin treatment with Invisalign London? Here, our team provides a brief guide so you know what to expect.

Consultation

The first step is a consultation with our team, where we will assess your suitability for Invisalign London. As mentioned before, your suitability will depend on the severity of the misalignment that you want to treat. This orthodontic tool is only really suitable for people who have a mild to moderate misalignment with their front teeth. If we decide that you are suitable, we will then employ our intraoral scanner, which will scan an image of your teeth. This image will then be uploaded to a computer. This is important for the next stage in providing treatment, which can take around 2 to 3 weeks.

Printing

The images obtained from the intraoral scan will be sent to a dental laboratory where technicians will use a digital vector map to move the scanned teeth into their desired final positions. This will allow the technicians to predict how many aligners will be needed, alongside the different shapes for each aligner. These images will then be sent to a 3D printer, where they will be printed using clear plastic. This process is straightforward but as mentioned before it can take 2 to 3 weeks for the aligners to arrive at our surgery.

Wear

As the aligners are removable, you will need to be disciplined when it comes to keeping them in your mouth. We recommend wearing them for around 22 hours per day. This may differ depending on your clinical need. If you do not wear them for the required time, your realignment treatment may stall or your teeth may revert to their previous positions. 

Changing

As they come in a set of between 12 to 14, each aligner needs to be worn for around 14 days. Determining when to change the aligner is straightforward; when you first put it in, it will feel tight and as the teeth move, it will become looser. If it wobbles when placed over your teeth, it is time to move on to the next aligner.

Replacements

It can happen to anyone! A lost aligner will need to be replaced by our team. Simply contact us and we will be able to have a new aligner printed for you. During this time, it is worth putting the previous aligner in the series back into your mouth to prevent your teeth from moving out of sequence.