How Long Does Invisalign Take to Straighten Teeth?

Invisalign treatment takes between 6 months and 3 years to straighten your teeth: the average is between 12-18 months. How long you will need to wear Invisalign is based on several factors:

• Severity and complexity of your condition
• Experience of your Invisalign orthodontist
• Your compliance with the treatment regimen
• Whether you select Invisalign™ treatment or an off-brand clear aligner

This guide will help you understand everything you need to know about Invisalign treatment lengths: read on to find out more.

Why Does Treatment Length Change from Person to Person?

There are several factors that can impact the length of your Invisalign treatment. One main difference in how long treatment takes is your specific condition.

There are different conditions that create different forms of misaligned teeth. Experienced orthodontists use Invisalign to treat each of these conditions, but depending on your specific diagnosis and the severity of your condition, your treatment length will vary.

How Long Does Invisalign Take for Open Bites?

To fully correct an open bite with Invisalign, treatment typically takes between 12-24 months. Open bite is a condition where the top and bottom rows of teeth don’t fully touch each other when the mouth is closed. This can happen in the front of the mouth or the back, thought frontal open bites are more common. Clear aligners are extremely effective at closing open bites.

How Long Does Invisalign Take for Overbites?

Depending on the severity of the overbite, Invisalign takes between 6-36 months to fully correct the condition. An overbite results from a too-large overlap of the top teeth over the bottom teeth. While a small overbite is a normal part of a healthy bite, an overlap larger than 1-2 mm is considered an excessive overbite and can be treated with invisible braces.

How Long Does Invisalign Take for Crossbite?

Depending on the complexity of your crossbite, an expert Invisalign orthodontist can correct a crossbite with clear aligners between 12 to 36 months. Crossbites are a condition where the teeth do not overlap in the proper alignment, and some bottom teeth stick out past the top teeth. Crossbites can be underbites or a combination of an underbite and an overbite. While this a complex diagnosis requiring careful intervention, an experienced Invisalign provider can achieve excellent results for crossbites.

How Long Does Invisalign Take for Overjets?

To correct an overjet with Invisalign takes between 6 and 24 months, depending on the severity of the overjet and whether there are other conditions causing misalignment. An overjet occurs when there is a too-large horizontal gap between the top and bottom rows of teeth, causing the top teeth to jut out too far past the bottom teeth. An experienced orthodontist can use Invisalign to carefully adjust the teeth into their correct positions and correct the overjet.

How Long Does Invisalign Take for Crowding?

Crowding is a common orthodontic concern that can be treated with Invisalign: treatment lengths vary from 6 months to 36 months, depending on the degree of crowding. Crowding results from teeth jostling for position in the mouth and growing into the wrong places, causing twisted or improperly spaced teeth. Invisalign is effective for treating crowding. Sometimes, your orthodontist will refer you for extraction of certain teeth, if the crowding is too severe. This may be necessary to achieve a balanced and healthy smile.

How Long Does Invisalign Take for Gaps Between Teeth?

Depending on the number of gaps and the severity of the condition, gaps between teeth can take between 6 to 24 months to fully correct. Gaps are one or more unwanted spaces between teeth, where they should fit snugly together. There are a variety of different causes of gaps between teeth, but properly supervised Invisalign treatment leads to great results for correcting gaps.

How Long Does Invisalign Take for Adults?

Treatment lengths for Invisalign vary depending on the severity of your treatment, where you seek your professional care, and how compliant you are with the Invisalign course. For adults who follow the program properly, Invisalign can take between 6 and 36 months. Talk to your Invisalign provider about your unique case for a specific estimate.

How Fast Can Invisalign Take?

Remember, Invisalign is tool in the hands of your skilled orthodontist – the most important part of your treatment is that it works safely and effectively, not just as fast as possible! For mild cases, some orthodontists may offer expedited Invisalign: these Invisalign treatments can correct mild cases between 6-8 months. Your Invisalign treatment will stay on track for the quickest results by complying with the orthodontist’s instruction for your care: proper care and maintenance are key to swift and effective results.

How Long Does Invisalign Take Compared to Braces?

Treatment lengths depend on your specific condition, but for some diagnoses – such as open bites or excessive overjet – Invisalign may provide faster results, anywhere between 6 to 24 months.  Some conditions may be corrected faster with braces or may respond best to a combination of braces and Invisalign. Talk to your doctor about which treatment will work fastest for your case. Learn more about braces vs. Invisalign.

Can You Speed Up the Process?

How long your Invisalign treatment takes depends on your condition and the severity of your diagnosis, but the most important thing you can do to speed up your treatment is to follow your doctor’s instructions thoroughly. Wearing your aligners 22 hours a day, and cleaning your teeth and aligners properly before putting them back in is key to successful, effective treatment. For effective results and the most efficient treatment times, keep your aligners clean, your mouth fresh and healthy, and wear Invisalign for as much of the day and night as possible!

How to Avoid Increasing the Treatment Length

One of the most common reasons treatment takes longer is poor patient compliance. Invisalign aligners only work when they’re in your mouth: wearing them 22 hours a day is critically important to achieving effective, on-time results. Likewise, keeping them clean and your mouth fresh is equally important to treatment. Some patients begin treatment by following the instructions, but over time relax their routine and stop wearing the aligners regularly or cleaning them daily. This will impact the effectiveness of the Invisalign aligners and require longer treatment times. To avoid adding time and cost to your Invisalign treatment, follow your doctor’s instructions to keep your aligners fresh, clean, and working.

Choosing an experienced Invisalign doctor is important, too: look for a Diamond Plus or Diamond Invisalign Provider with the most experience treating patients with Invisalign clear aligners. You can use the Invisalign Find a Doctor tool to locate an experienced Invisalign doctor in your area. An inexperienced doctor will take longer to produce the proper results.

Seek treatment with Invisalign, rather than an off-brand clear aligner company, for the most effective, efficient results. Invisalign uses patented technology and state-of-the-art materials for maximum effectiveness and predictable results. Compare Invisalign to mail-order aligner brands.

What Is the Typical Invisalign Timeline?

While treatment lengths vary depending on your specific condition and your level of compliance with the Invisalign regimen, the basic timeline is the same. Each set of aligners is worn for one to two weeks, before switching to the next set in the series: longer treatments will thus contain more aligners.

How the treatment timeline works:

1. Consultation with orthodontist: x-rays and/or 3D images taken, dental history discussed, diagnosis established, treatment agreed upon.
2. 2 to 4 weeks: first set of aligners are designed by the orthodontist, printed from patented SmartTrack™ aligner material by Invisalign, and received by the office.  Your orthodontist will check fit and adjust if necessary. Your orthodontist will place attachments, and send you home with several sets of aligners and instructions for wear.
3. 6-36 months: You will visit the office every 1 to 3 months, so your doctor can check your progress and provide you with the next series of aligners. At the completion of aligner course, you may have several additional aligners for refinements to your smile.
4. Post treatment: When treatment is completed, your orthodontist will provide you with a set of retainers and instructions to wear at night for as long as you can to protect the results.

Learn More About Invisalign

Looking for more information about Invisalign clear aligners? Check out our Invisalign FAQs to learn more about this safe, effective, and comfortable treatment!