Is Invisalign quicker than braces, or does it depend?
Like all realignment treatments, the speed of Invisalign depends upon the state of your misalignment, the need for additional aligners, and whether you wear your Invisalign for the recommended amount of time each day. However, an Invisalign realignment should take no more than 18 months to complete and is generally done in 6-12 months, making it a much faster and simpler procedure than other options.
Want to know more? Keep reading!
Choosing Invisalign
Invisalign uses a series of custom-made clear aligners to gradually realign your teeth and is highly recommended for minor misalignment issues. Whilst it can be used for more severe alignment problems, it is most commonly used to treat only a few misaligned teeth at once, as these can be treated in a much shorter timeframe.
If cutting down the treatment time as much as possible is your core goal when seeking realignment treatment, Invisalign is the choice for you! To get started, you’ll need to attend an initial consultation with your dental practitioner to assess your alignment issues and to discuss your tailored treatment plan.
During this consultation, digital scans of your mouth will be taken to detail the correctional course your teeth should take from their current position to the desired alignment, and your aligners will then be custom-made to deliver your perfect smile.
After your consultation, it usually takes up to 4 weeks for your Invisalign aligners to be made and delivered to your dental practice.
You will need to schedule an appointment to fit your first set and receive your full supply of aligners, but after this the treatment is in your hands – aided by the dental monitoring equipment that your preferred practice offers.
Is Invisalign quicker than braces?
Over the course of your treatment, you should use each aligner for approximately two weeks before swapping it out for the next one and make sure to wear each set for 20 to 22 hours per day to stay on-track with your treatment timeline.
Whilst this might sound like a big time commitment, it is worth remembering that Invisalign is one of the only removable realignment options available. Braces are fixed to your teeth for the entire duration of your treatment, and despite this they actually take longer than Invisalign to achieve the same final results!
Let’s take a look:
Traditional Metal Braces
These fixed metal braces are attached to your teeth and gradually adjusted to realign them over the course of (on average) 18 months.
They can take from 12 to 24 months to achieve the result that you want, depending upon how misaligned or crowded your teeth are, and even if your teeth start to look straight during the treatment you will need to follow the full course to keep them fixed in the desired position until they stabilise.
It’s also worth noting that the time commitment includes regular visits to the dentist to have your wires adjusted, unlike Invisalign aligners, which are swapped rather than altered and require fewer in-person visits.
Ceramic Braces
A less visible but even more time-consuming option is ceramic braces. These natural-looking braces are also fixed to your teeth for an average of 18 to 36 months, depending upon the extent of the realignment needed, and you’ll need to visit your dentist every 6 to 10 weeks to have your braces tightened and adjusted.
Once your braces are removed, you’ll be supplied with a set of removable retainers to maintain your new smile and these will need to be worn for up to 20 hours a day. So, make sure that you bear this final requirement in mind if you have a particular treatment timeline that you want to stick to or an event that you want your teeth straightened in time for.
Self-Ligating Braces
Self-ligating braces don’t take any longer than traditional braces to realign teeth, but they also don’t take any less time either. They are intended to be gentler and more gradual than other braces and don’t exert too much pressure on your teeth, which actually speeds up the alignment process by reducing friction.
Treatment won’t take longer than 24 months at maximum, and you may find that you see a visible difference in the alignment of your teeth significantly faster than with other braces. These braces also require fewer visits to the dentist than other options and you will only need to have them adjusted every 3 to 4 months.
Time-Saving Dental Monitoring
Invisalign doesn’t just save you time with your treatment; it also reduces the number of appointments you will need to attend during the process.
As you are responsible for changing your aligners yourself at home, you won’t need to attend as many appointments as patients who opt for metal braces.
Instead, you will need to attend appointments every 8 – 12 weeks to check that your treatment is progressing as expected, and these check-ups may require occasional adjustments to your aligners or treatment plan to keep you on track.
To help you with this, your dentist will offer you an at-home dental monitoring system that helps you track your progress and keeps you in control of your treatment. This handy system and the accompanying app allow you to take digital scans of your teeth at home, which are then sent to your dental practitioner to monitor your progress.
These real-time insights reduce the amount of time you’ll need to spend in the dentists’ chair and also make sure that any issues are quickly dealt with before they can set the treatment timeline back.
Thinking of starting Invisalign treatment?
Based on all of this information, the answer to the question ‘is Invisalign quicker than braces’ is a definite yes!
If you’re looking for a London dental practice that offers personalised Invisalign treatment, affordable dental plans and the very latest in digital dental monitoring, search for Riverside Dental Spa today.
