How long does orthodontic treatment (Invisalign) take?

Dear patient, if you are thinking about getting orthodontic treatment, whether invisible or not, one of your biggest questions is probably “How long will I have to wear the brace or the aligner?” or “How long does orthodontic treatment take to straighten my teeth?”

Well, orthodontic treatment does not have a fixed duration, because each treatment is a personalised plan adapted to each patient’s situation. Thanks to the radiographic information we obtain digitally, the dentist assesses the type of movement needed and gives the patient an estimate of the duration. To make this easier to understand, we can divide treatments into 3 types: mild, moderate and severe. Mild treatment involves a relapse (the movement of a single, isolated tooth), moderate treatment involves crowding of the teeth, and severe treatment is a case in which the bone component must be treated (which has limitations in adults, as you need the help of orthognathic surgery). So, the estimated time for each treatment (with Invisalign or DigiPro Align) is as follows:

• Mild treatment: 2-4 months
• Moderate treatment: 6-8 months
• Severe treatment: up to 24 months

Traditional orthodontics, on the other hand, is usually a slower procedure and tends to last between 12 and 36 months.

To give you an idea, treatment with Invisalign or DigiPro Align usually follows these three steps:

1. Personal diagnosis: During your visit with Dr Mateo, you will first see together whether your case is suitable for the treatment; then photos, X-rays and 3D digital scans of your teeth need to be taken. All of this will be used to help create a personalised Invisalign treatment plan.
2. The aligners: The aligners that will help move your teeth into the correct position are manufactured and sent to our clinic. Once they arrive at the clinic, we will call you to give you the series of aligners that you will need to wear every day and that you can change comfortably at home roughly every 1-2 weeks.
3. The results: You will need to come in for visits over the following weeks so that the dentist can monitor your progress and so that you can receive your new aligners. Once your treatment plan is finished, you will need to wear retainers to keep your teeth in place.

If you are thinking about starting invisible orthodontic treatment, we encourage you to click on the following articles:

• 5 things you didn’t know about Invisalign
• 5 steps to clean my aligner or retainer