Congratulations on choosing Invisalign® as your treatment choice! You are on your way to a beautiful, healthy smile. With that said, it’s natural to ask the question: How long will it take before my Invisalign starts showing results?

First, understanding the Invisalign process is important. Each custom-made aligner shifts your teeth gently and gradually into place. Invisalign will move your teeth horizontally, vertically and even rotate them, as needed. These aligners are engineered to use the right amount of force in the right place at the right time. As you change your Invisalign aligners each week, your teeth will become progressively straighter. Each aligner tray is designed to move teeth very minimally.

During this gradual shift, your gums are reforming around each tooth. Once each tooth has been shifted into proper position, your gums will adhere snugly to the teeth. For optimal results, Invisalign gradually aligns your teeth, which minimizes discomfort and ensures a precise, healthy smile. It is unrealistic to see changes in one to two weeks. While result speed varies between patients, some patients may begin to notice a subtle difference within 10 to 12 weeks. Be patient, it WILL happen.
 
Remember, everyone is different. The rate at which your teeth move into alignment depends on many factors. For example: how complex your treatment case is, how often you wear your aligners, the shape of your jaw, the condition of your gums, your genetics and even your diet. There is no one single timetable that everyone can use for Invisalign. On average, Invisalign treatment time is 12 to 18 months.
 
Want to Know Exactly When You’ll See Results? Ask for the Preview.
One of the amazing things about Invisalign is that each treatment case is planned out using 3D models of your mouth. This allows you to see a time-lapse series of images showing exactly how your teeth will move. We will share this with you at your appointments, showing you an animated preview of your teeth movements. This way, you can actually see what changes you can expect and the order in which they will happen.
 
How Does Invisalign Timing Compare to Braces?
Patients tend to see results faster with braces. With traditional braces, the wires and brackets apply force to all teeth at the same time. This means that even straight teeth will move a little and then fall into correct alignment later.

With Invisalign, each tooth movement is planned out. Small adjustments are made, and then larger ones. Straight teeth do not need to be moved, since the clear trays can work on individual teeth.

What all this means is that people often see movement with traditional braces sooner than they do with Invisalign. But Invisalign treatment actually takes less time overall. It just might take a little while to start seeing the results!
 
For Invisalign to Work, Remember…

  1. Wear your trays for the time required. You will need to wear your trays a minimum of 22 hours a day to make timely progress.
  2. Remember to change trays on schedule. Changing trays is like tightening braces: It needs to be done to make sure your Invisalign keeps on working to move your teeth. Don’t let a change-over go by you, and certainly don’t skip a tray!
  3. Be patient. Resist the impulse to give up halfway through! Again, some results might take time. To see what the final result should look like; ask to see the time-lapse of those 3D images.