What is Invisalign treatment?

Invisalign treatment is the process of wearing a series of clear, removable aligners that gradually straighten your teeth. Unlike traditional braces, there are no brackets and wires, nor are there the same restrictions that usually come with fixed metal braces.

What are Invisalign aligners made of and what do they look like?

Invisalign clear aligners are made of flexible plastic — specifically, a patented thermoplastic material called SmartTrack® created exclusively for Invisalign treatment. They are FDA-approved and contain no BPA, BPS, latex, or gluten. They are thin, clear, and fit snugly over your teeth, making them virtually invisible.

How does the straightening process work?

I’ll create a unique, digital treatment plan that maps out the exact movements of your teeth. Your Invisalign clear aligners are then designed to apply the right amount of force to the right place at the right time based on your plan. We’ll check in every 8 weeks or so to monitor your progress and ensure your aligners are fitting as they should be.

How long does it take to straighten teeth using Invisalign aligners?

The length of your treatment plan depends on your requirements and will be discussed in your consultation. The average treatment is around 10-12 months, but could be anywhere from three months to two years. As your treatment progresses, you’ll need to replace your aligners every couple of weeks, and every 8 weeks we’ll catch up to review how your teeth are moving.

Who is Invisalign for?

Invisalign treatment can be a great solution for both adults and teens, and can be used to fix nearly all common teeth-straightening and bite issues.

What should I expect during my first consultation?

Your first consultation with me is free. Make a time to come in and see me at either the central Auckland Lumino clinic. There’s no need to bring anything with you. We’ll chat through whether Invisalign will be the right choice for you, your treatment options, limitations, the process and the costs involved. This is also your chance to ask any questions you may have.

How often will I change aligners?

I’ll tell you how often you should change to new aligners (this can vary based on your individual treatment plan). For the majority of patients, you’ll change your Invisalign clear aligners weekly or every other week.

How many hours per day do I need to wear my aligners?

Your Invisalign aligners should be worn 20 to 22 hours a day. You can remove them for eating, drinking, brushing, and flossing.

How much does Invisalign treatment cost?

I offer two price options - Invisalign Lite which is $4995 and Invisalign Full which is $7995. Payment plans are available, including 24 months interest free terms with Q Card.

Since having my braces removed, my teeth have shifted. Can Invisalign treatment fix this?

Yes, they can. I see many patients who have had braces previously who now choose Invisalign treatment as the discreet solution to improve their smile when they find that their teeth have shifted back.

I have veneers or crowns, will Invisalign work for me?

I’ll need to evaluate this on a case-by-case basis. Get in touch and we can discuss your individual requirements.

How do I get started?

Find out what’s involved, and whether Invisalign is the right choice for you with a FREE no-obligation consultation. Get in touch with us to book.

Braces or Invisalign

Since launching in 2000, over 10million people have been treated worldwide with Invisalign and each year it seems increasing number of patients are opting for removable aligners rather than traditional braces.

When I started with Invisalign in 2008, the decision of braces versus Invisalign was, in the main, determined by how severe any crowding was. I have some colleagues who will disagree with me, but back then Invisalign was primarily focused on getting a great smile – as soon as things became complex and required a lot of movements of the back teeth, often braces would give a quicker and/or better result. As a result I would routinely send around a third of my patients down the hall to my orthodontist colleague for braces.

Fast forward to 2021 and the technology has moved on at an astounding pace – I am now routinely successfully treating cases with Invisalign that I would never have dreamed of all those years ago when I started (although I do still regularly send some prospective clients off to my orthodontist colleague if I think they will get a better result).

So assuming you are suitable for either option how do you choose one over the other? Well there are a few considerations you need to think about….

Comfort and Appearance

Invisalign tends to appeal to those who prefer comfort and want things as discrete as possible. Aligners are thin, easily removed and discrete when worn compared to more bulky braces. With both braces and Invisalign you will feel some discomfort in the teeth as they move – however this tends to be significantly less with aligners as we are not putting as much pressure on the teeth at any one time.

One challenge that patients with braces face is irritation to the cheeks and lips from the brackets themselves – this can lead to ulcers and sore spots, particularly when starting out although placing wax over the brackets can help with this.

The flip side though is that although the aligners can be easily removed to eat and brush, this also represents the biggest challenge with Invisalign. For Invisalign to work you have to be committed to wearing the aligners 22hours a day on a consistent basis. If you can’t consistently wear the aligners for the recommended time it can greatly extend your treatment time and sometimes can prevent you getting to the finish line at all.

It should also be mentioned that even with braces there are alternatives to the traditional metal “train tracks” you might have seen (or experienced) as a child. One alternative is to use clear braces where, instead of the brackets being made out of metal, they are made out of either ceramic or plastic. This can make the appliance a little more discreate. A second alternative is lingual braces where instead of placing the braces on the outer surface of the teeth we place them on the inner surface of the teeth. The most common brand of lingual braces world wide is Incognito. Lingual braces do have the advantage of being completely invisible. They are however harder to adapt to as the brace is occupying the same place as your tongue which can lead to more ulcers and speech issues.

Hygiene

Regardless of what you are wearing, the teeth still need to be effectively cleaned as you go through treatment otherwise there is a significant risk of both decay and gum issues. This is harder to achieve when wearing braces as the brackets are attached to the teeth and connected with a wire – this creates lots of areas where food can become trapped as well as areas that are difficult to get to when brushing. For this reason your orthodontist will recommend certain foods that you should avoid both to try and reduce the amount of food particles trapped around the teeth as welling as preventing damage to the brace itself.

Obviously cleaning is a lot more easily achieved with Invisalign as it can simply be removed when brushing and studies have shown that when, compared to braces, Invisalign patients experience significantly less plaque accumulation and bleeding of the gums.

Time in treatment and visits to the clinic

Ten years ago I would tell patients with moderate or severe crowding that wearing braces would reduce the time in treatment by about a third when compared to Invisalign. These days for all but the most severe of cases the amount of time in treatment I find is very similar – assuming the aligners are being worn consistently of course!

With braces the orthodontist will need to “tighten” the appliance approximately every 4weeks so it is important to choose an orthodontist that is reasonably close to your work, school or home. Invisalign requires fewer direct adjustments so generally appointments are every 6-8 weeks depending on where you are in treatment. The advent of Dental Monitoring (see the video below) has also been a game changer in that progress can be assessed remotely every week via a digital scan. This means we can better tailor your visits to the practice based on how treatment is progressing.

Fees

Finally there is always the question of cost. This is actually very challenging as there is a large variation in the fees that are charged for treatment – a lot depends on the experience of the clinician, how many cases they do a year, where they are specialist or not and, of course, the overall complexity of your case.

Another less obvious issue is what exactly is included with the fee quoted and whether their are any add-on fees. Some clinics will charge additional amounts for records, x-rays, emergency appointments, retainers and even additional aligners. It is important that you know not only the fee for treatment but also the likelihood of any additional fees as you go through treatment (if any).

Keep an eye out for an upcoming blog post where I go through this in detail!