How does Invisalign work, you may wonder, as you consider options for straightening your teeth?
This advanced and proven corrective treatment has been straightening teeth and transforming smiles worldwide.
The magic of Invisalign lies in its ability to be:
Extremely aesthetic – virtually invisible when wearing aligners, made from BPA-free plastic, and more comfortable than traditional and invisible braces.
While also delivering excellent results – faster treatment than ceramic and metal braces, Invisalign treatment works for even severe cases, and in the hands of an expert Invisalign doctor can require far fewer appointments than other teeth straightening options.
These custom-made devices offer a comfortable and aesthetic solution to standard braces. And today in Vancouver, your Invisalign treatment cost can be essentially the same as classic metal braces. (And from a top Invisalign doctor in Vancouver, the value you get can be even more.)
So, how does Invisalign work? It applies gentle pressure to gradually move your teeth into their proper position over time, giving you a more confident smile without the discomfort often associated with conventional treatments.
Here’s everything you need to know.
Invisalign: The Most Advanced Clear Aligner System
In the world of orthodontics, one treatment has been making waves due to its innovative approach and impressive results – Invisalign. This revolutionary method is quickly becoming a preferred alternative to metal braces.
These aligners are crafted from virtually invisible BPA-free plastic that comfortably fits over your teeth – even crooked teeth, crowded teeth, gap teeth, you name it.
The advantage? Invisalign wearers can easily remove them to eat or brush your teeth, which means no food limitations during treatment. All of these benefits (and many more) set Invisalign clear aligners apart from conventional fixed braces. Learn more about BPA-free plastic here.
What is Invisalign?
Invisalign clear aligners are an alternative way to straighten teeth from metal braces and are an effective treatment method for patients of all ages – children, teens, and adults. In the hands of an expert Invisalign doctor, they are an effective way to straighten teeth for mild to moderate to even severe cases today.
The Invisalign system is made up of many custom-made sets of aligners fit specifically to your smile. Each set of aligners works at gradually shifting your teeth to achieve your perfect smile. The more you are wearing your aligners, the more they are working for you.
Invisalign retainers are also included to help keep your teeth straight and avoid bite issues down the road.
Invisalign is simply the brand name of these essentially transparent aligners and retainers designed by align technology.
What Does Invisalign Do?
Invisalign does the treatment you need to straighten teeth and achieve your perfect smile. It works by gradually and gently shifting your teeth into their ideal positions for a healthy mouth and your best smile.
At many practices in Vancouver, your wear time for each set of aligners will often be between 7-14 days. Depending on the severity of your case, your dentist may recommend up to 30 or even 40 sets of aligners.
That adds up, but we have good news. At Radiant Smiles, most patients start by changing aligner sets about every 4 days. That’s a lot faster progress.
In fact, many patients finish their Invisalign aligners treatment about 2x faster than the average times for Invisalign treatment elsewhere in Vancouver – and even more compared to wearing braces.
The Science Behind How Invisalign Works
Invisalign clear aligners are an orthodontic treatment that uses clear, plastic aligners to straighten teeth. Unlike the metal wires and brackets of traditional braces, Invisalign aligners apply gentle pressure through custom-made plastic trays that gradually shift your teeth.
These invisible aligners are personalized for each patient using advanced 3D computer imaging technology. This digital precision ensures the creation of an effective treatment plan specific to your dental needs.
Better Outcomes With Advanced Technology
Besides offering comfort and convenience not found with other types of braces, the advanced technology of Invisalign treatment also allows precise control over tooth movement.
What does that get you? Effective results without any of the unnecessary discomfort that is commonly experienced when using braces – such as fixed wires that poke your gums, or wire tightening sessions at the orthodontist’s office.
In fact, you can enjoy up to 75% less discomfort during Invisalign treatment in Vancouver. Sign up for a consultation and ask us to show you the studies to see for yourself. We’d love to get you your perfect smile and make it as comfortable as possible for you along the way.
Gentle Pressure: The Key To Effective Movement
The effectiveness of Invisalign lies in its ability to apply targeted pressure on certain areas while leaving others untouched.
What you experience is a gradual shift into alignment without causing much of the discomfort or pain often associated with conventional braces.
In addition, other areas of discomfort you might experience with conventional metal braces – such as soreness when you brush your teeth – are greatly reduced or eliminated at Radiant Smiles thanks to gentle, clinically-proven light therapy that is included at no extra charge in your Invisalign treatment.
Digital Precision for Customized Treatment Plans
In your very first consultation appointment, a precise digital scan is taken of your smile.
This is a huge advancement over physical impressions and what’s possible in an initial braces consultation. Here’s how:
You can immediately review your smile in great detail with your Invisalign dentist
We’ll show you a detailed, personalized treatment plan to achieve your best smile – right away, in person, on the 3D scan of your current smile.
This 3D digital scan will be used to create a customized set of aligners, specifically tailored to you.
This simply isn’t possible in the same way with braces. If receiving a customized plan for your treatment process up front is important to you, Invisalign aligners are a great treatment option.
This level of precision not only ensures a successful end result but also makes the entire process more comfortable since there’s no need for frequent visits to the orthodontist for tightening wires, as would be the case with conventional metal braces.
How Long Does Invisalign Treatment Take?
A common answer from an Invisalign doctor to this question is that Invisalign treatment takes about 18 months on average for most patients. At Radiant Smiles, our patients often see results up to 2x faster than their average treatment time at other Vancouver orthodontic practices.
Your compliance with treatment does play a key role in your progress and results. Unlike fixed alternatives, these removable aligners must be worn to be effective. The more you wear them, the faster and better results you’ll see.
Does Invisalign Work?
Yes, Invisalign works quickly and effectively to straighten teeth and achieve great results for your smile, usually in less time than it takes with ceramic or metal braces.
Even better, at Radiant Smiles in Vancouver, Invisalign treatment works 2x faster. Get your best smile and a whole lot more in half the time.
Enjoy added value like:
1-on-1 focus from our entire team at each appointment. We only ever see 1-2 patients at a time.
Far fewer appointments than a typical braces or Invisalign doctor.
Up to 75% less discomfort from average treatment.
Comparing Invisalign Treatment and Traditional Braces
The choice between traditional braces and Invisalign clear aligners is a common comparison when considering orthodontic treatment. The key to deciding wisely is a clear understanding of unique qualities, advantages, and potential downsides related to each choice.
Comfort: Metal Braces vs Invisalign Aligners
Metal braces are a tried-and-true method for straightening teeth but can often cause discomfort due to their rigid structure and metal wires and brackets. The brackets are attached directly onto your teeth and connected by wires which gradually tighten over time, causing pressure on your gums.
The brackets can tend to scratch your gums and it’s somewhat common for wires to poke or scratch your mouth at some point during treatment as well.
In comparison, Invisalign aligners are custom-made for you and your new smile. That means every piece of these clear aligners is designed with your specific smile and set of teeth in mind, making the fit much more precise and comfortable.
In general, Invisalign clear aligners are known to work more comfortably, but in most cases, you may still feel some discomfort early in treatment with the first few sets of aligners. But much less than the traditional orthodontic methods.
How You Get More at Radiant Smiles: most patients enjoy up to 75% less discomfort with their teeth thanks to our clinically-proven gentle light therapy that is a complimentary part of your treatment, and convenient too.
Aesthetics: Visible Hardware vs Invisible Orthodontic Treatment
Traditional metal braces can be quite noticeable during conversation or smiling. The hardware is permanently affixed to your teeth during treatment, so there’s also no way to remove these temporarily. Ceramic clear options provide a less visible alternative yet still include prominent metal components – like wires – attached to the tooth surface.
In comparison, Invisalign clear aligners are just that – clear. They’re virtually invisible on your teeth, even at normal conversational distances.
How You Get More at Radiant Smiles: While Invisalign aligners are clear, Invisalign attachments (tiny buttons on your teeth) are not. Sometimes it’s necessary for your straighter smile that these attachments are placed on your front teeth where they would be visible to others. But we’ve developed a proven way to hide Invisalign attachments on front teeth and still get you the same great results.
Dietary Habits & Oral Hygiene Maintenance Concerns
Foods hard in texture like apples or sticky sweets could potentially damage metallic apparatus, hence should be avoided if you’re wearing traditional dental appliances.
Cleaning around these fixtures requires extra care so as not to jeopardize oral health through the accumulation of food particles leading to plaque build-up.
In comparison, Invisalign aligners are completely removable while eating and/or drinking, so there are no eating restrictions for you on your way to straight teeth.
(Actually, most of our patients do eat with their Invisalign aligners in, and they’re happy about it! To find out why, read more here: Can You Eat With Invisalign On?).
How You Get More at Radiant Smiles: The typical Invisalign doctor will give you a treatment plan that includes changing clear aligners every 7-14 days. For most patients, that’s enough time for aligners to get dirty, discolored, and less than appealing. At Radiant Smiles, we start patients off changing aligners about every 4 days – which keeps your aligners fresh and maximally effective.
Invisalign Treatment Cost vs. Braces
Invisalign cost has changed a lot over the years compared to braces. You might be surprised to hear that, today, the two treatments are essentially competitive from a price perspective – and it’s proven that Invisalign works faster to straighten teeth.
The average cost of either treatment in Vancouver today is between $6,000 – $10,000.
How You Get More at Radiant Smiles: The average Invisalign treatment cost at Radiant Smiles for most patients is $5,000 – $8,975. You’ll get a whole lot more for your investment (like results up 2x faster) at a competitive price (or less) than what you’ll find at many orthodontists and dentists in Vancouver.
FAQs
What are Invisalign Braces?
Invisalign braces are a commonly used name for Invisalign clear aligners. In reality, there is no such thing as ‘Invisalign Braces’ or any form of Invisalign treatment that also includes braces. If you’ve heard about the great teeth straightening results of Invisalign Braces and want to own your best smile 2x faster, you might love Invisalign in half the time.
How fast do teeth move with Invisalign?
At a typical Invisalign doctor, it can take several months for you to see visible improvements to your teeth alignment.
But if you’re looking for faster Invisalign treatment in Vancouver, average patients at Radiant Smiles see about 80% of total progress within the first 4 months of treatment – which means you could see visible improvement in as little as a few weeks.
How long does it take for Invisalign to work?
The length of Invisalign treatment will vary depending on the complexity of your case. A 2017 study reported that takes, on average, about 17.5 months for clear aligners like Invisalign to work.
At Radiant Smiles, Invisalign works much faster – up to 2x faster even.
Is Invisalign Treatment Painful?
Patients can experience some discomfort during treatment, especially at the beginning for the first few sets of aligners. However, at Radiant Smiles you can enjoy up to 75% less discomfort thanks to our clinically-proven methods.
Is Invisalign faster than braces?
Yes, on average, Invisalign is proven to be faster than braces for orthodontic treatment. At Radiant Smiles, you’ll get Invisalign treatment in Vancouver up to 2x faster than even typical Invisalign patients enjoy.
Conclusion
How does Invisalign work? Invisalign technology is designed to gradually and gently get you straight teeth faster, more comfortably, and more discreetly than other traditional orthodontic methods.
At Radiant Smiles, you get even more like:
Finishing treatment up to 2x faster than average braces or Invisalign patients.
Saving time with 50% fewer appointments than at other Vancouver practices.
Enjoying up to 75% less discomfort during treatment than typical patients.
