The latest and newest addition to aesthetic dentistry, invisible aligners or clear aligners, are dental devices that work wonders in teeth straightening, conferring beautiful smiles worldwide.
The duration of clear aligner therapy varies from person to person. Some individuals may see noticeable improvements within a few months, while others may require a longer treatment period. It’s important to remember that everyone’s teeth move at a different pace, and patience is key.
How Clear Aligner Works
Clear aligners are a series of dental trays that are snugly fit to a patient’s mouth to shift teeth to their desired destination over a period of time.
These removable and invisible aligners are made with thin medical-grade plastic or acrylic materials. They are designed to generate gentle pressure to correct teeth gaps, malocclusions, and other dental issues. Tooth-coloured dental attachments are also used to move the teeth.
This orthodontic treatment process works in a personalized manner where an orthodontist will evaluate you, and based on this real-time evaluation, your treatment plan, along with a number of aligner trays, is provided. A patient will get new aligners every couple of weeks.
Factors Affecting Treatment Duration
1. Severity of misalignment
Some orthodontic problems, such as minor gaps between the teeth, mild crowding, or mild bite issues, can be corrected within 6 months. However, some individuals have a combination of dental issues, like severe crowding combined with proclined upper front teeth, which may increase the treatment duration.
2. Age
Treatment will be easier if you are younger and still benefit from a growing jaw. Older patients may spend a bit more time in treatment because they have additional factors that can affect their treatment plan.
3. Patient compliance
Your willingness to comply with the treatment plan is the biggest indicator of how long your treatment will take. Your aligner trays should only be removed when eating, drinking, brushing, and flossing. For the best results, wear your trays a minimum of 22 hours a day.
4. Individual biological factors
If you have built-in or biological concerns like gum disease, cavities, or other oral issues, the treatment period can be increased. In severe cases, your condition may make you ineligible for this treatment.
5. Orthodontic consultation and planning
This is vital if you are considering clear aligners as a dental solution. With proper orthodontic consultation and planning, your results may only be adequate for your dental problems.
Typical Timeline for Clear Aligner Treatment
Clear aligner treatment promises long-term stability and a permanent solution if all the rules and guidelines of the treatment phase are maintained. The treatment timeline can not be predicted without assessing your dental condition, biological records, general health, and age factor.
Average Treatment Times
- Mild Cases- 6 to 8 months
- Moderate Cases- 10 to 12 months
- Complex Cases- 12-18 months. Combination of treatment may be required.
Step 1: Initial assessment and treatment planning
Your primary consultation with an orthodontist will include an assessment of your oral condition. In this phase, your treatment plan and a number of aligner sets will be finalized. This might take 3-7 days, during which you can have an overview of your condition and a virtual representation of your future smile.
Step 2: Active treatment phase
Based on your treatment plan you may start your teeth straightening journey with clear aligner trays. In the first few months, you may need to make a few adjustments with your lifestyle to be convenient with the treatment. In some cases patients experience changes in their dental flaws in just 6 months of continuous use.
Step 3: Refinement and fine tuning
You can clearly see and feel the changes in the next few months. As you progress, new sets of aligner trays and refinement aligners may be provided to you to fine-tune your results.
Step 4: Retention phase
After a successful therapy session with clear aligners, you will be provided retainers to be used at bedtime (as per prescription) to retain and maintain your teeth alignment.
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Tips for Completing Clear Aligner Treatment Faster
- Stick to the schedule– Make a schedule that is comfortable for you, marking the timings for your meals and oral hygiene practices so that you can have a proper idea of when you are wearing your aligners every day.
- Wear them as prescribed– It’s crucial to wear your aligners for the recommended 20 to 22 hours per day. Consistency is key to achieving the desired results within the estimated timeframe.
- Be patient and consistent– Consistency is the key to a successful result. You must be patient enough to follow the guidelines.
- Maintain good oral hygiene– Brush, floss and use an antibacterial mouthwash to maintain good oral health. Practice chew exercises to reduce teeth and gum irritation.
- Stay Hydrated– Sipping water regularly will keep you hydrated, giving you good oral health.
- Attend Regular Check-ups– Never miss your scheduled check-ups for a smooth and fast orthodontic treatment involving clear aligners.
- Avoid Damaging Habits– Forget teeth and gum damaging habits like chewing gutkha and tobacco. These habits can not only slow down your treatment but can eliminate the overall chance of your cure.
- Never forget to wear your retainers– To retain your beautiful result (smile), Do not forget to wear your prescribed retainers!
Which Treatment is Faster: Braces or Aligners?
A lot of patients with orthodontic issues have switched to clear aligners from using traditional braces mostly because of the faster treatment approach of this therapy. Involving clear aligner is an optimized treatment of orthodontic issues which provides results in 12-15 months compared to 2-3 years long treatment with braces.
i3DLiner Aligner: An Effective Alternative for Traditional Braces
Traditional metal braces, usually stainless steel, have been used for years and have proven highly effective in treating certain issues, like severe crowding, bite problems, gaps, etc. They are made of metal and consist of brackets attached to each individual tooth.
Using such braces comes with several drawbacks, such as, due to their design, it can be difficult for regular flossing and brushing to reach all the areas in between teeth and around the brackets. This can lead to more plaque buildup and an increased risk of developing cavities and other problems such as gum disease. Also, these braces are not removable and come with diet restrictions too.
The materials of i3dliner clear aligners are FDA-approved and totally Biocompatible, thus ensuring 100% safety for your precious teeth, gums, and cheeks. They are lightweight, very convenient, and comfortable, perfect for long-term usage as the treatment demands.
With i3dLiner clear aligners, you are free from many restrictions with many other advantages over braces:
Freedom to plan your future smile: During primary consultations with our orthodontist at i3dLiner, you can oversee your transformed smile over time before starting your treatment plan. This will let you make an informed decision about your treatment.
Involves no pain or discomfort: The highly advanced medical-grade plastic trays are tailor-fit for your teeth and do not involve any discomfort or pain during the whole treatment period.
No more poky metals: Now you can easily bid goodbye to the metal braces with shiny presence, uncomfortable attachments, poky metals and many lifestyle restrictions.
Removable: Our clear aligners are ultra-modern, lightweight, and easily removable. They allow you to eat anything you want and clean your teeth and aligners, leading to better oral health.
Beautiful results: i3dLiner clear aligners are tested and verified to provide excellent, permanent results. Many of our happy users have been shifted from braces and are satisfied with their beautiful smiles, which we are proud of.
Final Verdict
Treatment time with aligners varies depending on how much the teeth need to be rotated or moved. The more crooked the teeth are, and the more a person’s bite is off, the longer it will take to straighten them. Most times treatment takes between 10 and 24 months.
The treatment time for an adult with braces as a child can be shorter, especially if the teeth only shifted slightly over the years. In that case, treatment can take just about 10 weeks.
FAQs
The treatment is permanent in nature and will last a lifetime if all the guidelines are thoroughly followed.
Dentists recommend keeping your aligners in for 20-22 hours each day, but 22 hours gives you the best chance of accelerating the process.
You can take aligners off for special occasions, like a wedding, a job interview, or playing your favourite sport. But typically people wear their aligners 20 to 22 hours a day to get the best results.
The typical advice is to wear an aligner for 22 hours daily; failing to do so may cause discomfort and delayed results.
Sometimes, your teeth may not align properly on schedule, causing them to lag behind in their alignment. In such cases, your orthodontist may prescribe refinement aligners designed to complete and fine-tune the necessary adjustments for your teeth.
