At any given time, around 4 million Americans are wearing braces. While these have been the main method of teeth straightening for the longest time, another method has arisen: Invisalign.

Invisalign is a great alternative to traditional braces, not only can you take them out at any time, but also they're very discreet.

Perhaps you're interested in exploring this option. So you may have some questions.

For instance, how long does Invisalign take to straighten teeth? And what influences the time it takes for you to get Invisalign?

In this article, we'll discuss everything you need to know about this type of teeth straightening procedure.

Invisalign is a relatively new type of teeth straightening method. Instead of using brackets like metal and ceramic braces do, Invisalign uses clear aligner trays.

Because these aligners slowly move your teeth, you can't use one set forever. Just like traditional braces need to be tightened every so often, you need to switch aligners frequently as well.

Depending on your personal situation, you'll need anywhere between 25 to 40 trays to get your teeth perfectly straight.

First things first: how long does Invisalign take? Obviously, it'll be different from person to person.

But in general, you can expect the treatment to take around 1 to 1.5 years. For many people, you'll start seeing a noticeable difference in just 2 to 3 months of wearing these aligners.

If you're wondering about what can make your Invisalign treatment time shorter or longer, then read on. In the next section, we'll discuss some key factors that can affect the length of time you use aligners for.

Because the Invisalign process is highly personalized, this means treatment might take 1 year for you while it'll take 2 years for someone else. Here are some reasons why your timeline might be slightly different.

Crowded Teeth

If you have a minor case of crowded teeth, Invisalign can take just half a year to complete. However, if you have more serious crowding, treatment can obviously take longer.

In fact, if you have severe crowding, your orthodontist might suggest you either get headgear or have some teeth removed to allow proper spacing for the others. This is why it's vital you have a thorough consultation with them; they'll be able to tell you if you're a good candidate for Invisalign or not.

Gap in Teeth

Like with crowded teeth, the length of time for Invisalign treatment can vary drastically. For example, if you have just a small gap in your teeth, your treatment period can be short at 8 weeks! However, if your gaps are bigger, this teeth straightening method will obviously take much longer.

Do note that gaps come back easily if you don't adhere to the treatment plan your orthodontist gives you. So after you've fixed the gaps, you need to make sure you keep wearing the retainer they give you afterward. That way, it'll prevent the gap from happening again.

Adults vs Teenagers

There's actually not a huge difference in the treatment time when you look at adults vs teenagers. Of course, it'll depend on the condition of your teeth.

But for the most part, treatment may take longer for teenagers than it does for adults. This is because the aligners must be worn for at least 22 hours a day for them to be effective.

Teenagers aren't the most responsible people, so they'll be more prone to forgetting to wear their aligner trays. There are actually special teenager Invisalign aligner trays made with compliance indicators.

There are blue dots on the trays, which fade as time goes by. When 2 weeks have gone by (or 336 hours), the dots will completely disappear if the teenager has worn them for the proper amount of time.

Otherwise, they can wear the aligner part-time until the dot disappears. Of course, this means the length of treatment will be for much longer than normal.

As we've mentioned above, Invisalign treatment can take around 1 to 1.5 years to complete.

With traditional braces, it can take anywhere between 1 to 3 years. In more extreme cases, treatment can even take up to 5 years!

Plus, Invisalign aligner trays won't break as easily as the wire snaps on metal bracket braces. When breakage occurs, this can delay treatment, and with traditional braces, this can happen often. While aligner trays can break, it doesn't happen very often, so long as you're careful with your aligners.

As you can see, you can expect Invisalign to take much less time to complete.

In addition, you can reap many other benefits when choose Invisalign instead of metal bracket braces. These include better oral hygiene, more comfort and convenience, less pain, inconspicuousness, and more personalized treatment.

As far as visits to the orthodontist go, they'll be about the same for both. You'll have to get your braces tightened every 2 to 3 weeks; you'll need new aligners in roughly the same period of time.

So how long does Invisalign take to straighten teeth? That'll depend entirely on your personal situation.

If you have very minor issues with your teeth, then you can expect your treatment plan to be relatively short. However, if your teeth are in bad shape, then expect Invisalign to take a bit longer to complete.

If you're interested in getting Invisalign for your crowded teeth, then come to Smile Saver's Dentistry in Columbia, MD. We offer Invisalign services and will help you get the perfect pearly whites you've always wanted.