What is Invisalign? Clear aligners explained

Invisalign is a brand of clear, removable aligners made by Align Technology that straightens teeth without metal braces. You wear a series of custom-made trays for 20 to 22 hours a day, each moving your teeth slightly further. At Toothi in Edgware, Invisalign starts at £1,495 for Go Express, with scans, retainers and whitening included. The whole course is planned digitally before the first aligner is made: a 3D iTero scan of your teeth becomes a ClinCheck treatment plan, so you see the expected end result on screen before you commit to anything.

For the mechanics of tooth movement, go straight to how Invisalign works; for treatment at our clinic, see Invisalign in Edgware.

Invisalign is a brand name, not a type of treatment. The treatment is clear aligner therapy; Invisalign is the version made by Align Technology, the US company that launched the first aligner system in the late 1990s and is still the largest manufacturer. Other brands exist, which is why the general terms clear aligners and invisible braces are used almost interchangeably with the Invisalign name.

Each aligner is a thin, transparent tray made from SmartTrack, Align’s own patented plastic. It applies gentle, steady pressure rather than a sudden push. Aligners are trimmed to the gum line, sit snugly over the teeth and are hard to spot in conversation or in photos. You can’t buy them yourself: Invisalign is prescribed and supervised by a dentist or orthodontist trained by Align, and every case is planned and approved by that clinician.

Braces and aligners move teeth by the same biology: steady pressure remodels the bone around the root, so the tooth shifts and new bone fills in behind it. The difference is the hardware.

• ✓  Fixed vs removable. Braces are bonded on for the whole course. Aligners come out to eat, to drink anything other than water and to brush.
• ✓  Visibility. Even ceramic braces have a wire; a clean aligner is close to invisible.
• ✓  Comfort. No brackets to rub the cheeks, though each new aligner brings a day or two of tightness.
• ✓  Responsibility. Aligners only work while they’re in, which is why the 22-hour rule matters so much.
• ✓  Scope. Fixed braces still have the edge for some large movements, so complex cases are often better treated by an orthodontist.

A fuller comparison is in Invisalign vs braces.

Invisalign handles most of the problems adults ask about: crowding, spacing and gaps, an overbite where the top teeth sit too far over the lower ones, a mild underbite or crossbite, and teeth that have drifted back after braces worn in the past.

What it doesn’t do well on its own: severe skeletal problems where the jaws themselves are mismatched, teeth that need rotating a long way, large bite changes, and cases that need extractions or jaw surgery. At Toothi we pick up these complex cases at the free consultation and refer them on to an orthodontist rather than squeezing them into an aligner plan. Teeth and gums also have to be healthy first, so any fillings or gum treatment are done before aligners are made.

Align sells Invisalign to clinicians in tiers. They differ in how many aligners you get and how much movement is allowed.

What we offer: Toothi provides the Go range (Express, Go and Go Plus). Our principal dentist, who has a special interest in Invisalign, sees every case at the free consultation. If your teeth need more than Go Plus allows, we’ll tell you and refer you on to an orthodontist. The three options are compared in Invisalign packages, and who should treat you is covered in Invisalign: dentist or orthodontist?

1. Free consultation and iTero scan. A digital scan (no putty), plus a check-up and X-rays to make sure your teeth and gums are ready. You see a simulated result the same day.
2. ClinCheck plan. Your dentist builds a digital plan showing each stage of movement, how many aligners you’ll need and where your teeth should end up. Nothing is made until you’ve approved it. More in what is Invisalign ClinCheck?
3. Fitting, typically 2 to 3 weeks later. Small tooth-coloured attachments may be bonded to some teeth to give the aligner grip, and a little enamel polishing between teeth (IPR) may be done to create space.
4. Wearing the aligners. 20 to 22 hours a day, out only to eat, drink and clean. Everyday practicalities are in living with Invisalign.
5. Reviews roughly every 8 weeks to check progress against the plan and hand over the next aligners.
6. Refinements if needed. If any teeth lag behind, a short extra set of aligners (refinements) finishes the job.
7. Retainers. Teeth try to drift back, so you wear retainers after treatment, for life. See Invisalign retainers.

Realistic timings are in how long does Invisalign take?

Invisalign is private treatment; it’s not available on the NHS for adults. The price depends on how much movement your case needs and what’s in the package, so check whether scans, refinements and retainers are part of any quote you get. We publish three fixed prices with everything included.

Included in every Invisalign package: iTero 3D scan and ClinCheck · all review appointments · refinement aligners if needed · removable and fixed retainers · Airflow hygiene clean · Boutique teeth whitening. There are no add-ons. Full detail on our fees page, in the Invisalign cost guide and, for spreading the cost, Invisalign monthly payments.

Invisalign suits adults with healthy teeth and gums, a mild to moderate alignment problem and the discipline to keep the aligners in for 20 to 22 hours a day. It works especially well if you work face to face, have relapsed after braces, or want to straighten before bonding or veneers so that less tooth needs covering. It’s a poor fit if you know you’ll forget to wear them, or if the problem is in the jaws rather than the teeth. We treat adults aged 18 and over. If you’re weighing it up, read is Invisalign worth it?; what patients say afterwards is in our Invisalign reviews, and the results are in our before and after gallery.