and why does everyone have it?
The quick answer to this question is that Invisalign® is the latest alternative to traditional braces. It is a system of clear trays that a person changes every week or two. The trays (called aligners) gradually move the teeth until the perfect smile is achieved.
Invisalign® became famous as the first actual innovation in the orthodontic world in a while. Yes, clear attachment with other fixed braces have been available for a few years now, but nothing comes close to Invisalign® in terms of transparency.
How much does Invisalign (really) cost in London?
Since everyone has been trying to understand the cost of Invisalign before seeing an orthodontist, a lot of dental clinics (including ourselves) came up with package deals to be able to provide an answer to this demand. Most people can expect a cost between £2000 and £4000.
Very mild teeth-straightening (if you’ve had braces in the past or want to correct a tiny misalignment) can be as low as £2000. Please bear in mind though, that very few people are actually suitable for this treatment, and the only way to find out if you’re one of them is to attend a consultation with a specialist.
Yes, you can pay for your braces using finance. For interest-free finance, we require a deposit of 30% of the total cost of treatment. Interest-bearing finance can be done with no deposit. Check the finance calculator below to get an idea of what your monthly payment could look like.
The Whiter Smile Ltd is an Appointed Representative of Chrysalis Finance Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority to carry out the regulated activity of credit broking www.chrysalisfinance.com
Invisalign divides patients into four general groups: very mild cases, mild to moderate cases, more complex cases, and teenagers. Treatment plans and costs are adjusted for each group to offer the best possible treatment.
Invisalign Express is specifically designed to offer an invisible brace solution for people who have minor misalignment or a small gap to correct. The treatment is specific with its 7 aligner sets, which aim to deliver results within less than 6 months.
If the desired smile is not achieved within this time, you can benefit from up to 14 more sets of refinements aligners (all included in the cost).
Invisalign Lite is a strictly cosmetic orthodontic treatment – it doesn’t provide a solution for people who need bite corrections. Despite its aesthetic function, it is often the preferred solution for those who are interested in only straightening their teeth.
With Invisalign Lite, your treatment would likely last between 9 and 12 months. It includes 14 sets of aligners, and if they’re not enough to give you that perfect smile, you can have 28 more sets all included in your cost.
Invisalign Comprehensive can be your treatment of choice if you’re looking to achieve both a beautiful smile and a correct bite. It comes with unlimited sets of aligners, which means that you’ll be receiving treatment until the perfect result is achieved.
Unlike the other treatments, Invisalign Comprehensive comes with a 5-year post-treatment support. This means that if your teeth move two years after the treatment and need a slight re-aligning again, Invisalign will have kept your details on file and you can receive new aligners for a small fee (instead of paying for treatment all over again).
Invisalign Teen takes into account the fact that the patient’s body is still developing, and offers a solution that’s perfect for a little adult. Like the Invisalign Comprehensive treatment, Invisalign Teen provides 5 years of post-treatment access to the patient’s records and additional aligners for a small fee.
The software used to plan the treatment of teenagers with Invisalign Teen provides the orthodontist with additional flexibility to create the best possible treatment plan. An additional benefit to Invisalign Teen is that there’s no restriction needed when it comes to sports or food: the patient can have their routine without ever worrying about their braces.
Can you go on an extended holiday while undergoing treatment?
Absolutely! At LDN Dental we’re delighted to offer Dental Monitoring. With this addition to your treatment, you can:
- speed up your treatment by having more frequent remote appointments with your orthodontist;
- travel for long periods without missing appointments and delaying the process!
By converting your smartphone to a digital scan, Dental Monitoring allows you to submit your progress for a review from anywhere in the world, as long as you have an internet connection. A team of experts along with your clinician then reviews the submitted materials and either assign you with the next set of aligners or instructs you to wear the current ones a little longer.
Treatment planning
Hands down the most critical stage of your treatment. Based on the selected Invisalign package (Express, Lite, Comprehensive/Full, or Teen), Invisalign’s team of digital specialists creates a visual, step-by-step plan of your treatment process. Before you see it, your orthodontists will review and modify this plan to make sure it matches your exact requirements and the specifics of your teeth. After the modifications are added to your design, you will review it with your clinician.
You must ask any questions you have or request the modifications you want at this exact time. Your aligners (the actual Invisalign appliances) will be 3D printed based on the treatment plan.
Treatment
Your treatment starts with a few sets of aligners, whose aim is to prepare your teeth for the changes. Your orthodontist will have decided the exact number of preparatory aligners during the treatment planning.
Following the preparation, you’ll visit your clinician to have the Invisalign attachments bonded to your teeth. These are small, tooth-coloured appliances which assist your aligners in moving your teeth.
Refinement
Once you’ve gone through all of the aligners planned in your treatment plan, your teeth should have reached the desired position. In some cases, however, teeth appear more “stubborn” than braces. In most cases, this is when a tooth needs to rotate.
If that’s the case and either you or your orthodontist is not completely happy with the results at the end of the treatment plan, then additional (refinement) aligners will be ordered until the desired results are achieved.
Settling
If you remove your braces right after your teeth align, your smile will not stay put. At the end of the treatment, you need to wear the last set of retainers for a while longer than all previous once, so your teeth can get settled in the desired position and your bone and can build its teeth bed properly around the roots.
Retainment
Wearing night retainers or having bonded (fixed) retainers is absolutely mandatory at the end of brace treatment. For how long? For as long as you’d like your teeth to remain straight.
Eating, biting, clenching your teeth, and stress are amongst the factors that can move your teeth. Furthermore, our bodies have a memory far better than most of us. Because of this, your organism may try to move your teeth back in their original position for 2, 3, or even 5 years after the treatment has finished.
Request a call from our treatment coordinators:
No, they’re not, although they do look confusingly similar. Invisalign is made of a material initially designed for spacecraft and adapted for use in orthodontics (SmartTrack), while retainers are made of dentally appropriate plastic.
One of the advantages of the Invisalign treatment is that while you wait for your retainers to arrive, you can continue wearing your last set of aligners. You can also save that final set of aligners and use it if you lose or break your retainers.