How Does Invisalign Work?

Clearview Wordsmith
Jan 1
5 min read

Updated: Jan 15

Dentist checking a patient's records during treatment. Book with Clearview Market Dental for Invisalign and other dental services in Red Deer.

How Does Invisalign Work? Invisalign is a modern orthodontic system that uses a series of clear, removable aligners to gradually move your teeth into the desired position. It might seem like magic – no brackets or wires – but there’s solid science and advanced technology behind it. Here’s a breakdown of how Invisalign treatment works from start to finish:

1. Digital Scanning and Treatment Planning

It all begins with a visit to the dentist or orthodontist who is an Invisalign provider. At Clearview Market Dental, when we determine a patient is a good candidate for Invisalign, we start by taking a 3D digital scan of the patient's teeth. This creates a precise digital model of your current tooth alignment. Using specialized software (Invisalign’s ClinCheck®), we then develop a personalized treatment plan.

This computer simulation shows the step-by-step movements your teeth need to make to go from their current positions to beautifully straight. We can show you a digital preview of your future smile – patients love seeing this sneak peek!. The software also estimates the number of aligners needed and the treatment duration.

The plan is reviewed and adjusted by the dentist and approved. It’s then sent to Invisalign’s manufacturing facility.

2. Custom Aligners are Created

Using the approved digital plan, Invisalign will fabricate a series of custom aligners just for you. Each aligner is like a tight-fitting, transparent plastic tray that snugly snaps over your teeth. They’re made of a special SmartTrack® material, a smooth, BPA-free plastic designed to apply gentle, consistent force to the teeth.

Each aligner is slightly different, progressing your teeth a little further along the path to straightness. For example, aligner #1 will be very close to your current tooth positions, but may include a slight shift in a couple of teeth. Aligner #2 picks up from there, and so on. By the time you get to the final aligner, it reflects the ideal alignment.

You’ll receive a set of aligners – sometimes the whole series at once, or a batch at a time. Each aligner is numbered in order. They must be worn in sequence.

3. Wearing the Aligners

Now the treatment truly begins. You will wear each aligner for about 1-2 weeks, as directed (the exact schedule can vary; some protocols now change weekly). You should wear the aligners 20 to 22 hours per day – basically all the time except when eating, drinking anything other than water, or when brushing and flossing. This consistent wear is critical: the aligners work by applying gentle pressure to specific teeth, nudging them toward their new position.

For instance, an aligner might be slightly tighter against a crooked tooth, exerting pressure over a week or two that moves the tooth to fit the aligner perfectly. Once it does (or near it), it’s time to switch to the next aligner, which will apply new pressure to continue the movement.

Each aligner generally moves teeth by fractions of a millimetre or a few tenths of a degree of rotation. Changes are small, but they accumulate. Over the weeks, you’ll notice your teeth gradually straightening. One aligner may focus on moving certain teeth, and subsequent aligners may move others. The process is carefully programmed.

What about attachments?

In many cases, we will place small, tooth-coloured bumps called attachments on some teeth. These are made of composite resin (a white filling material) and serve as grips or anchors for the aligners. Because aligners push plastic, some movements (such as pulling a tooth down or rotating a cylindrical tooth) are difficult to achieve with the tray’s friction alone. Attachments give the aligner something to push or pull on. They are barely visible and will be removed once treatment is done. Not everyone needs them, but many do. They help Invisalign treat a wider range of cases.

Additionally, rubber bands may be used in some cases (e.g., to correct a bite discrepancy). Invisalign trays can have small cutouts to hold elastics, similar to braces. Invisalign can address some jaw alignment issues, not just simple tooth straightening, by using elastics as needed.

4. Progress Check-ups

Approximately every 6-8 weeks, you’ll visit us for a progress check (the interval can vary). Since there are fewer emergency visits (no brackets to break), these check-ups are primarily to confirm that your teeth are moving as expected and to provide the next set of aligners.

We’ll check the fit of the current aligner, make any necessary adjustments (sometimes a little enamel shaving called IPR – interproximal reduction – is done to create tiny spaces if teeth are very crowded). IPR is basically polishing between teeth to gain fractions of a millimetre of space, facilitating movement. It’s painless and quick, if needed.

If any tooth isn’t tracking perfectly (say one tooth is a bit behind in movement), we might do a refinement – possibly adding an attachment or adjusting the next aligners. Typically, though, things go smoothly as long as you wear them diligently. It’s important to bring any remaining aligners to your visits so we can assess them and, if needed, skip or extend wear time.

5. Completing Treatment – Refinements

When you finish the last aligner in your series, ideally, your teeth are straight and match the digital plan. If everything looks great, we move to retention (more on that next). However, it’s not uncommon to do a set of refinement aligners – essentially, additional aligners to tweak any minor imperfections. For example, one tooth may still be slightly tilted, or a small space may remain. We’d take a new scan and have a few extra aligners made to fine-tune the result. This is included in the treatment. Our goal is to achieve the optimal outcome.

6. Retention (Retainers)

Now your teeth are beautifully aligned – congratulations! The final crucial step is holding them in place. Teeth have memory, and without retention, they can shift back. With braces, you’d also need retainers, and Invisalign is no different.

Typically, you will receive Vivera® retainers or similar retainers (Vivera is Invisalign’s brand of retainers, made of a very durable clear material that looks much like the aligners but is thicker). Ideally, you’ll need to wear retainers full-time for a few months, then nightly long-term. Over time, the bone around the teeth remodels to the new positions, but some degree of nighttime retainer use is recommended indefinitely to keep that perfect alignment.

Retainers are essentially an insurance policy for the time and investment you put in. They prevent natural age-related drift and keep teeth in their post-Invisalign spots. They look like aligners, but they’re just for maintenance. We will also remove any attachments from your teeth at this stage and polish them to restore smooth tooth surfaces.