Invisalign — clear aligners, planned in 3D

The specialist view: Invisalign can do what braces can do

Here's the honest specialist framing — different from what a lot of patients hear elsewhere: Invisalign can treat virtually any case that braces can treat. The plastic is just another tool for applying force to teeth. It produces the same biological tooth movement, on the same digital treatment plan, with the same clinical precision. Rotation, tipping, translation, intrusion, extrusion, torque — all of it. The mechanism is different. The clinical outcomes are equivalent.

What's actually different between the two appliances isn't capability. It's who's doing the work day-to-day.

• With braces, the appliance is the work. Brackets are bonded to your teeth. The wire is engaged at every appointment. Treatment happens whether you remember it or not. You show up to scheduled adjustments. It's plug-and-play.
• With Invisalign, you are the work. The plastic only moves teeth when it's in your mouth. Patients who wear the trays 20-22 hours per day, as prescribed, get the same results as braces patients. Patients who don't, fall behind — sometimes significantly. Compliance is the variable. We see the success breakdown clearly when patients don't wear the trays as long and as consistently as they're supposed to.

So the real question at the consultation isn't "can Invisalign treat my case." For nearly any case, the answer is yes. The real question is: will you reliably wear the trays for 20-22 hours a day, every day, for the duration of treatment? Patients who can honestly say yes are excellent Invisalign candidates. Patients who can't are usually better off with braces — not because their case is "too complex," but because braces continue working whether the patient is engaged or not.

Who Invisalign tends to work especially well for

• Adults who are intentional about treatment and committed to the wear schedule
• Patients prioritizing aesthetics during treatment — Invisalign is nearly invisible in person and entirely invisible in most photographs
• Patients prioritizing removability — for eating, brushing, special occasions, public speaking
• Patients who value easier hygiene — brushing and flossing is significantly easier without brackets and wires
• Adolescents responsible enough to wear them consistently — Invisalign Teen includes built-in compliance indicators (small dots that fade with wear) so parents can verify the trays are actually being worn
• Children in the mixed-dentition years when tooth alignment is part of Phase I treatment — Invisalign First is our preferred Phase I tool because hygiene is so much easier without brackets

When braces might fit your case better

Three legitimate reasons we recommend braces over Invisalign:

1. Compliance concerns. Patients who know they won't reliably wear aligners for 20-22 hours a day are honest with themselves — and we respect that. Braces are usually the right call for them.
2. Personal preference. A lot of patients simply prefer braces. They like the certainty, they don't want the responsibility of managing trays, or they like the visible progress markers. Personal preference is a legitimate driver of this decision and we never push patients toward Invisalign when they'd rather have braces.
3. Cases requiring adjunct appliances. Some cases need additional appliances regardless of whether the alignment phase uses aligners or braces — palatal expanders, MARPE for adult expansion, jaw growth appliances for kids, surgical coordination for severe skeletal cases. These aren't really "braces vs. Invisalign" questions; they happen alongside the tooth-movement work. Sometimes the cleanest combination is braces; sometimes Invisalign runs in parallel with the adjunct appliance. Dr. Andros will recommend the cleanest path at your consultation.

What's not on this list: "cases too complex for Invisalign." The digital workflow — CBCT-based planning, careful virtual case design, refinement aligners when needed — makes Invisalign clinically capable of virtually any case braces could handle. The constraint isn't the plastic. The constraint is whether the patient will wear it.

A note for parents: kids are often the best Invisalign patients

This catches a lot of parents off guard. The most common concern we hear from parents considering Invisalign for their child is some version of "my kid will never wear them" — followed by the assumption that braces will be more reliable for that reason.

In our experience, the opposite has been true. Historically, children and adolescents are some of our best-compliance Invisalign patients. A few reasons consistently show up:

• Kids respond well to clear routines. Putting trays in after meals and brushing teeth becomes a habit quickly when it's structured from day one.
• Less ego, less social second-guessing. Adults sometimes leave the trays out for social events, meetings, or dates they're self-conscious about. Kids generally don't have that layer of overthinking — the trays go in and stay in.
• Parents are in the loop. Especially with younger kids, parents help reinforce the wear schedule, which catches small slips before they become big ones. Invisalign Teen includes built-in compliance indicators (small blue dots that fade with wear) so parents can verify the trays are actually being worn.
• Easier hygiene matters more at this age. Brushing and flossing without brackets and wires is significantly easier, and the cleaner result reinforces the daily routine.

None of this means every kid is a slam-dunk Invisalign candidate — we're honest at the consultation about which kids we'd recommend braces for instead. But the assumption that "kids won't wear them" frequently doesn't hold up. If you're a parent considering Invisalign for your child and your hesitation is compliance-based, bring it up at the consultation. We can give you a direct read on whether your specific kid is likely to be one of our great Invisalign patients.

How Invisalign works at Andros Orthodontics

The Invisalign workflow at Andros Orthodontics is integrated with our digital orthodontic process. The full sequence:

Step 1 — Digital case planning

CBCT imaging captures the three-dimensional position of every tooth root and surrounding bone. An intraoral scan captures the exact crown geometry. Dr. Andros plans the full movement sequence in software — every tooth's path from current position to final position, checked against root collisions, bone availability, and adjacent restorative work. More about our digital workflow →

Step 2 — Aligner fabrication

The treatment plan goes to Invisalign for fabrication. Each tray is custom-manufactured for a specific stage of your treatment.

Step 3 — Bonding any required attachments

Attachments are small tooth-colored composite bumps bonded to specific teeth where the case requires them. They give the aligner trays something to grip, allowing more complex movements than smooth trays alone could deliver. They're nearly invisible and removed at the end of treatment.

Step 4 — Wearing the trays

Trays are worn 20-22 hours per day — essentially all the time you're not eating, drinking anything other than water, or doing oral hygiene. You change trays on the schedule prescribed (typically weekly or bi-weekly). The discipline is real; the visibility is minimal.

Step 5 — Check-ins and refinements

Routine progress visits every 6-10 weeks verify the teeth are tracking on plan. If movement is falling behind — typically because trays weren't worn enough hours per day — we order refinements, additional aligner sets that course-correct. Refinements are part of routine Invisalign treatment and are included in your case fee.

Daily life with Invisalign

The practical experience day-to-day:

• Eat and drink whatever you want. Trays come out for any food or any drink that isn't water. No food restrictions. No breaking hardware on popcorn or ice. The trade-off: every snack means taking trays out and brushing before putting them back in.
• Brushing and flossing are easier than with braces. You take the trays out, brush and floss normally, and put them back in. No threading floss under wires, no brushing around brackets.
• Speech adjusts quickly. Most patients have a slight lisp the first few days that resolves within a week. If you give presentations or speak publicly for work, plan for that adjustment window.
• The trays are nearly invisible. In person, most people don't notice them unless they're looking. In photographs, they're typically completely invisible.
• You can take them out for special occasions. A wedding, a presentation, photos — pull them out for an hour or two. Just put them back in. The treatment math accommodates occasional brief removal as long as you're hitting your daily wear-time average.
• Compliance is everything. Patients who consistently wear the trays the prescribed time finish on schedule. Patients who don't, don't. There's no middle ground.

Why we don't recommend chewies

Chewies are widely sold as an Invisalign accessory — small plastic cylinders patients are told to bite on for 5-10 minutes when an aligner doesn't seat fully. We don't recommend them. In our experience and the supporting Invisalign-specific research, chewies can actually distort the aligner trays — particularly modern trays designed with small spaces along the incisal edge for tooth extrusion. A distorted tray doesn't track tooth movement accurately, and the case can fall behind.

The reliable answer to almost every "is my aligner tracking" question is the simplest one: wear the tray the full prescribed time. There's no shortcut. If a new tray doesn't seat, go back to the previous tray for several more days and let it finish its work, then try the new one again. More on this on the Orthodontic Emergencies page.

Invisalign Teen and Invisalign First

Invisalign Teen

Designed for adolescents, includes built-in compliance indicators — small blue dots on each tray that fade as the tray is worn. Parents can verify the trays are actually being worn the prescribed time, which addresses the single biggest variable in teen aligner treatment. Otherwise mechanically similar to standard Invisalign.

Invisalign First

Designed for children in the mixed-dentition years — when permanent teeth are still erupting and baby teeth are still present. When Phase I treatment at Andros Orthodontics requires tooth alignment, Invisalign First is almost always our first choice. The reason is practical: it's much easier for parents to help kids brush and floss without brackets and wires in the way. Hygiene matters at any age; at this age it really matters. More about Children's Orthodontics →

Cost and insurance

Invisalign treatment is typically priced similarly to comprehensive braces treatment at Andros Orthodontics. Most dental insurance plans with orthodontic benefits cover Invisalign the same way they cover braces. Specific cost for your case is presented at the consultation alongside your treatment plan and verified insurance benefits. The consultation itself, including any imaging required, is complimentary. More on cost and insurance in our FAQs →