“I want straighter teeth” is usually where the conversation starts, but it’s rarely the whole story. Teeth don’t get crowded or crooked for no reason, and before we talk about Invisalign, we want to know why yours moved in the first place. Sometimes that’s simple. Sometimes it changes the whole plan.
What we look for first
Everyone gets a 3D scan as part of their exam here. It’s how we look at every mouth now, not something you have to ask for. The scan shows us how your bite really comes together, where the crowding is coming from, and whether something else, like a habit, an old filling or crown, or uneven wear, is pushing the teeth around. Invisalign is often the right answer. Sometimes it’s the first step of a bigger plan, and sometimes the real fix is somewhere else.
This matters more than it sounds. Teeth that drifted because of a tongue habit will drift back after treatment unless the habit is treated, and teeth wearing unevenly because of the bite will keep wearing. Straightening teeth without knowing why they moved is how people end up doing this twice.
How treatment works
Once we know what we’re solving, Dr. Lee-Mirzayan plans a series of custom clear aligners that move your teeth a little at a time. No wires, no brackets.
- You wear them 20 to 22 hours a day. They come out to eat and brush, and they’re in the rest of the time. This is what decides whether treatment finishes on schedule, and it’s almost entirely up to you.
- You switch to the next aligner on a set schedule, usually every one to two weeks, depending on your plan.
- Most cases take 6 to 24 months. Mild crowding is at the short end. A bite that’s really being rebuilt is at the long end.
- You’ll probably need attachments. These are small tooth-colored bumps bonded to some teeth so the aligner has something to push against. Most plans need them, and they come off at the end.
- Refinements are normal, not a failure. Teeth rarely move exactly to plan. A second short set of aligners at the end to finish the details is a normal part of treatment, so expect it instead of being surprised by it.
You see us the whole way through. Aligners mailed to your house with nobody checking your bite are a different product.
Adults, and whether you’re too old for this
You’re not. Teeth move at any age, because the biology that lets them move doesn’t switch off. We treat plenty of adults who had braces as teenagers, stopped wearing the retainer at nineteen, and watched their lower front teeth crowd up again over the years.
What changes with age is everything around the teeth. Adults are more likely to have gum disease that needs to be under control first, crowns and veneers we have to plan around, worn or chipped edges that will still be worn once the teeth are straight, and bone that responds a little more slowly. None of that rules out treatment. It just means the plan has to account for it, which is why we scan and photograph everything before anyone starts.
Adult cases are often more complicated than teenage ones, and clear aligners handle them well. What they can’t handle is a plan that ignores what else is going on in your mouth.
What Invisalign does well, and what it doesn’t
Aligners are very good at crowding, spacing, mild to moderate bite correction, and teeth that shifted back after old braces. That covers most of what we see.
They’re less suited to big differences in how the jaws line up, teeth that need to move a long way up or down, and some large rotations. Those cases can need braces, a specialist, or a combination. If yours is one of them, we’ll tell you at the consultation instead of starting something that stalls halfway.
Only the bottom teeth?
This is one of the most common questions we get. The answer is that it’s sometimes possible and often not a good idea, because moving one arch changes how it meets the other. We wrote a full answer: can you get Invisalign for bottom teeth only →
What it costs, and what affects the price
We don’t publish a price, because the range is wide enough that a number on a page would mislead you. What we can tell you is what changes it.
- How far your teeth have to move. A little crowding and a real bite correction are different amounts of work and different numbers of aligners.
- One arch or both.
- Whether anything has to happen first. Gum treatment, a failing filling or crown, or a habit that needs work all come before the aligners.
- What happens afterward. Some people want bonding or veneers once the teeth are in place, and plenty don’t need anything.
Most dental plans with orthodontic coverage pay a fixed lifetime amount instead of a percentage, and it’s usually modest. We go through the full number with you before anything starts. Our article on dental insurance explains why that lifetime maximum works the way it does.
The part everyone skips: what happens after
Teeth don’t set like concrete. They’re held in bone by a ligament that spent months being reshaped so they could move, and it doesn’t forget right away. Without a retainer, teeth drift back, and the lower front teeth are the first to go.
A retainer isn’t an afterthought or an upsell. It’s the second half of treatment, and it’s the reason so many adults are in our chair asking about aligners for the second time. We cover what actually keeps teeth in place here: why your teeth keep moving, and what your tongue has to do with it →
Three cases from our office
One patient’s lower teeth were crowded enough to cause problems with cleaning and long-term health, and Invisalign straightened them before it became a bigger issue. Another had gaps from a tongue thrust that bonding alone wouldn’t have fixed for good. Treating the habit first meant Invisalign could actually close them. A third patient’s teeth were wearing down unevenly because of his bite. Invisalign fixed the alignment first, then crowns restored what the wear had already cost him.
See how we solved T.G.’s crowding → | See how we solved J.L.’s gaps → | See how we solved D.E.’s uneven wear →
Invisalign or veneers?
They fix different problems. Aligners move the teeth you have. Veneers change their shape and color. Some cases need one, some need the other, and some need aligners first so the veneers afterward can be thinner and take less tooth. We compare them in detail here →
Getting started
A consultation starts with the scan, the photos, and a conversation about what’s bothering you and why your teeth are where they are. You’ll leave knowing whether aligners are the right choice, what the steps would be, and what it costs. Call 702-734-0776.