“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 in our Las Vegas office, we want to know why yours moved in the first place. Sometimes that’s simple. Sometimes it changes the whole plan.
The short answer: Invisalign moves your teeth with a series of custom clear aligners, each one a little different from the last. You wear them 20 to 22 hours a day and switch to the next one on a set schedule. Most cases take 6 to 24 months, and a retainer afterward is what keeps the result.
Thinking about straightening your teeth? We start by finding out why they moved in the first place.
A card is needed to schedule online. Appointments missed, or cancelled with less than 24 hours’ notice, are charged a $75 fee.
Prefer it on paper? Here's a one-page printable sheet on wearing and caring for your aligners (PDF).
How does Invisalign work?
Once we know what we’re solving, Dr. Lee-Mirzayan, an Invisalign provider here in Las Vegas, 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.
- Every case uses attachments. These are small tooth-colored bumps bonded to some teeth so the aligner has something to push against. We don’t treat without 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.
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.
If you’re wondering whether a tongue habit recommendation is real or an add-on, Dr. Lee-Mirzayan answers that directly: do you really need myofunctional therapy with Invisalign →
How long does Invisalign take?
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.
The biggest factor isn’t the plan, it’s wear time. Aligners work when they’re in your mouth 20 to 22 hours a day, and a case that’s only worn part-time takes longer or stops moving. Plan on a short refinement at the end, too.
Does Invisalign hurt?
Not the way people remember braces hurting. Each new aligner feels tight, and your teeth are usually tender for a day or two after a switch. That’s the feeling of your teeth actually moving, and it settles down. There are no wires to tighten and no brackets rubbing the inside of your lip.
Am I too old for Invisalign?
Almost never. Teeth move at any age, because the biology that lets them move doesn’t switch off. So the real question isn’t whether your teeth can move. It’s whether your mouth is healthy enough to do it. 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.
Quick answer: Am I too old to straighten my lower teeth?
What Invisalign can fix, and what it can’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. How Invisalign and braces compare →
Invisalign for the bottom teeth only?
This is one of the most common questions we get. Invisalign can treat the lower teeth on their own, and for mild crowding with a bite that has room for the teeth to move, it can be the right answer. More often it isn’t the best option, because moving one arch changes how it meets the other. When the problem really is only the lower teeth, braces on the lower teeth alone are often the simpler way: they work around the clock, and the lower teeth are the least visible part of your smile. Either way, plan on a retainer for the long haul. We wrote a full answer: can you get Invisalign for bottom teeth only →
How much does Invisalign cost in Las Vegas?
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.
After Invisalign: keeping your teeth straight
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 →
Cases from our office
Invisalign was part of each of these plans, and every photo is one of our own patients. Drag the slider on each photo to compare before and after.
T.G.’s Story
The ask: He’d just had new crowns on his upper front teeth when we noticed his lower teeth were severely crowded, a real risk for keeping them clean and healthy long-term.
The plan: Invisalign guided his bite and lower teeth into alignment, making it easier for him, and for our hygiene team, to keep everything healthy.
J.L.’s Story
The ask: Referred over to bond the spaces between her front teeth.
What we found: A comprehensive exam turned up slightly mobile front teeth from previously-treated gum disease, plus a tongue thrust habit driving the gaps.
The plan: A perio consult confirmed things were healthy after treatment, and myofunctional therapy resolved the tongue thrust. From there, Invisalign closed her spaces for good, with no bonding needed.
J.C.’s Story
The ask: She wanted to improve her smile, but conservatively.
The plan: Invisalign moved her teeth into position first, then composite bonding on the edges of her four front teeth rejuvenated her smile, with no tooth structure removed.
D.E.’s Story
The ask: In his sixties, his teeth were getting noticeably shorter, worn down unevenly by his bite.
The plan: Invisalign corrected the alignment first, then six ceramic crowns restored the worn front teeth.
M.J.’s Story
The ask: Unhappy with the dark lines showing at the gum line around the upper front crowns.
What we found: The dark lines were a mix of decay starting at the edges of the old crowns and their metal collars darkening the roots underneath.
The plan: Invisalign first, to line the teeth up better. Then the four old crowns were replaced with all-ceramic crowns, and bonding finished the lower front teeth. Why that dark line appears.
See more cases in our Smile Gallery →
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 →
In our patients’ words
“Dr. Sandquist his and staff are the very best! They have the most advanced oral imaging of any dentist I’ve been to in the past. I also highly recommend Dr. Lee for Invisalign and Myo functional therapy.” Nicole Breeden
“I highly recommend Dr. Sandquist, Dr. Lee, and the entire staff! They are brilliant doctors, and his team is amazing.” kate jung
More patient reviews, by topic →
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.
Our office is in southwest Las Vegas, in the 89117 zip code, and convenient to Summerlin, Spring Valley and The Lakes. Call 702-734-0776.