How long will my treatment take?

When you ask how long will it take, what you actually want to know is: when can I stop thinking about my teeth and get on with my life. Fair. Here's the honest answer.

Why timelines vary so much

Tooth movement is biology, not engineering. Teeth move at a roughly fixed speed (around 1 millimetre per month) regardless of which appliance is moving them. So the duration of your treatment is determined by:

• How far each tooth needs to move. A 2mm correction takes 2 months. A 6mm correction takes 6.
• How many teeth are moving. A two-tooth gap closure is short. A full mouth realignment is long.
• The complexity of the movement. Simple tipping is fast. Bodily movement (moving the whole tooth root) is slower. Rotation is slowest.
• Whether teeth need to be extracted. Adds 2–4 months to close the spaces.
• Your biology. Some people's teeth move faster than others. We can't predict this in advance.
• Your compliance. With aligners especially, every hour you don't wear them, treatment slows.

Realistic timelines by treatment type

Clear aligners (Invisalign): 8–14 months

Most adult cases. Mild to moderate crowding, spacing, simple bite issues. The shorter timelines (8–10 months) are for very simple cases, closing a small gap, correcting one rotation. Most full smile makeovers come in around 12–14 months.

Self-ligating braces (Damon): 12–18 months

Faster than traditional metal because the bracket design has less friction. Suitable for almost any case. Comprehensive treatments typically finish around 14–16 months.

Ceramic braces: 14–20 months

Same biology as metal braces but slightly more delicate brackets, so we sometimes work a bit more conservatively. Cosmetically discreet, similar outcomes.

Metal braces: 18–24 months

The classic timeline most people imagine. Excellent for complex cases, comprehensive treatments, and any situation where the bite needs significant correction. Some cases extend to 28–30 months.

Lingual braces: 18–24 months

Behind-the-teeth placement adds technical complexity and adjustments take longer per visit, but the treatment duration is roughly comparable to ceramic.

What slows treatment down

Some delays are unavoidable, others are within your control. The most common reasons treatment runs over estimate:

• Skipped or rescheduled appointments. Each missed appointment can add 4–6 weeks because we lose an adjustment cycle.
• Aligner non-compliance. If you wear aligners 16 hours a day instead of 22, treatment effectively doubles in length.
• Broken brackets. Each broken bracket is an unscheduled visit and often a temporary loss of progress.
• Poor oral hygiene. Inflammation in the gums slows tooth movement and can require pausing treatment.
• Surprise complications. Sometimes a tooth root behaves unexpectedly. We adjust the plan; it adds time.

What can speed treatment up

• Showing up to every appointment on time. Boring but real.
• Wearing aligners 22 hours a day, every day. No exceptions for parties, dinners, dates.
• Following the brushing/flossing protocol so we don't lose visits to gum issues.
• Telling us about pain or loose brackets early so we fix them before the next scheduled visit.
• Not changing your mind about treatment goals halfway through.

There are also accelerated treatment products (Propel, AcceleDent) that some clinics push. Evidence is mixed at best, they can shave 1–2 months off some cases, do nothing for others, and add cost. We don't routinely recommend them.

What 'finished' actually means

When braces come off or aligners stop, you're not actually done, you're transitioning to retention. For the first 6–12 months you wear retainers full-time (except eating and brushing). After that, nights only, indefinitely.

The active treatment phase is the part you'll feel. Retention is the part that protects your investment for the rest of your life.