Your Invisalign Journey at Brunner Court

Your free consultation

Your Invisalign journey begins with a free consultation at our Northwich practice. There is no charge and no obligation to proceed.

Dr Natasja Kashyap will examine your teeth, discuss your goals and give you an honest assessment of whether Invisalign is the right treatment for your specific case. If Invisalign Lite is sufficient, she will say so. If your case requires Invisalign Full, she will explain why. If Invisalign is not the right option at all, she will tell you that too and discuss the alternatives.

You will leave the consultation with a clear picture of what treatment is possible and what it involves, before any money changes hands.

Clin-Check and digital planning

If you decide to go ahead after your consultation, the next step is your Clin-Check.

A detailed digital scan of your teeth is taken at the practice using an intraoral scanner. No messy impressions, no trays, just a precise, comfortable scan that takes a few minutes. The scan is submitted to Invisalign, who use it to produce a 3D digital simulation of how your teeth will move through treatment from start to finish.

At your Clin-Check review appointment, Dr Natasja will walk you through the simulation on screen. You will see a before and after of your projected result and the planned tooth movements at each stage of treatment. If you want to adjust the outcome, this is the time to discuss it before anything is finalised.

The Clin-Check costs £325 and is the final step before aligners are ordered. Once you have reviewed and approved the plan, production begins.

Your aligners arrive

Your custom aligners are manufactured by Invisalign to the exact specification of your approved Clin-Check plan. They are made from a clear, smooth, BPA-free plastic and are trimmed to follow the natural contour of your gum line for comfort.

Depending on your case, small tooth-coloured attachments may be bonded to certain teeth at this appointment. These are composite bumps that help the aligners grip specific teeth and apply the forces needed for more precise movements. They are carefully colour-matched to your teeth and are removed at the end of treatment.

Your clinician will show you exactly how to insert and remove your aligners, how to clean them and what to expect in the first few days of wear.

Wearing your aligners

Each aligner is worn for approximately one to two weeks before being replaced with the next in the series. The aligners should be worn for 20 to 22 hours per day. They are removed only to eat, drink anything other than plain water, brush and floss.

A few things to expect in the early stages:

• Mild discomfort when each new aligner goes in — Each new aligner applies gentle pressure to move the teeth slightly. Most patients notice some tenderness for the first day or two after switching to a new aligner. This is normal and settles quickly. Over-the-counter pain relief manages it easily if needed.
• A slight effect on speech initially — Most patients notice a very slight lisp or change in speech in the first few days of wearing their first aligner. This resolves quickly as the tongue adjusts. Within a week the vast majority of patients speak normally with the aligners in.
• The importance of wearing time — This is the most important factor in the success of your treatment. Aligners that are not worn for the full 20 to 22 hours per day will not move the teeth as planned and will extend the overall treatment timeline. The aligners only work when they are in your mouth.

Review appointments

You will attend review appointments at the practice approximately every six to eight weeks throughout treatment. At each appointment your clinician will assess how your teeth are tracking against the Clin-Check plan, check the condition of any attachments and provide the next sets of aligners.

These appointments are typically short, around twenty to thirty minutes but they are important. If your teeth are not tracking as planned, your clinician can identify this early and take action before it affects the overall outcome.

Refinements

Refinements are additional aligners produced towards the end of treatment to fine-tune the final positions of the teeth. They are a normal and expected part of the Invisalign process, particularly for Invisalign Full cases, and are not a sign that something has gone wrong.

Your clinician will assess whether refinements are needed at your later review appointments. If they are, a new set of scans is taken and a short additional series of aligners is produced to achieve the planned final result.

The end of active treatment

When your final aligner has been worn and your clinician is satisfied that the planned result has been achieved, active treatment is complete. Attachments are removed and the teeth are polished. For most patients this appointment feels like a significant moment — the first time they see their finished smile without any aligners in.

Retainers

Retainers are not optional. They are the step that protects everything you have just spent months achieving.

Without retainers, teeth naturally drift back towards their original positions. This is not a flaw in Invisalign, it is simply how teeth behave when the pressure holding them in place is removed. Every patient who completes orthodontic treatment, whether with Invisalign or fixed braces, needs retainers to maintain the result.