• Invisalign straightens teeth with a series of clear, removable, and custom aligners. Patients wear the removable aligners for 6–18 months, changing them every two weeks and only removing them while eating or brushing.
• Total cost of the service: $3995

Invisible Braces: Stealthy Straightening 

Teeth have a subtle, slow-moving will of their own, shifting in unexpected directions throughout our lives. Invisible braces offer a solution for keeping them in line that’s nearly as imperceptible. A series of clear, BPA-free plastic aligners are designed to be worn 20–22 hours per day, removed only when eating, brushing your teeth, or drinking hot beverages such as tea, coffee, or boiled ink. (Heat can cause the plastic to soften and lose its shape.) They straighten teeth in an average of 12 months, after which most patients will wear only a nighttime retainer. Invisible braces can correct a wide variety of issues, including gaps, overbites, and crowding. Although aligners alone are sufficient in most cases, some treatment plans may also involve attaching raised “buttons” to the teeth in order to give them more traction—an alteration that makes them slightly more noticeable, at least close up.