How Long Do Invisalign Results Last?

Many of the Invisalign cases we do are re-treatments of adults who had braces as a teen.  Most often they stopped wearing their retainer and the teeth relapsed.  Relapse often occurs because there is just too much tooth structure to fit the space where the body wants the teeth to be.  With Invisalign, in many cases we will slenderize the teeth to make them fit better.  This will make them more stable long term, but we still recommend retainers at night.

Invisalign results will last for the rest of
your life provided that you are following your recommended retainer protocol. Most
doctors recommend that anyone who has completed orthodontic treatment, whether
braces or Invisalign treatment, use a retainer to prevent teeth from gradually
shifting back towards their initial position. Because every case is different,
please speak to your doctor to confirm if you need post-treatment retainers.

No matter what method is used to move teeth (invisalign and braces), the teeth need to be retained using retainers for as long as you want to keep the teeth aligned.  Teeth will always have a tendency to relapse once retainers are no longer used.  10-12 hours a night with a retainer is all that is necessary to keep them aligned.