Patients using Invisalign may need 2-3 refinement scans and short duration of braces

Records from 500 patients (average age 33.6 years) that started with Invisalign Full or Invisalign Teen were gathered from 2 orthodontic offices and evaluated. Data was collected from the doctors’ consultation notes, treatment notes, and Invisalign Web site databases. There were 2 independent variables: gender (male and female) and age groups (aged <20 years, 20-30 years, and >30 years).

Results

One in every 6 patients (17.2%) switched from Invisalign to braces. Invisalign treatment required an average of 2.5 refinement scans, and only 6.0% of patients could complete their treatment without a single refinement scan. The average length of Invisalign treatment was 22.8 months, this was 5.1 months more than the estimated length. The average number of aligners was 64.1, but for the patients that switched to braces, the average number of aligners was 80.6 plus an additional 6.9 months of braces. There was no statistical difference between gender or age group and the conversion to braces. However, patients in the oldest age group had a significantly greater number of refinement scans.

Researchers are likely overestimating an office’s efficiency using Invisalign. On average, an Invisalign patient will require approximately 2-3 refinement scans and 2 years of treatment, and there should be a reasonable expectation that braces may be needed.

Reference:

Neal D. Kravitz, Bassel Dalloul, Yara Aba Zaid, Chandani Shah, Nikhilesh R. Vaid. What percentage of patients switch from Invisalign to braces? A retrospective study evaluating the conversion rate, number of refinement scans, and length of treatment. Open AccessPublished:December 18, 2022DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajodo.2022.03.016