Straightening your teeth at 35, 45, or 55 doesn’t have to mean metal brackets and a year of looking like your kid in middle school. Invisalign uses clear, removable aligners to move teeth gradually, with most people not noticing you’re wearing them.
Bite Club is an active Invisalign provider, and Dr. Huynh has planned cases for everything from minor crowding to full bite corrections. Our office is at 1908 N Western Ave in Bucktown, easy to reach from Wicker Park, Logan Square, and the Western Blue Line.
Invisalign uses a series of custom-made clear plastic aligners. Each set is shaped slightly different from the last, applying gentle pressure to move your teeth into position over time. You wear each set for a week or two, then move to the next one in the sequence.
What treatment looks like:
Most adult cases finish in 6 to 18 months. Minor crowding can be done in as little as 4 to 6 months. Complex cases occasionally run longer.
Both move teeth. The differences are in how visible the treatment is and what your day-to-day looks like during it.
Invisalign:
Traditional braces:
For mild to moderate cases, Invisalign matches what braces can do. For severe bite issues or significant rotations, braces may still be the better choice. We will tell you what’s realistic at your consult.
Most adults with mild to moderate alignment issues are candidates. The biggest factor isn’t your case, it is whether you will actually wear the aligners 20+ hours a day.
Invisalign works well for:
Less ideal for:
To find out where you fit, book an Invisalign consultation or call (312) 602-0036. The first visit takes about 30 minutes and you walk out knowing whether it is a fit.
Healthy teeth move better and more predictably. Before starting Invisalign, we get your teeth into shape with a clean, an exam, and any preventive work needed to set you up for success.
See the full general dentistry page.
Active cavities need to be filled before Invisalign starts. Crowded teeth often have cavities in the contact areas that we couldn’t see before, so we plan for some restorative work after the aligners do their thing.
Crowns and bridges can move with Invisalign, but the planning is more nuanced. We map out where existing dental work is and adjust the treatment plan around it.
Crowns and bridges overview.
Many patients pair Invisalign with a cosmetic plan. Once teeth are in the right position, treatments like whitening, bonding, or veneers do more with less.
Sometimes Invisalign treatment requires extractions to make room, especially in cases of severe crowding. We plan and handle these in our office.
If you have an underlying bite issue, Invisalign can help correct it, sometimes alongside specific TMJ treatment. We assess for TMJ symptoms before and during aligner treatment.
A tooth with an active infection needs root canal treatment before Invisalign starts. Moving an infected tooth can spread the problem and is a non-starter for orthodontic planning.
Visit the root canal treatment page.
Clear aligners that straighten teeth without metal brackets. The current page covers the full breakdown of how it works, what to expect, and whether you’re a candidate.
You’re already on the Invisalign page, so feel free to scroll back up.
A typical Invisalign case at our office runs $4,500 to $7,500 depending on length and complexity. We give you the full number at the consult, with financing options if you want to spread it across the treatment period. PPO plans with orthodontic coverage often pay $1,500 to $3,000 of that.
Most patients feel some pressure or soreness for a day or two when starting a new set of aligners. It feels like the teeth are being pushed, because they are. The discomfort fades quickly, and most people don't take anything for it. Pressure is the right word, not pain.
You can usually see small changes within 4 to 6 weeks. Real, noticeable improvement happens around month 3 or 4. The full result depends on your case length, but the progress is visible all the way through.
Take the aligners out for coffee, tea, wine, and anything besides plain water. The aligners stain easily, and hot drinks can warp them. This is the part that takes most patients a few weeks to adjust to.
The teeth don't move, or they move slower than the plan. If you skip days regularly, treatment time stretches out. We track this at check-ins and adjust the plan if needed. The 20-to-22-hour rule isn't a guideline, it's how the system works.
Yes. Teeth want to drift back over time, and that is true for any orthodontic treatment, Invisalign or braces. We make a retainer at the end of treatment, usually clear and similar to your last aligner. Wearing it nightly long-term is the difference between holding your result and losing it.