What Does an Invisalign Provider Do?

Because Invisalign is such a big company, people often think it's the generic name for any clear aligner treatment, or that Invisalign provides orthodontic care directly. However, Invisalign is just one of several clear aligner brands—along with Linea, ClearCorrect, Spark, etc.—which dental and orthodontic practices can choose to offer.

These Invisalign providers help design and monitor your treatment. Here's how a typical course of treatment goes:

1. You book a consultation with an Invisalign provider. At the appointment, they'll examine your teeth to make sure you don't have any issues like cavities or gum disease that they'll need to address first. Then they'll take X-rays and digital scans of your teeth.
2. If everything looks good, the provider will send your scans to Invisalign, whose algorithm will generate a treatment plan for you.
3. Your dentist will review the plan and make adjustments based on their own analysis of your smile.
4. You will have a chance to review a digital model of your plan, which will show exactly how your teeth will move throughout treatment.
5. If you approve your plan, the dentist will put it into production. Invisalign's lab will manufacture a series of aligners that match the treatment plan, then ship them to your dentist.
6. Typically, you will have another appointment to try on your first set of aligners and ask your dentist any questions.
7. Throughout treatment, you'll have in-person appointments every 4–10 weeks (depending on your dentist's preferences), where they'll evaluate your progress, examine your teeth, provide your next batch of aligners, and if necessary, adjust your wear schedule.

Invisalign providers are usually pretty involved throughout the process, and you'll see them regularly during treatment.

How Much Does Invisalign Cost?

One of the biggest differences between Invisalign providers is that each one can set their own rates. There's no overarching pricing scheme, so you could get three very different quotes from three different dental practices, which is something to consider when choosing a provider.

That said, Invisalign treatment often falls somewhere between $5,500 and $9,500 AUD. But besides the provider you choose, that price depends on a few other factors.

The most influential factor is the complexity of your misalignments. The more complex they are, the more you'll usually pay. For example, a couple mild gaps might take just a few months and office visits to correct, while a case of severe overbite could take more than a year, with many more appointments. Longer treatments take more materials and more of your dentist's time, so they almost always come with higher prices.

Invisalign Providers in Australia

There are hundreds of Invisalign providers in Australia, and there might even be several near you. But here are a few prominent dental practices that have many branches across the country—including some that offer Invisalign.

Abano Healthcare

This is Australia's largest dental support organization (DSO), and they have 250+ practices nationwide. Brands like Maven Dental, Lumino the Dentists, and 1300Smiles Dentists fall under this umbrella, and Abano has practices in every state, plus Tasmania and New Zealand,

Many of these locations also offer Invisalign, so if you live in or around a city, you should have at least one location near you. Lumino's website says Invisalign usually costs $3,500–$8,000, while Maven puts the range at $4,000–$10,000. It appears that Abano's dental practices have mixed patient reviews online, but there aren't a ton of reviews out there. Plus, the experience can vary significantly between offices.

National Dental Care

They're not quite as large as Abano, but National Dental Care still has over 90 practices representing every state in the country. Not all of their locations will offer Invisalign, but many do. National Dental Care doesn't provide any information on the average cost of their Invisalign treatments—likely because it can vary between providers—but they do offer an interest-free payment plan called SmileFund, and they accept all major health fund providers.

Patient reviews for National Dental Care practices are somewhat scarce, but like Abano, the patient experience is different for each office.

Bupa Dental

Bupa Dental started in the UK in 1999, but later expanded to Australia. And today, they have more than 145 practices throughout the country, so they're pretty accessible for most people. They don't give an estimate of average costs, but they offer payment plans through AfterPay and Zip to make your costs more manageable.

On their website, Bupa says a survey of more than 50,000 patients revealed that 86% of them would recommend Bupa to a friend. However, some individual practices seem to have mixed reviews.

Pacific Smiles Dental

Pacific Smiles Dental has over 120 practices in Australia, although they're clustered around Melbourne, Sydney, Australia Capital Territory, and Brisbane. So if you live in those areas, you'll probably have several choices for your Invisalign treatment—but if you live elsewhere, you'll probably need to go with another provider.

Like the other companies on this list, some Pacific Smiles Dental locations have received mixed reviews from patients. So it could be helpful to look up reviews for specific practices before booking an appointment.

How to Choose an Invisalign Provider

It's clear that you've got a lot of options, and choosing just one might seem overwhelming. So here are some tips to help you evaluate Invisalign providers and determine which works best for you.

• Compare prices: There's no harm in getting quotes from a few different local dentists. You might find that one is significantly more affordable than the rest.
• Read Patient Reviews: Since you'll be making regular office visits throughout treatment, you want to go somewhere that provides a satisfying patient experience. The best way to evaluate that experience is by reading reviews from current patients.
• Look at Invisalign Tiers: Invisalign places providers in tiers based on how many Invisalign treatments they administer every year. These tiers range from Bronze to Diamond. While Diamond providers have the most experience, you might get lower prices at a Bronze or Silver provider. It all depends on your priorities.
• Dentist or Orthodontist?: Orthodontists have more training and expertise in dental movements than general dentists—but both can become Invisalign providers. Orthodontists might be best for someone with a complex misalignment, but general dentists might offer lower prices.
• Research Health Cover: Some providers might accept your health fund, while others might not. It's worth checking before you commit.
• Consider All Your Options: Invisalign isn't the only clear aligner brand out there, and plenty of dentists/orthodontists offer other brands, like Linea. These providers might offer lower prices or other benefits, so it's best to stay open to every option.

Alternatives to Invisalign

As we mentioned, Invisalign is just one brand of clear aligners, and a few others rival them in quality. Plus, they might even come at lower prices. Here are some of the most popular.

Linea

Getting started with Linea is the same as getting started with Invisalign. But after a couple initial appointments, you can complete your regular check-ins virtually. This saves you the trouble of booking and travelling to office visits every 4–10 weeks. Plus, it makes Linea more affordable, with flat-rate prices of $2,698–$4,998, depending on the severity of your misalignment. This treatment combines the safety and effectiveness of in-person care with the convenience of remote monitoring.

Spark

From Ormco, a multinational orthodontic product manufacturer, Spark is the second most popular aligner brand in Australia, behind only Invisalign. It's fully in-office, so you'll make frequent appointments throughout treatment, and like Invisalign and Linea, it can handle a wide variety of dental misalignments. The company claims that Spark's proprietary TruGEN material is more comfortable, stain-resistant, and efficient than competitors' materials. However, those claims are based on their own data, not outside studies.

Regardless, Spark might be less expensive than Invisalign for some patients, but they also may have fewer providers.

ClearCorrect

ClearCorrect has been competing with Invisalign in multiple countries since they were founded in 2006. They offer an extremely similar treatment, although their prices are often slightly lower. They have several different pricing tiers—including one where you pay per aligner—so your dentist can potentially help save money by choosing the one that best fits your case. However, they have fewer providers, so you might not have one near you.

3M Clarity Aligners

A large, world-renowned company, 3M has input its significant materials resources and expertise into their aligner brand. They've developed two custom plastics, each with different advantages, that allow the provider to choose the best one for the movements in each stage of treatment. They also have proprietary attachments that they say are exceptionally precise. Their prices are often similar to Invisalign, so they're not the cheapest option out there, but Clarity's materials are top-notch.

Final Thoughts

There's certainly no shortage of Invisalign providers in Australia, so anyone looking for safe and effective clear aligner treatment has plenty of options. To choose the best one for you, be sure to do your research on different providers, prices, locations, and patient experiences. And sometimes, that research might lead you to a different aligner brand entirely.

Go with a Linea provider and you'll get the same kind of quality care you'd receive with Invisalign, with the added convenience of remote monitoring—plus lower prices. Anyone looking for a more affordable and convenient clear aligner brand can find a provider near them by completing Linea's online smile quiz.