Aligner Tray Schedule & End-Date Calculator

When will my aligners be done?

Your planned end date is your start date plus the days you wear every tray. Thirty trays at 14 days each come to 420 days, or about 14 months. The calculator does this sum for you, tray by tray, and moves every date when you change the pace, sync to the tray you're on, or add refinements.

Treat that date as the earliest likely finish, not a promise. In a study of 324 people treated with Invisalign® aligners, 99.4% needed at least one refinement phase, and patients were prescribed almost double the number of aligners first predicted (Meade 2023). Another 2025 study reported at least one refinement in 70% of cases and a second in 22% (Ladewig 2025). The two studies used different methods, which is why their numbers differ. Both point the same way: extra trays are common.

How often do you change aligner trays?

Most plans change trays every 1 to 2 weeks. The American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) says each aligner is typically worn for 1 week, at least 22 hours a day. Cleveland Clinic says a new aligner usually comes about every two weeks. Your orthodontist chooses the pace for your teeth.

Here is how the pace changes the total time, before any refinements:

Is changing every 7 days as good as every 14?

A randomized trial put 80 patients on 7-, 10- or 14-day changes (Al-Nadawi 2021). The 7-day group finished in about 5 months, against about 9 months for the 14-day group. Fourteen-day changes were more accurate for some back-tooth movements, but the authors judged the difference too small to matter clinically. They suggested slowing to 14 days when hard back-tooth movements are planned.

So a faster pace can work, but it's your orthodontist's call. Don't speed up on your own.

Changing pace partway through

Some plans start slow and speed up, for example every 14 days for trays 1–10 and every 7 days from tray 11. Others slow down for a hard movement. Add each change under Change of pace: "From tray 11, change every 7 days" means tray 11 and every tray after it change weekly, until the next pace change you enter. You can add up to four.

Fell behind, skipped ahead or lost a tray?

Real treatment rarely matches the first plan. Maybe you wore a tray a few extra days, lost one, or your orthodontist moved you ahead. Tick Sync to the tray I'm wearing now, then enter that tray and the day you put it in.

• That tray starts on the date you enter, and every later tray moves to match.
• The tray just before it stretches or shrinks to fill the gap. The table shows "(was 14)" next to any tray whose length changed.
• Earlier trays stay as planned.

If you lose or break a tray, call your orthodontist and ask which tray to wear until a new one arrives. The AAO notes that treatment progress often gives orthodontists clues when something like a lost aligner has set treatment back, so it's better to tell them early.

Refinement trays

Refinements are extra trays made after a new scan, to finish movements the first series didn't complete. Enter how many you have, how many days each (it uses your last pace if you leave it blank), and any wait before they start. The AAO notes that aligners are usually made off site and delivery from the manufacturer can take 4–6 weeks. If your refinements haven't been ordered yet, expect your end date to move later than the calculator shows.

Calendar reminders

Download all changes (.ics) creates one calendar event for every upcoming tray change, each with an alarm at the time you choose. It also adds the day your last tray is done and any appointments you entered (with an alarm 1 hour before). The file works with Apple Calendar, Google Calendar, Outlook and most other calendar apps. The Google links in the table add one change at a time.

If your plan changes later, delete the old events before you import a new file. Not every calendar app replaces them automatically.

How this tool works

1. Tray 1 starts on your start date. Each tray lasts its number of days, and the next tray goes in the day after the last day of the one before. For example, a 14-day tray put in on June 1 is worn through June 14, and the next goes in on June 15.
2. Pace changes apply from the tray you name onward. With more than one change, each one applies until the next.
3. Refinements are added after the main series, after the wait you set.
4. Sync pins one tray to a real date. Later trays follow from it. The tray before it absorbs the difference, and older trays only move if they would otherwise overlap.
5. Dates are whole calendar days. Leap years, month ends and daylight saving time don't shift a change day.
6. "Last tray ends" is the last day you wear your final tray. "Total time" counts from tray 1 to the day after that. The ring shows how much of that time has passed.

Limits: the calculator only knows what you enter. It can't see whether your teeth are tracking, and it doesn't count wear hours. For that, use the Aligner Wear-Time Tracker. After your last tray, the Retainer Schedule Generator turns your retainer plan into dates.

Your data stays on this device

Your plan stays in your browser. Nothing is sent to a server. It's saved only when you press Save plan to My Smile, and you can remove it anytime. Copy link shares your plan settings (dates and tray numbers) so someone else can see the same schedule. Appointments are never included in the link.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

1. American Association of Orthodontists. Clear Aligners. Accessed October 26, 2026.
2. Cleveland Clinic. Clear Aligners: Purpose & Types. updated September 23, 2026. Accessed October 26, 2026.
3. Al-Nadawi M, Kravitz ND, Hansa I, Makki L, Ferguson DJ, Vaid NR. Angle Orthodontist 91(2):157–163. Effect of clear aligner wear protocol on the efficacy of tooth movement: a randomized clinical trial. 2021. Accessed October 26, 2026.
4. Meade MJ, Ng E, Weir T. Journal of Orthodontics 50(4):361–366. Digital treatment planning and clear aligner therapy: a retrospective cohort study. 2023. Accessed October 26, 2026.
5. de Miranda Ladewig V, et al. Dental Press Journal of Orthodontics. Does the need for refinement sets of orthodontic clear aligners correlate with professional experience?. 2025. Accessed October 26, 2026.
6. American Association of Orthodontists. What Your Orthodontist Wishes You Knew: 10 Things Patients Often Don't Realize. 2026. Accessed October 26, 2026.
7. American Dental Association. Dental Benefits: An Introduction (Introduction to Dental Benefits). 2024. Accessed October 26, 2026.
8. American Dental Association (MouthHealthy). Choosing the right dental plan for you. Accessed October 26, 2026.

Last reviewed October 26, 2026 by the Dental Health Time editorial team, against the sources above. How we review.