Treatment time is a much-discussed subject in most orthodontic offices, and patients in fixed appliances will often ask the dreaded question of how much longer is the brace going to be on? Perhaps somewhat surprisingly, given the number of fixed appliances that are fitted on an annual basis around the globe, relatively few studies have followed patients from the start to end of treatment and the evidence base is low-level.

The outcome depends on the complexity of the malocclusion, the orthodontist's experience, and the patient's compliance, among other factors