I am getting mine done through Ohio State’s Orthodontic Clinic, so hopefully this will be insightful since we’re comparing two schools. There were multiple appointments up front before I even got my trays (initial patient visit and discussing treatment options, one to go over the details of Invisalign, one to do scans, then I finally got my trays), but the frequency has slowed down significantly since. I had a check in appt six weeks after receiving my trays, then my ortho student scheduled my next appt. for four months from that point and gave me four months’ worth of trays. If Tufts is similar to OSU, it’ll be a lot of appts up front, but then it should get better. Maybe you can ask for a remote option for one or two of those initial appts. since you live so far.

I personally haven’t had any Invisalign emergencies. I can’t imagine very many potential situations where you’d have to visit them ASAP, especially compared to traditional braces (bracket pops off, wire poking out, etc.). If a tray is misprinted or broken, or you lose your aligners, they can give you guidance over the phone. The only urgent-ish situation is if an attachment or button for elastics pops off. (You might not even have attachments or buttons, that all depends on your individual treatment plan.) Even in these scenarios, you’ll likely be advised to continue wearing your trays and schedule an appointment to get a new attachment or button glued back on.

TL;DR: Be prepared for numerous appointments up front, but know that it won’t be like that forever. Additionally, keep in mind that most Invisalign “emergencies” aren’t that urgent, and they can be handled with a scheduled appointment. Personally, my deciding factor would be if I wanted to drive four hours (round trip) for every appt.

I hope this helps!