Income Taxes - (Reconciliation Of The Statutory Federal Income Tax Rate To The Effective Tax Rate) (Details)		12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Statutory federal income tax rate	21.00%	21.00%	21.00%	35.00%
Increase (decrease) in tax rate resulting from:
State income taxes (net of federal income tax benefit)		1.40%	2.50%	2.00%
Impact of foreign operations		(0.10%)	1.70%	(3.10%)
Foreign-Derived Intangible Income (“FDII”)		(1.10%)	(0.90%)
Subpart F and GILTI, net of foreign tax credits		2.00%	0.10%	0.20%
Change in uncertain tax positions		0.60%	(0.90%)	(1.30%)
Research and experimentation credits and other		(0.50%)	1.00%	0.30%
Excess tax benefit from stock-based compensation		(2.30%)	(1.10%)	(1.30%)
TCJA – revaluation of U.S. deferred income taxes		0.00%	0.00%	(19.00%)
TCJA – Transition Tax		0.00%	0.00%	9.30%
Effective income tax rate		21.00%	23.40%	22.10%

Effective Income Tax Rate Reconciliation, Changes in Prior Year Estimates, Uncertain Tax Positions

No definition available.

Name:	nvst_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationChangesinPriorYearEstimatesUncertainTaxPositions
Namespace Prefix:	nvst_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Effective Income Tax Rate Reconciliation, Revaluation of U.S. Deferred Incomes Taxes, Percent

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	nvst_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationRevaluationofU.S.DeferredIncomesTaxesPercent
Namespace Prefix:	nvst_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Effective Income Tax Rate Reconciliation, Subpart F and GILTI, Net of Foreign Tax Credit, Percent

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	nvst_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationSubpartFandGILTINetofForeignTaxCreditPercent
Namespace Prefix:	nvst_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Effective Income Tax Rate Reconciliation, Transition Tax, Percent

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	nvst_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationTransitionTaxPercent
Namespace Prefix:	nvst_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Effective Income Tax Reconciliation, Foreign Derived Intangible Income, Percent

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	nvst_EffectiveIncomeTaxReconciliationForeignDerivedIntangibleIncomePercent
Namespace Prefix:	nvst_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Effective Income Tax Reconciliation, Release Of Valuation Allowance On Foreign Losses, Percent

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	nvst_EffectiveIncomeTaxReconciliationReleaseOfValuationAllowanceOnForeignLossesPercent
Namespace Prefix:	nvst_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Percentage of current income tax expense (benefit) and deferred income tax expense (benefit) pertaining to continuing operations.

+ References

Reference 1: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 235
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.4-08.(h)(2))
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=26873400&loc=d3e23780-122690

Reference 2: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 740
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 12
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=84230637&loc=d3e32687-109319

Reference 3: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 740
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 13
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=84230637&loc=d3e32698-109319

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateContinuingOperations
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateContinuingOperationsTaxRateReconciliationAbstract
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Percentage of domestic federal statutory tax rate applicable to pretax income (loss).

+ References

Reference 1: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 740
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SAB TOPIC 6.I)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=116825942&loc=d3e330036-122817

Reference 2: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 740
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 12
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=84230637&loc=d3e32687-109319

Reference 3: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 740
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 13
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=84230637&loc=d3e32698-109319

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationAtFederalStatutoryIncomeTaxRate
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Percentage of the difference between reported income tax expense (benefit) and expected income tax expense (benefit) computed by applying the domestic federal statutory income tax rates to pretax income (loss) from continuing operations applicable to statutory income tax expense (benefit) outside of the country of domicile.

+ References

Reference 1: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 740
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 13
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=84230637&loc=d3e32698-109319

Reference 2: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 740
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SAB TOPIC 6.I)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=116825942&loc=d3e330036-122817

Reference 3: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 740
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 12
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=84230637&loc=d3e32687-109319

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationForeignIncomeTaxRateDifferential
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Percentage of the difference between reported income tax expense (benefit) and expected income tax expense (benefit) computed by applying the domestic federal statutory income tax rates to pretax income (loss) from continuing operations applicable to state and local income tax expense (benefit), net of federal tax expense (benefit).

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationStateAndLocalIncomeTaxes
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

+ References

Reference 1: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 740
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SAB TOPIC 6.I)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=116825942&loc=d3e330036-122817

Reference 2: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 740
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 13
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=84230637&loc=d3e32698-109319

Reference 3: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 740
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 12
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=84230637&loc=d3e32687-109319

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationTaxCreditsResearch
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_IncomeTaxDisclosureAbstract
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration