Not every dental website will be clear about what patients should expect about wearing Invisalign. Here’s some tips to get you through.
There’s no denying that Invisalign is a great system that has revolutionized orthodontics and has helped many adults straighten their teeth without facing the stigma of metal attachments.
However, we wouldn’t be Platinum Elite Providers if we didn’t reveal the system’s limitations and educate our patients on what to expect when they go off to wear Invisalign for the next 3-12 months. That’s why we’re five-star rated.
Whilst you’re only required to wear your aligners for 22 hours per day for the best results, we would actually advise you to wear them without a break. Keeping them in for longer will ensure teeth move as predicted.
Whilst you should wear your aligners non-stop, you must remove them to eat and drink. This will prevent your aligners from staining or becoming damaged. And seeing as you’re paying for the high-tech invisible material, you’ll no doubt want to keep them this way.
Extra tip: You can keep your aligners in when drinking – but only drink water when you wear them.
As we’ve mentioned, your aligners can stain; another reason to keep teeth clean when wearing them is to ensure your oral health remains a top priority. For example, you don’t want food to get stuck between teeth that are gradually moving.
For Invisalign wearers, your aligners should feel like an extra set of teeth – not only will they need to be cleaned, but increasing your own oral hygiene is critical. Potential Invisalign users should only continue with Invisalign if they can manage to keep up with the oral hygiene routines of brushing, rinsing and flossing (preferably after every meal).
Extra tip: sugar-free chewing gum is a helpful aid in cleaning your teeth after meals or snacks.
Anyone who tells you Invisalign does not cause discomfort is not telling the truth or has a better tolerance for pain. Every time you upgrade to your next set of aligners, you’re pushing your teeth into a new position again, which of course, will feel odd and uncomfortable to begin with.
However, the discomfort should not last more than a day or two. Plus, it’s not as painful as metal braces.
Extra tip: Switch to new aligners before you sleep, which will help you adjust to the new set overnight.
Never throw away your previous set of aligners after you wear them. It’s not unusual for some patients to lose their aligners, so in order not to delay your treatment, you can wear the old aligner set to keep your teeth from relapse.
When you get to your last set of aligners, you might feel excited that your journey is over – rightly so. However, you won’t be finished with aligners just yet. Patients must wear retainers overnight over the next six months (and, in an ideal world, forever). This ensures teeth do not begin to relapse and shift back into their natural positions.
It only takes 2 minutes to apply and you’ll get an answer immediately – applying for a loan has never been easier.
0% finance is available for many treatments up to £30,000. Credit decisions will be subject to individual circumstances. You must be over 18 and earn an income to apply.
