Invisalign Aligners don’t work if you don’t wear them
Wearing Invisalign aligners is the secret ingredient to success. Aligners must be worn for at least 22hrs a day. It is critical to wear aligners at work, school, and during all social activities. Invisalign should only be removed for eating, brushing and flossing your teeth. Change them once a week unless otherwise directed by the Orthodontic Partners team.
Appointments
It’s very critical that you show up to every recheck appointment. The Orthodontic Partners team spends a lot of time creating the ideal sequence of movements to precisely align your teeth and needs to carefully monitor the tracking of your teeth within the aligners throughout the entire set. They routinely make adjustments to the Invisalign aligners to keep the movements on track.
Brush your teeth 3 times a day
Ideally, brush your teeth three (3) times a day after you eat. If you can’t brush after a meal, at least rinse with water vigorously and then replace your Invisalign aligners. Remember to also brush or rinse your aligners nightly to remove any debris that accumulated during the day. Dental cleanings are still recommended and can be done during orthodontic treatment.
Eating/Drinking
Normally you do not want to eat/drink with aligners in some food/drink doesn’t get trapped within the Invisalign aligners for long periods of time against your teeth. An occasional light snack or drink is okay to have with aligners in as long as you rinse with water afterward. Drinking coffee with aligners in is okay, but best with a straw.
Achiness
There may be a dull, achy sensation after placing your aligners on initially, as well as after each new set, but usually is very minimal due to such slight, incremental movement. You can take Motrin or Tylenol, or whatever you normally take for a headache or muscle aches to relieve this discomfort. We recommend changing Invisalign aligners before bedtime to improve comfort.
Breakage/Loss
If you break or lose your Invisalign aligners, please call the office. We will most likely have you move forward to the next aligner.
Refinements
The Doctors at Orthodontic Partners are very particular about having the best finish possible. Although the teeth may look good after the first set of aligners, time has been allowed for a follow-up (refinement) scan where a finishing set of aligners will provide the finishing touches to make your smile and bite as perfect as possible. This final set is usually a smaller number of trays with less attachments.
Attachments
The clear bumps on some of your teeth are necessary for the Invisalign aligners to fit more tightly for more complicated movements. If one comes off, please notify our office, but usually isn’t something urgent.
Elastics
Rubberbands are sometimes worn with your aligners to help accompany certain movements. Use as directed from your technician. They do take some time to figure out the best way to put them on, but don’t get frustrated as it usually takes most people a few days to get the hang of them. Some people prefer to put them on outside the mouth and insert the trays and elastics as one unit.
Chewies
Chewies are rubberized bite sticks that help seat the aligners and are best used on areas that need the most movement. Bite and hold for 5 seconds intervals for a few minutes each day in those areas or as instructed.