These Invisalign tips can help you improve your treatment success and make the treatment process as easy and comfortable as possible.
The biggest mistake you can make is simply failing to wear your aligners as often as you should. The goal is to get in 22 hours per day, removing them only to brush and floss your teeth. If you leave your aligners out for too long, it can extend the treatment process or hinder results.
Dr. Hansen will give you a schedule for when you should change your aligners and in which order they should be changed. Each set is typically worn for two weeks. We do not recommend switching to the next set of aligners too soon, this could affect the movement of the teeth.
Dr. Hansen and her team will always take extra care to ensure that the aligners will sit comfortably in your mouth. Still, some people do experience some discomfort while adjusting to the aligners.
The good news is you can take steps to combat the tenderness and soreness to feel more comfortable during the process. We recommend trying these Invisalign tips if you experience sore gums:
• Avoid crunchy, chewy, and crispy foods when you notice soreness .
• When it’s time to switch to a new aligner, make the switch early in the day. This gives you plenty of time to adjust before you need to sleep.
• If you feel a rough edge, let us know right away and we can take care of it.
eak or lose your current aligners. This way, you have a backup while you wait for the replacement set. Wear the last set of aligners to prevent unwanted changes. Once your replacement set comes in, restart the 2-week process to avoid delay in your progress.
You will need to take your aligners out at least twice a day to brush and floss your teeth and use mouthwash. Remembering good oral hygiene is still required to ensure your mouth stays healthy and clean while wearing Invisalign.
Don’t be afraid to opt for attachments or “buttons” to speed up your treatment. These attachments can hold aligners in place, move a tooth, and treat a broader range of orthodontic cases that the plastic aligners could not otherwise treat. The “buttons” are tiny tooth-colored dots of bonding material placed in strategic locations. These attachments work by ensuring there is the right amount of force in the right places to pull your teeth into alignment.
The aligners are easy to clean and take care of with warm water and antibacterial soap. Regular soap and water are usually fine to clean the aligners but you may also use cleaning products specifically for plastic orthodontics. At our office, we always make sure our patients have the correct and most effective cleaning products for their aligners. We recommend never using toothpaste to clean the trays because it can scratch the plastic.
Once you’ve finished using the Invisalign aligners, you will need to use a retainer to help hold your teeth in their new positions. Unfortunately, some patients think their retainer isn’t all that important because their teeth look straight and perfect. If you skip the retainer though, your teeth may drift back out of alignment. So, we always recommend working with us to determine how often and for how long you should wear your retainer upon completing treatment.
Palo Alto Dentist Dr. Christine Hansen DDS
416 Waverley Street, Ste A,
Palo Alto, CA 94301
Practice Hours
Monday-Friday • 8 am – 5 pm