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Invisalign Treatment Tips
Since Invisalign is one of the most popular treatment options among our patients, Orchard of Smiles Orthodontics team created a list of helpful tips to facilitate a smooth and effective treatment progression along your 'smile blossoming' journey. We hope this guide will enhance your orthodontic treatment experience!
- With Invisalign, movement accuracy is related to patient wear. Since Invisalign aligners are removable, it is crucial that you wear them as instructed to obtain the desired treatment results. Please wear the trays for 22 hours per day. Aligners should only be removed for eating, drinking, and oral hygiene maintenance (brushing and flossing). Depending on your individual treatment plan, please switch the aligner trays as instructed, typically every 11-14 days.
- Avoid biting your trays into place but rather always use your fingers to facilitate the initial dental seating into place. Biting aligners into position can potentially damage them, which can compromise the prescribed tooth movement.
- When possible, please use chewies to facilitate full aligner seating and optimize tooth traction. Chewies are spongy rubber rolls that when used as directed enable the aligners to seat fully and adapt to the tooth contour more ideally. Full seating of each tooth into the respective aligner position is needed for predictable and effective traction with each aligner tray in the series. Fully prescribed tooth movement with each tray is necessary for the subsequent aligner tray to continue working as expected, and so on.
- If elastics are prescribed as part of your treatment plan, make sure to wear them as directed. This will enable your treatment plan to progress forward in a seamless fashion in all regards. We will review in detail how and when to wear your elastics if they are indeed indicated.
- Make sure to clean your aligners using soft bristle toothbrush, soap and water. Avoid using toothpaste since it is too abrasive for the soft plastic aligners, and can scratch the surface of the aligners. As a result, scratches can leave more room for plaque and bacteria to accumulate during aligner wear. Alternatively, you can use Retainer Brite self-dissolving tablets in order to keep your Invisalign aligners clean.
- Please do not forget to brush and floss your teeth thoroughly when the aligners are removed as well. If you are not able to brush, rinse your mouth out with water after eating. Excellent oral hygiene is crucial for the health, aesthetics and longevity of your teeth in addition to your desired treatment outcome.
- Bring your aligner case with you at all times. Make sure that the aligners are always either in your mouth or in the aligner case. Aligners can be easily lost or misplaced if left on the counter or placed in a napkin or paper towel. Since they are clear, they are not easily discernible without the case. Maintaining them in the case as instructed will minimize the likelihood of aligners being lost and damaged, and any inherent resulting treatment delays.
- Please do not discard the completed aligner trays. Make sure that you hold on to all of the previously completed aligner trays in their respective bags. If you lose or misplace the current aligners, stepping down to the previously completed tray in the series is usually the safest option while your new replacement aligners are being ordered.
- If you are awaiting a new series of trays as part of your dental ‘refinement’, please ensure that you wear the same last aligners that you wore for your refinement appointment at nights as retainers. This will ensure that when your new trays arrive, the first tray will fit ideally and as expected.
- Please do your best to schedule your routine orthodontic appointments as recommended. This enables our orthodontist to assess your treatment progress, and provide you with additional trays to keep your treatment moving forward productively.
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