Survival tips for Invisalign patients

New to wearing invisible aligners?

At Spa Dental, we have helped thousands of patients get the straighter smiles that they want using invisible aligners like Invisalign Sydney.  Get in touch and see if you’re suitable for these removable and nifty appliances.

In this article, our team provides you with some essential survival tips for those first few weeks of wearing Invisalign Sydney. Enjoy!

Timing

When you are wearing Invisalign Sydney, you will typically need to keep the aligners in for about 22 hours per day, unless otherwise specified by our team.

And to ensure your treatment stays on schedule, it is best to time it each day. You will need to remove your aligners to eat and drink beverages (except for water- you can keep them in when you drink that!) so make sure you are aware of how long they have been out of your mouth and aim to stick to your treatment plan.

Cleaning

When it comes to cleaning invisible aligners, it is fairly straightforward.

Simply rinse them under a cold tap and remove any debris with a soft-bristled toothbrush. If you have a very stubborn stain, it may be worth using aligner appropriate cleaning crystals. Do not use hot water to remove stains as this can cause the plastic in the aligners to warp, meaning that they will no longer fit correctly and you will need to order new ones.

Pain relief

You may have heard that invisible aligners are completely painless, especially when compared to regular braces.

Well, the reality is that the aligners are designed to move your teeth and so, it is unlikely that they won’t cause a bit of pressure in your mouth. This is likely to be more noticeable when you switch between aligners every 2 weeks.

To mitigate these sensations, we recommend using pain relief such as ibuprofen or paracetamol. If you have concerns that you are having too much discomfort with your aligners, please call our team for a check-up.

Appointments

With this brand of aligner, there is a downloadable app for smartphones.

The aim of this is to help our team keep track of how your treatment is going without needing to rely on you coming into the clinic every week. However, when you do need to see our team (every 6-8 weeks on average) you really do need to attend the appointments.

This will help us to look for issues that we may have missed during your app check-ins and make changes as appropriate. For instance, we can see a cavity on the back of one of your teeth via a photo sent from a smartphone app, and such things are important to keep your oral health in check.

So, be sure to attend appointments!

Lifestyle

OK, so when it comes to wearing invisible aligners, it is all too easy to assume that because they are removable, you won’t have to worry about what you eat and drink.

And while cleaning your teeth and your aligners is important after each meal, there are some other tips you need to adhere to that will help the process go smoothly.

For instance, if you smoke cigarettes, you should refrain from doing so while wearing these aligners. Smoking will not only cause the aligners to stain but will also increase the chances of secondary issues such as gum disease and mouth cancer.

If you need help with smoking cessation, please contact our team.

DISCLAIMER

All treatment carries risks. Individual consultation is required with one of our practitioners to ensure that the treatment is right for you.