Congratulations on starting your Invisalign journey towards the smile you’ve always dreamed of! We are so excited you have chosen 1st Family Dental | Midwest Orthodontics to take care of your orthodontic needs. Below are a few simple instructions to ensure the predictability and
speed of your treatment.
Wear
Clear aligners, or your Invisalign aligners need to mimic braces. This means they should be worn 20-22 hours a day so that your teeth move on time and predictably. Without these continuous forces your jaws and teeth won’t know to begin the process of tooth movement.
Attachments
Attachments are those tooth colored bumps that are bonded to
your teeth during your first Invisalign delivery appointment. They are crucial part of your clear aligner treatment to ensure the predictability of the tooth movements we are trying to achieve.
In fact, some movements would be impossible without them! If during your treatment one them comes off of your teeth, do not fret. Simply give the office a call so that we can replace any missing attachments back on to your teeth. If your appointment is coming up with-in two weeks you can also wait until your scheduled appointment to have them replaced.
Placing & Removing
When putting on your aligners simply line-up the aligner with your front teeth and gently press with your thumbs to seat the aligner over your
front teeth and attachments, then moving towards the back teeth insuring that the aligner is fully seated. Do not bite down on your aligner as this may bend and distort your aligner. To remove your aligner use your finger tips on the inside of your right and left molars to pry the aligner away from your teeth and attachments moving your way forward to your front teeth.
Switching
Generally your aligners should be worn for one week, unless instructed
otherwise by your Orthodontist. We recommend switching to your new aligner at night on the final day of your current aligner before sleeping. As you progress through your treatment it is advised that you save your last 1-2 aligner sets, in case you need to back track.
Eating/Drinking It is advised to only drink water while wearing your
aligners. However, it is not recommended to eat and or drink other beverages while wearing your aligners. This helps your aligners stay fresh and clear and maintains your oral hygiene during treatment.
Cleaning
Daily cleaning is important to keep your aligners clean and clear. Use water
and a soft bristled toothbrush to scrub the inside and outside surfaces of the aligners every time you brush your teeth. There are also specific aligner/retainer cleansing tablets available.
DO NOT clean your aligners with warm/hot water as this can partially melt and distort your aligner.
Broken/Lost
If during the course of your treatment you lose or break an aligner
before its wear time is over, that’s fine. These things happen. Simply move on to your next aligner and wear that aligner for two weeks. Please know the aligners may feel tighter and not sit as well as they usually do. Following those two weeks, move to your next aligner and continue weekly aligner changes.
Elastics
Some complex tooth movements require the use of elastics while wearing
your aligners. If you were instructed to do so when your aligners were first delivered, please make sure to wear them as instructed. The combination of wearing your aligners with elastics produce the wanted movements. Failure to do so will slow the proper movement of your teeth, or even produce unwanted tooth movement! If you are not sure how to wear your elastics or
have run out of them, please contact the office for further instructions.
