Deciding to undergo Invisalign treatment as part of your cosmetic dental restoration is a matter that requires great attention. After all, your smile is related to it. Besides, it is also an expensive process that does not end overnight.
In this post, we have gathered ten important pieces of information on Invisalign treatment for you. We hope that you find them helpful. But let us first see what this dental restoration process is and what it can fix.
What is Invisalign Treatment?
Invisalign braces pull your teeth into position to give you a better smile. They are made of transparent plastic, which makes them virtually invisible.
They are custom made and changed every few weeks. You have to wear them until you are happy with the alignment of your teeth.
Invisalign can treat the following dental conditions:
- Gap Teeth
- Crossbite
- Overbite
- Open Bite
- Crowded Teeth
- Underbite
Ten Things To Know About The Invisalign Treatment Process
1. Minor Discomfort
Though considered painless, you may feel discomfort in some areas of your jaws when you change your aligners. After all, the main job of the aligners is to pressure your teeth to a slightly new position.
But the pressure will not last beyond 2-3 days.
2. Put Your Invisalign Aligners To Work
You want maximum results from your aligners. Dentists will generally advise you to wear them 18-22 hours per day. This routine may continue for up to two weeks.
The moment you remove them from your mouth, they are not working. That means there is an interruption in your treatment process.
3. Clean Aligners Daily
Do not forget to brush your aligners before putting them back on. You want to ensure that no debris has formed on them while not in use.
You can also use aligner cleaning tablets to keep them clean. Soak them in a cup of water with a cleaning tablet in it.
You can use Steraligner Cleaning Solution that removes 99.9% of bacteria in just 3 minutes. It also removes plaque and tartar from your aligners.
4. You Need An Attachment
Aligners require attachments in some cases. These attachments are little tooth-colored buttons that are tied to your teeth. They provide leverage to the aligners for easy movement.
It is not that each of your teeth will need an attachment. It depends on the amount of pressure your aligners need to put on a certain tooth. Your dentist will decide the number for you.
5. Interproximal Reduction, or IRP
In simple terms, it is the process of removing enamel between your teeth to create room for the teeth to move in the desired direction.
The process is painless, although it may make your teeth a little bit sensitive.
It is also a quick process. You feel some vibration of the equipment on your teeth, that’s all.
6. Does Invisalign Treatment Affect Your Speech?
This may be a question for many of you if you consider the Invisalign smile makeover.
No, Invisalign does not affect your capacity to speak smoothly in a significant way. They are very thin. They offer an environment that is very close to the natural environment of your mouth.
You have to remember that anything you put inside your mouth that is not supposed to be there will slightly affect your speech. But with Invisalign, it is a matter of getting used to your aligners.
You may experience some lisping initially. That will disappear with time.
However, we recently came across a research paper in this regard. The paper is entitled ‘Speech performance in adult patients undergoing Invisalign treatment: A prospective clinical study.’ The paper concludes that Invisalign treatment significantly affects speech’ and speech does not return to normal even after two months of treatment.
7. Do Not Eat Or Drink With Your Aligners On
Do not eat food or have a drink with your aligners on. If you must drink something, use a straw.
Invisalign aligners may be discolored or stained if you eat food with them on your teeth. The best practice is to take them off when eating or drinking.
Certain food or drink may contain specific chemicals. You may compromise the integrity of the aligners if they come in touch with those chemicals.
Generally speaking, avoid chewy, hot, crunchy, sugary, sticky, and hard food when wearing Invisalign.
8. Keeping It Safe
Do not lose the protective case that your Invisalign treatment aligners come with. Store your aligners in that case when not in use.
Can the aligners be crushed by someone if they are on the table? Absolutely.
What about bacteria or debris?
Can your pets damage your aligners?
Your aligners are expensive stuff. Care for them. Protect them.
9. Distorted Aligners
If you have used hot water to clean your Invisalign treatment aligners, there is a chance that the water has distorted their shape. If that is the case, take your aligners to your dentist.
Your dentist has to verify that your aligners can still provide the required tension to your teeth. If you continue to wear a distorted aligner, your dental restoration treatment may take an unnecessarily long time to complete.
At the same time, it may complicate the situation for you.
10. Aligner ID Number
Each aligner has a unique ID number. That number matches with the number on your aligner bag.
This ID number helps you to store your aligner in the right bag.
You can get the numbers of your aligners on the aligners themselves. Although very small, you can find the numbers on the top corner of the aligner.
It is the second line of the numbers. U stands for upper aligner, and L stands for lower aligner.
Invisalign Treatment: Final Word
We have written another post on Invisalign dental treatment system on this website. That post covers the Invisalign treatment procedure, cost, and why you should choose Invisalign over other braces.
If you have lost your Invisalign Aligner and Retainer Case, you may buy one from Amazon.
Answer: Yes it is. You must buy it through your doctor.
Answer: Yes. Use brush and toothpaste to clean them and rinse them with lukewarm water.
Answer: It can. Remove your aligners before drinking beer or even a cup of grape juice.
Answer: Identify the sounds or words that you are struggling with and then practice them more.
Answer: Invisalign® First is designed for the dental treatment of children. Children aged 6 may qualify for this treatment.