Sheena (our very own insurance and billing specialist) recently finished her Invisalign treatment with Dr. Tim Collins and shared her 10 best Invisalign Tips in a great blog post. Way to go, Sheena!
Since Sheena had the chance to learn about Invisalign in our CDH team trainings and also experience Invisalign for herself, we thought we would share her 10 best Invisalign tips with you.
Invisalign Tips
Here’s a comprehensive guide, including valuable Invisalign tips, to ensure optimal results and maintain your oral health throughout the treatment. From maximizing wear time to addressing common challenges, let’s delve into the key aspects of a successful Invisalign experience.
1. Wear Your Aligners
As close to 22 hours is best. This means you’re probably going to minimize your eating and drinking (hot and colored beverages) and forgo snacking altogether. No more coffee breaks, just coffee with breakfast. This is the main reason people lose weight while in Invisalign.
2. Add Wear Time
Your treatment comes with a box of aligners (Dr. Collins will dispense a few at a time after each appointment) and you wear each set for 2 weeks each. If you don’t follow tip #1 and you wear your aligners significantly less than 22 hours (I consider under 19 hours to be significantly less), you should extend your wear time to more than 2 weeks. The necessary movement needs to be complete before moving on to the next set.
3. Have a Nail Filer and Baby Nail Clippers on Hand
If you have sore spots on your gums/tongue from wearing a new set, there’s probably an overhang of extra plastic that shouldn’t be there. Call the office for a trim. If you don’t have time to make an appointment you can try trimming them yourself or smoothing out the rough edges with a nail clipper/nail file or both. DO NOT attempt this if you are heavy handed! Remove a teeny-tiny bit at a time. Most likely there is <0.1mm that need to be removed. You do not want to take a large chunk out of the aligner.
4. Rinse, Floss, Brush
To keep your teeth and aligners clean, rinse with water after every meal or beverage. Use floss to remove food that gets stuck in between your teeth. Brush if you have time. Use a tongue scraper to clean your tongue in the morning and night after brushing your teeth and aligners (helps keep everything in your mouth fresh and clean). You must brush and clean your aligners just like you would your teeth. You can use toothpaste or non-alcoholic mouth wash like Smart Mouth Rinse. I would save your regular toothbrush from excess wear by using a second toothbrush dedicated to your aligners (not electric).
5. Chewies Are Your Friend.
Use chewies. They help with movement and seating the aligners in place. This is most helpful for those who don’t adhere to tip #1.
6. Always hold on to your previous Set of Aligners
Keep the last set of aligners just in case you lose or break the current set. While you wait for a replacement set (takes 1 week), you should we wearing the previous set of aligners to make sure the teeth don’t move back to a weird position. Once you get the replacement set, you should restart the 2 week process.
7. Use Both Cases
You should have 2 cases (1 red and 1 blue). Keep one at home and one with you at all times. Do not place your aligners in a napkin or in your pocket. And do not leave them in your car! (Pets love aligners, so don’t leave them out.)
8. Do Your Dentist Research
Go to a great dentist! Luckily if you’re reading this, you’re probably going to one (Dr. Timothy Collins @ Complete Dental Health). A super cheap treatment is a warning flag. It either means the dentist is new with Invisalign or doesn’t do that great of a job. Read reviews, talk to others who went through the process, and schedule a free consultation. Your teeth are invaluable, so treat them as such.
9. Maintain Your Hygiene (Cleaning) Appointments
Go to a great dentist! Luckily if you’re reading this, you’re probably going to one (Dr. Timothy Collins @ Complete Dental Health). A super cheap treatment is a warning flag. It either means the dentist is new with Invisalign or doesn’t do that great of a job. Read reviews, talk to others who went through the process, and schedule a free consultation. Your teeth are invaluable, so treat them as such.
10. Wear Viveras and Reorder When Needed
After treatment is done, you must wear some sort of retainer for life. Viveras are the best because they’re made exactly from your last set and made out of a thicker plastic so your teeth will stay in their perfected position.
If you get a wire retainer or a retainer they make in the office, there is a chance your teeth will shift slightly. You must wear Viveras full time for 6 months after treatment and then you can move on to night-time only wear. You will get 4 sets of Vivera retainers that you can change into once they wear down, break, or get lost.
You will eventually need to reorder another set. Nothing in dentistry is forever. Fillings, crowns, bridges, dentures, nightguards, retainers…they all need to be replaced eventually. This is why you need to take care of your teeth and make sure you keep your dental appointments (and get your cleanings!). Your retainer model is stored with Invisalign so when you need to reorder, just call the dental office you had the treatment with and they can order you another set and mail them to you wherever you are.
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