6 Invisalign Dentist Tips And Tricks For Better Results

Last updated on : October 14 2021

Invisalign is a popular and effective alternative to braces for straightening your teeth. 

However, unlike braces, the treatment results with Invisalign are dependent on how compliant patients are with their treatment plan. 

Since braces need to be adjusted by an orthodontist regularly, patients are held accountable by someone other than themselves. 

Additionally, once the orthodontist adjusts the patient's braces, they are fixed in place and cannot be moved or taken out without seeing a licensed professional. 

With Invisalign, on the other hand, it is up to the patients themselves to wear their aligners consistently and for the correct amount of time. 

With all of this being said, here are a few dentist tips and tricks to ensure that you can get the best results possible from your Invisalign treatment. 

1. Choose Your Orthodontist Wisely

It would be best if you chose your orthodontist wisely when starting your Invisalign journey. 

While all practicing orthodontists must be licensed, not all have the same degree of experience working with Invisalign. 

Treating patients with Invisalign is different from traditional metal braces and requires a certain degree of expertise. And also, a professional orthodontist should have an Invisalign before and after review on hand because these reviews help demonstrate experience. 

To find local orthodontists certified in Invisalign treatment, take advantage of the "Doctor Locator" feature on the Invisalign website.  

With this search function, please enter your zip code, and the search results will yield a list of Invisalign-certified orthodontists sorted by the degree of experience and their location. 

Once you've reviewed the search results, choose the orthodontist that is the closest to you who has the most experience. 

2. Take Care Of Your Aligners

Another critical point to improve your experience with Invisalign aligners is to care for them properly. 

You should remove your aligners when you are eating or drinking anything other than plain water. In particular, avoid drinking colored beverages like coffee or tea. If not, you risk damaging or staining your aligners. 

Another crucial part of caring for your aligners is remembering to clean them after you remove them. 

Regular cleaning of your aligners will keep them in the best condition possible and prevent any premature breakdown. Aside from maintaining the aligners themselves, you should also practice good oral hygiene and brush and floss your teeth before using your Invisalign aligners.

A final part of taking care of your aligners is making sure that you change them appropriately. Each individual set of Invisalign aligners is meant to last for a certain amount of time before your teeth move enough to require a new set of aligners. 

Once you reach that point, you need to make sure that you swap out your aligners and begin using the new set. 

3. Keep Your Teeth Clean

Keeping up with an effective dental hygiene routine is essential but even more critical if using Invisalign. 

• Brush your teeth regularly

It would be best if you brushed your teeth. Everyone knows that, even young children. 

However, making sure that you don't slip up on basic routine tasks like this one can go a long way toward ensuring the effectiveness of your orthodontic treatment with Invisalign. 

• Use mouthwash

Mouthwash should be a regular part of your dental hygiene routine. 

It helps rid your teeth and gums of potentially harmful bacteria and can get rid of any tiny particles of food that might have been missed when brushing your teeth. 

Furthermore, the regular use of mouthwash can help prevent gingivitis and progress into the later and more severe stages of gum disease. 

• Use dental floss

Last but not least, flossing should be a mainstay in everyone's daily dental hygiene routine. 

Flossing can help rid your teeth of trapped food between your teeth and get rid of plaque. 

If plaque isn't removed by flossing, it can begin to build up around your teeth and gums and potentially turn into cavities or gum disease later on.

You don't want to have to deal with either of these things when undergoing orthodontic treatment-not only are they annoying to have to treat, but they can also hinder your progress and delay your treatment plan. 

4. Monitor Your Diet

There are certain foods and drinks you should watch out for when using Invisalign and others that you should include in your diet to make sure that you're getting the appropriate nutrition to maintain good dental health. 

As mentioned briefly earlier, you should avoid consuming anything other than water when wearing your Invisalign aligners. 

The following colored liquids can potentially stain your aligners, and hot beverages might distort their actual shape and alter the way they fit into your mouth. 

• Coffee
• Tea
• Coca Cola
• Red wine

You should also do your best to avoid eating foods high in sugar while you are undergoing treatment with Invisalign. 

While these sorts of foods are not the best for your health anyway, they can feed harmful bacteria in your mouth and allow them to increase, creating a messy situation if you are wearing your aligners frequently as well. 

Gum is another item that you should watch out for carefully. While it might seem harmless to chew gum while you do not have your Invisalign trays in, the sticky residue can remain on your teeth and potentially cause damage to your Invisalign aligners later on. 

Doing your best to steer clear of the foods and beverages mentioned above is an essential part of the equation. Still, another significant portion of it is making smart choices regarding what you do choose to consume. 

Eating an overall well-balanced diet consisting of various fruits and vegetables is healthy for your entire body and can contribute to successful Invisalign treatment. 

Softer fruits and vegetables are ideal, and cutting up others into smaller pieces to make it easier on your teeth is another intelligent choice to make. 

5. Wear Your Aligners Long Enough

Your Invisalign treatment will not deliver the results as promised if you fail to wear your retainers for the appropriate amount of time each day. 

When you begin your treatment, your orthodontist will tell you how often you are expected to wear your Invisalign aligners. Typically, this number will fall within the range of 20-22 hours per day. 

Although some invisible aligner brands offer nighttime-only options, Invisalign does not. 

The reason is that Invisalign moves your teeth slowly and in smaller increments. And any progress made during the night is likely to be lost during the day. 

You can take your aligners out for short periods, such as while you are eating or drinking, but overall they should remain in place for the entire duration of the recommended 20-22 hour time period. 

6. Wear Your Retainer

The final, and perhaps one of the most critical, Invisalign tips has less to do with Invisalign itself but is nevertheless crucial.

It involves the period that follows the conclusion of your Invisalign treatment. 

Once you finish treatment, your teeth should be in perfect alignment, and your smile will look just the way you want. This new smile can last a lifetime- but only if you remember to care for it properly. 

Wearing a retainer prevents your teeth from shifting around and moving out of alignment, preserving the hard-earned results of your Invisalign treatment. 

This way, your teeth can remain looking like the "after" picture in an Invisalign before and after review. 

Typically, patients will be instructed to wear their retainer more frequently immediately following treatment, but later on, you can make the transition to wearing your retainer only at night. 

The typical recommendation is that patients wear their retainer for 12-22 hours per day for the first three to 6 months following treatment. 

It's not hard to do and can save you the potential headache and strain on your wallet that could be caused by your teeth needing to undergo some form of orthodontic treatment again because they shifted back into their original positions. 

Conclusion

Invisalign can be just as effective as braces for the treatment of misaligned teeth. 

It is relatively straightforward, but keeping the tips and tricks from this article in mind can help you get the most out of your Invisalign treatment. 

Here's a quick list of the main points that we made:

• Being selective about the orthodontist you choose to go to
• Taking good care of your aligners
• Maintaining good dental hygiene 
• Monitoring your diet
• Wearing your aligners long enough
• Wearing your retainer

Stick with these, and you will help ensure a successful treatment outcome with Invisalign. 

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