Things to know before using Invisalign
Starting your Invisalign treatment can be a big commitment and there are some things you will need to consider before beginning your treatment.
Wear time
It is recommended your wear your aligners for a minimum of 22 hours a day. This is pretty much the whole day so you might be thinking, how are you going to eat? You can still take your aligners out while eating although you will need to brush your teeth after and before your put your aligners back in. The majority of those hours you will be asleep so it won’t feel that long.
Constantly need to brush your teeth
After every meal you will have countless bacteria. Some of these bacteria will attack the enamel on your teeth. The acids in some of your food and drinks could discolour your aligners. Although this won’t harm the treatment, it can make the aligners begin to smell and harbour bacteria, which would then attack the enamel on your teeth.
It is important to keep your aligners clean to stop them from harbouring bacteria. To keep bacteria away it is advised you clean your aligners every day. Refrain from using toothpaste to clean them, as this will cause more damage.
Will change eating habits
While wearing Invisalign aligners you will notice that your eating habits will change. They will help cut down snacking, as you will feel more comfortable eating without your aligners in, and this can get tedious if you have to keep taking them out every time you eat.
You will also not be able to have hot drinks while wearing aligners. As Invisalign aligners are made from plastic, the heat from the drinks can cause the aligners to misshape. This will make your aligners have no affect on your teeth and not move them to the correct position.
Will not be able to whiten teeth
Whitening your teeth is out of the question while using Invisalign aligners. The chemicals in whitening solutions can damage your aligner. You will be able to get your teeth whitened after you have finished your treatment. To help whiten your teeth while using Invisalign, you can brush your teeth often, which you will probably be doing in the first place.
Not the right treatment for everyone
Invisalign is not the right treatment for everyone. This could be because of their dental problems or that they would not get on with using Invisalign. The best process to go through to know if Invisalign is the best treatment for you is to book a free consultation.