ADDITIONAL CARE INFORMATION FOR INVISALIGN®
You are on your way to making an informed decision about the right orthodontic solution for you! Remember, every orthodontic case is unique, just like every patient is unique. Use the options below to learn more about answers to common questions regarding Invisalign and orthodontic solutions.
Invisalign® Glossary
Aligners
A system made of a series of clear plastic removable consecutive trays that are tailor-made specifically to fit your teeth
Attachments
These are the “bumps” cemented on your teeth that enable Dr. Walt to manipulate complicated movements of your teeth into the place he wants them.
Button
Not everyone has buttons—but they are required for elastic wear. They are little silver circles (that look like buttons!) so elastics can hook on to them.
Elastics
Simply, rubber bands. They are attached to hooks on your Invisalign® trays, and buttons cemented on your teeth.
Scan
A highly accurate digital impression that we send to Invisalign® to make your aligners.
Top 10 Invisalign® Rules
Follow these rules and you will be successful with your Invisalign® treatment:
1. Wear Your Aligners
24/7 except when eating and brushing your teeth.
2. Chewies and Massage
Use your chewies and massage your attachments daily from bottom and top.
3. Contact Us If You Can’t Wear Them
If you can’t wear your aligners for any reason, please contact the office.
4. Ensure Proper Fit
If you see a gap between your tooth and aligner and can’t get it to fit, go back to the previous aligner that fits and contact the office.
5. Use Your Case
Aligners are always “in your face or in your case!”
6. Appointments Don’t Always “Align”
Your appointments may not always correspond exactly with your aligner schedule. This is okay—do not stop wearing your aligners at any point!
7. Save Your Previous Set
Always save your previous aligners unless instructed otherwise. Please come to your appointments with your aligners in your mouth, and bring all your aligners to every appointment in your bag.
8. May Feel Sharp
Initially, a new set of aligners may feel a little sharp on your tongue, lips, and gums. This is normal.
9. Use Fluoride Mouthrinse
Be sure to use a daily fluoride mouth rinse. We recommend Listerine® Total Care Zero.
10. Clean Aligners Daily
Clean your aligners daily using mouthwash and/or toothpaste.
Changing your Aligners
We instruct most of our patients to change their aligners on a weekly basis. Our system is that you do a scan using our dental monitoring app after 7 days of aligner wear so we can evaluate to see if you are ready to change into your next one.
Sometimes, for several reasons, you are not ready to change so we instruct you to remain in your aligner for a few extra days and re-scan.
For example, certain tooth movements are more challenging and require more time to execute. Moving upper lateral incisors and large canine teeth require more effort. Dense bone also creates obstacles to tooth movement. The easiest way to avoid delays in your treatment is to wear your aligners full time.
Routine Invisalign® Appointments
During your Invisalign® treatment you will have routine appointments where we check the fit of your aligners and your bite. It is important you prepare for these appointments by utilizing the following checklist:
Additional Aligners/Refinement
It is completely normal that during your treatment we will re-scan you once or twice to get more aligners. This is completely normal and has been factored into your treatment time. It normally takes approximately 4 weeks for your new aligners to arrive. The reason for this is that it’s impossible to perfectly predict how teeth will move—sometimes one tooth is stubborn or some teeth respond better than others. Therefore, we rescan your mouth during your treatment and our doctors evaluate the tooth movement before ordering more aligners to ensure the perfect tooth position.
During this time, we ask that you continue wearing your aligners full time and change your aligners weekly. If you get to your last aligner and after a week you still haven’t seen us for your next appointment, you can wear it 10 – 12 hours a day temporarily. Once we see you and give you your new aligners so you can resume full-time wear.
In the rare instance where you should lose or break your aligner during this “holding” period, please wear the next aligner (if you have one) or go back to the previous aligner which you should have saved. If you have nothing else to wear you must contact the office ASAP.
FAQS
What should I do if:
