Many people are drawn to Invisalign due to its near invisible appearance and the fact that you can take your trays out at any time. The latter benefit means you can avoid the dietary restrictions that come with traditional bracket braces.
That said, Invisalign does come with its own rules that need to be followed in order to achieve the best results in the shortest amount of time.
Specifically, your aligner trays need to be worn for 20-22 hours a day. Additionally, while wearing your trays, you should only consume water. For most people, this isn’t an issue, and it’s a price well worth paying for the fantastic results achieved through Invisalign.
It might, however, take a little getting used to. If you’re considering Invisalign, here is what you can expect your days to look like.
Waking Up
Starting your day off with Invisalign is essentially no different than any other day. You’ll wake up with your trays in your mouth. Before you go to brush your teeth, you’ll remove the trays. Once your teeth are clean, you’ll rinse off the trays and place them back in your mouth.
Some people might quick have breakfast and/or slip a cup of coffee in before returning their trays to their mouth. That’s fine, though you’ll want to rinse your mouth out again before putting the trays in.
If you’re worried about waking up, only to discover your trays have fallen out during the night, don’t be. Invisalign’s trays fit very snugly to your teeth. It’s highly unlikely they will fallout in any circumstance, especially sleeping.
In the rare case where they do somehow fall out during the night, simply find them, clean them, and then place them back in your mouth. If this keeps happening, talk to you orthodontist.
Mealtime and Coffee Breaks
As we said earlier, you should never consume anything besides water while wearing your Invisalign. Otherwise, you could stain your teeth or trays. Additionally, sugar and other particles can get trapped between your teeth and trays, causing harm to your enamel.
For each mealtime, you’ll need to remove your trays. When you’re finished, you’ll want to rinse out your mouth and clean off your trays before you start wearing them again.
Those who are used to sipping coffee, tea, or other beverages throughout the day will have to adjust a little. Instead of taking a few sips over the course of an hour or two, try to block out a time of 15-30 minutes where you can relax and enjoy a beverage of your choice.
Because it’s harder to snack and eat impulsively, many people with Invisalign find they start to develop better eating habits overall.
Going Out with Invisalign
If you’re leaving your house for any extended period of time, you should always take your tray case with you. This will allow you to easily remove your trays and keep them clean, regardless of what you’re doing.
Try to limit how long you keep your trays out. If you’re grabbing drinks or going to a concert, it can be tempting to leave your trays out for the entirety of the evening. This will almost certainly put you below 20 hours for the day.
That’s not to say you can’t have fun. You just need to be a little more responsible.
Going to Bed
Your nighttime routine with Invisalign is very straightforward. Take your trays out one last time to clean your teeth, place them back in your mouth, and then go to bed. That’s it!
Start Your Invisalign Journey
If you’re worried about adapting to Invisalign, don’t be. Your habits will adjust quickly. A week or two with Invisalign, and you’ll forget the trays are even there as you go about your day. If anything, you’ll simply develop more self-control as you do a better job of planning out your day.
The final results are well worth the minimal changes to your daily life. In a year or so, you’ll finish up your treatment, and you’ll fall in love with how great your teeth look and feel. For Invisalign in Beavercreek, Ohio and the greater Miami Valley area, contact Dhingra Orthodontics today!
