General

Your aligners must be worn 22 hours per day for optimal results. Aligners must be removed when eating, drinking beverages, brushing, and flossing. When aligners are not worn, they may be kept in the case provided.

 

Brushing

It is essential to brush your teeth both morning and night. A manual or electric toothbrush can be used to clean depending on personal preference. Brushing your teeth or rinsing your mouth with water after meals is suggested to keep your aligners clean.

 

Cleaning the aligners

To maintain necessary hygiene, use a toothbrush to brush the aligners twice a day. Avoid using hot water to clean your aligners as this will cause the aligner to distort.

If aligners have discoloured you can soak them in in a solution of 1/2 white vinegar, 1/2 cool water and a pinch of bi-carb soda. Rinse and scrub with your toothbrush before inserting.

 

Inserting your aligners

Your aligners are marked with a ‘U’ to indicate the upper aligner and an ‘L’ for the lower.

To insert aligners, hover the aligners under your front teeth, once oriented, use your fingertips to push upwards. Apply equal pressure to the tops of your left and right molars so you can feel the whole aligner seated. You may be able to hear a click when you have it snapped into place. Please do not bite the aligners into place as this may damage them. A well-fitting aligner should fit flush with the teeth.

 

 

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Removing your aligners

On the outside surface of your back molars, use your fingertips or Pull tool provided to slowly pull the aligner out and down, ensuring equal force is used on both left- and right-hand sides. Once your aligner is disengaged from both molars, slowly wiggle the aligner forward with your fingertips until aligner is removed. Please note: some force may be required to remove aligners.

A stress fracture or break in the aligner can be caused by incorrect removal technique. To ensure your aligners stay intact refrain from using excess force to pull an aligner out on one side only - use equal force on both sides gradually. Refrain from removing aligners unnecessarily.

 

Storing the aligners

Store the aligners at home in a cool dry location away from pets. When in use aligners must be kept in the case provided when they are not in the mouth. Avoid wrapping aligners up in tissues when eating or out in public, they can be easily mistaken for rubbish. If aligners are lost replacements can be ordered at a small additional cost.

 

Attachments

Some patients may require tooth coloured resin (called attachments) to be bonded to the teeth to assist in creating the desired tooth movement. During your treatment if you note an attachment missing, please contact the office.

 

Changing your aligners

All aligners are numbered on the packaging and on the aligners itself. Your aligners must be changed every 14 days unless advised otherwise by your Orthodontist. Changing aligners sooner without direction from your Orthodontist will affect the intended outcomes of treatment

If a red stop sticker has been placed onto your next aligners packet it is critical to see your Orthodontist before wearing this aligner as the Orthodontist has scheduled to perform a procedure at this stage. Not presenting for an appointment before changing into an aligner with a red stop sticker will be detrimental to the results of treatment. If your aligners feel loose, do not skip ahead to your next aligner. Please contact your orthodontist if your aligners are ill fitting.

 

Discomfort

Some discomfort is to be expected when changing into a new aligner. This discomfort should ease after 3 days; however, every patient is different. Use paracetamol as directed to assist in alleviating any discomfort.

Wax can be used at any time to relieve any rubbing caused by aligners. Should the edge of an aligner have a small bur or sharp area an Emery board can be used to lightly smooth any rough edges.

 

Food and drink

Aligners must be removed before eating or drinking beverages. It is advised that only water be consumed when wearing aligners. Refrain from eating foods that are hard or sticky as this may result in attachments being damaged. If you note your attachments are missing or damaged, please contact our office.

Speech

For the first few days of your Invisalign treatment you may experience a lisp. Practising speech whilst wearing aligners diligently will enable the tongue to learn the new positions needed in speech to avoid lisping.

 

Chewies

Aligners may not immediately fit flush for the first few days. Using your Chewies as directed will enable the aligner to fit flush and work faster.

Chewies should be used 3 times a day to correctly seat the aligner. Using your Chewies for the first 2 days of a new aligner is vital and is proven to improve the performance of your aligners. To use your Chewies bite down on the Chewie firmly on the midline and hold down for 2 minutes then proceeding to do the same for the right and left canine. Chewies can be used at any time to suit your lifestyle, e.g., when driving, watching tv, doing assignments etc.

If the Chewies do not enable the aligner to fit flush against your teeth after the first 3 days, please contact the office and proceed as directed by your Orthodontist.

 

 

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Chewies are to be used to fully engage the aligner. Focusing the Chewies on the midline, the left and right canines as shown above.

 

Appointments

At each appointment you are required to bring your current and next aligner with you for your orthodontist to be able to properly assess your Invisalign treatment’s progress. If an attachment has broken the template aligner is required at your next appointment to repair this attachment.

We encourage you to attend all appointments to enable your Orthodontist to provide the best possible outcomes for your Invisalign treatment.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Should I keep all my aligners?

A: Yes! Please keep all your aligners until you have been advised by your Orthodontist or have completely finished your treatment.

 

Q: Is it normal to be producing more saliva with my new aligners?

A: Yes! For the first few days with your new aligners, the brain will think the aligners are food, therefore it produces more saliva to break down the “food”. After a few days this will fade. We encourage you to stay hydrated during this time.

 

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Q: Can I smoke with my aligners in?

A: No! Smoking with aligners in will cause noticeable discolouration to the aligner material.

 

Q: Can I chew gum?

A: Chewing gum with aligners in should be avoided.

 

Q: What are the ridges and bumps on some of my aligners?

A: In addition to attachments in some cases your Orthodontist may have designed your aligners with extra ridges. These slim indentations assist in producing the desired tooth movement.

 

Q: What happens if my aligners don't fit or are lost?

A: Contact the office immediately. Your Orthodontist will advise you how to proceed.

 

Q: Can I wear my aligner if I have snapped it?

A: Contact the office. Depending on the severity of the break your Orthodontist may advise you to continue with your current aligner. Proceed as directed by your Orthodontist. In most cases multiple breakages in the aligners are caused by incorrect removal technique. Please do not hesitate to as for further care instructions.

 

Q: Do I still need to see my dentist during treatment?

A: Yes! We expect and encourage all our patients to continue seeing their dentist every 6 months.