Your aligners are to be worn for no less than 20 out of 24 hours a day, but any more than 20 is great and can often help speed up your treatment! Another way to think of this: if you’re sleeping in your aligners every night, you have 4 hours every day to budget yourself having them out for eating or drinking any non-clear liquids. Plenty of time! Not wearing your aligners for the prescribed amount of time can lead to many serious consequences including lack of progress, gum recession, tooth mobility, and more. So be sure to get the most out of your treatment by wearing them for 20 hours! The image below shows what the aligners look like when a patient does not get the prescribed 20 hours a day for 7 days.
One of Invisalign’s biggest advantages is having the ability to take the aligners out to eat and drink - but that doesn't mean they don't get dirty. Keeping your aligners clean is important to keep them invisible, odorless, and free from germs. Without proper care and cleaning, your aligners can discolor, smell, and build up deposits of plaque and bacteria that can erode the enamel of your teeth.
After your initial delivery of Invisalign, your appointments throughout treatment will consist of “checks” or “scans” that will take anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes.
A “check” appointment is scheduled periodically between changing of aligners so the doctor is able to monitor progress and perform any changes needed for tooth movement.
A “scan” appointment is scheduled to update your digital impression and allow the doctor to make any adjustments to continue with progress.
Stay on time with the changing of each aligner. The number of aligners you receive at each appointment depend on when the doctor needs to see you. The exact number of aligners we give you are chosen for very specific reasons because of what must be performed at your next office visit.
EXAMPLE: If you were expected to be in aligner #8 at your office visit because re-contouring is planned, but you are only in aligner #6, we may have to reschedule. However, if you did not have your aligners in for 20 hours/day for 7 days, do not force it and move ahead. Simply call us and reschedule your appointment until you are in the proper aligner, no problem.
Make sure to have the last aligner with you and on your teeth when you come to each appointment. First, you should ALWAYS have your aligners with you if you plan to get 20 hours :). Second, our doctors must ensure that your current aligner is fitting well before moving on to the next aligners.
