Congratulations on starting your journey towards a beautiful smile! Here are some helpful reminders and tips:
For how long should you wear the aligners each day?
Aim to wear each Invisalign for 22 hours a day. Remove them for eating, leave them in for drinking water. Remove them for drinking very hot water and remove them for drinking sparkling water. Do not leave them out of your mouth for 2 hours in a row.
Can you wear the aligners during sporting activities?
Do continue to wear Invisalign during sports activities including swimming. For contact sports, you may want to buy a shop- bought mouldable mouthguard and mould it over your teeth with the Invisalign in.
What is the best way to store the aligners while they are not in use?
Carry the aligner box with you at all times and place the aligners in the box before eating. Invisalign wrapped in tissue are often accidentally thrown in the bin.
How do you clean and maintain your aligners?
After eating or drinking anything other than water, brush your teeth with a manual toothbrush and brush your Invisalign with the remaining toothpaste on your toothbrush.
Throughout the day, brushing with a manual toothbrush will be fine and easier to carry with you. For morning and night, brushing with an electric toothbrush is preferred and flossing every night is essential. Using small interdental brushes at night is also great for plaque control.
Suggestions –
Oral B io Electric toothbrush
Oral B Pro-Expert toothpaste
Colgate Sensitive Pro-Relief if you have sensitive teeth
Colgate or Oral B floss
Tepe brush in pink (or whichever colour your hygienist recommends)
What to expect during the 1st few weeks of wearing the aligners?
You might feel some discomfort for the first few days and notice that you speak with a slight lisp during the first week. However, most people find that the soreness wears off after the first week, so persevere and have the aligners on for 22 hours a day. The longer you have your Invisalign on the quicker your mouth and tongue will adapt to speaking with it on. It can take up to 2 weeks for your invisalign to settle and for you to be comfortable with it.
If you have pain with Invisalign, the recommended painkiller is paracetamol, not ibuprofen or aspirin.
Your new Invisalign and attachments may cause friction sores/ ulcers in the first 2 weeks until you have adapted to them. You can try ulcer treatment to ease the discomfort.
Suggestions:
Iglü Orthodontic brace gel, or just Iglü
Consuming food and beverages
Avoid curry and red wine on the first 2 days after the attachments are freshly placed to prevent staining. Avoid biting directly into hard apples/ raw carrots during your treatment, cut these into smaller pieces.
What should you do if your aligners get stained?
If your Invisalign is stained, you can soak them in a solution made with Invisalign Cleaning Crystals or Retainer Brite for 15 minutes.
What should you do if the attachments come off?
If an attachment comes off, don’t panic, just let the dentist know and it can be reattached.
Modifying aligners
Feel free to modify the aligner edges if they scratch your cheeks/ gums/ lips. Use a sapphire/ diamond coated nail file for best results. You may also use fine nail scissors to trim the aligners, especially if they are rubbing onto your gum around the wisdom teeth. Just don’t cut a whole tooth off the aligner (especially the last one!), every tooth must be at least partly covered.
How do you insert and remove the aligners?
Always use Chewies to seat your aligner after you have inserted them (if you lose them, you can get more from us or purchase it online).
Upper aligners –
The easiest way to remove the upper Invisalign is to use your opposite index finger to pull downwards on the palate side.
Lower aligners –
The easiest way to remove the lower Invisalign is to use your thumbs to push upwards on the back teeth region. If you have soft nails, you can buy an Aligner Removal Tool from a reputable online store.
How often do you need to change the aligners and get them fitted?
Change to a new Invisalign as recommended by your dentist. It is usually weekly. It is best to change it at night before you go to bed. If you feel you have not worn your Invisalign enough, you can add extra days.
Always check that your Invisalign fits well and is on a track before changing. If you have concerns, take a photo and email it to your dentist, stating what aligner number and what day you are on.
What should you do if you go off track from wearing the aligners?
When off track, using chewies often and wearing the aligner for an extra 3-7 days should get the teeth back on track. Sometimes tracking is inevitable due to some difficult tooth movements so seek advice if you are wearing Invisalign full time and still have tracking after an extra 3-7 days, you can simply move onto the next one.
What should you do if you lose the aligners?
If you lose your Invisalign aligner, please proceed onto the next Invisalign if you have worn the lost one for at least 3 days. If you do not have any more left, then wear the previous Invisalign and alert the dentist so we can give you the next one or order a replacement. The replacement can be shipped to your home and will reach you in 1 week. For this reason, always keep the previous Invisalign.
Where can you get additional Invisalign branded products?
If you wish to buy any other additional Invisalign branded products, such as the box or cleaning crystals, Amazon now has an Invisalign shop.
Do you need to schedule follow up appointments?
It is important to attend appointments scheduled so that fitting issues can be identified early and in some cases, these appointments are made to carry out filing on the teeth.
Good luck and see you soon for your next review!
Congratulations on completing your Invisalign treatment! Here are some helpful tips to keep your smile looking great:
How often do you need to wear Vivera retainers for best results?
Wear your Vivera retainers over the fixed retainer every night for best results.
Cleaning and maintaining the retainers
Brush your teeth and fixed retainer twice daily, preferably using an electric toothbrush. You must use floss and Tepe brushes (usually pink Tepe brush) every night to clean in between the teeth attached onto the fixed retainer.
Ensure your teeth are thoroughly clean before wearing your Vivera retainer.
Brush your Vivera clean in the morning after removal with non-abrasive toothpaste or soap.
Soak your Vivera retainers in Retainer Brite for 15 minutes twice weekly.
How long do Vivera retainers last?
You have 3 sets of Vivera retainers. These are made by Invisalign and are high quality, however, they can stretch with time. Depending on how well you look after your Vivera retainers, they should last approximately 3-4 years.
You should rotate your Vivera retainers so that you are not wearing one set. Rotate nightly between 2 sets of Vivera retainers. Keep the 3rd set as a spare. When you open the 3rd set, it is a reminder for you to consider ordering another set.
How often should you schedule appointments with your hygienist?
You should see the hygienist at least every 6 months (or at lesser intervals if recommended by the hygienist) to keep the teeth around the fixed retainer clean from tartar build up.
How do you whiten your teeth using Vivera fixed retainers?
For the first time you whiten your teeth, you will need to use the tooth whitening gel every night for around 2 weeks. For maintenance, place some tooth whitening gel in one set of the Vivera retainers:
1 night every 3 months OR
3 nights every 6 months
Top up whitening syringes can be bought at the reception desk at your practice after a regular dental check up.
What should you do if your fixed retainer debonds or breaks?
If the fixed retainer debonds or breaks, wear the Vivera retainer full time (removing only to brush teeth and eat) to prevent relapse and scratching of the tongue/ gums until you can see a dentist. Remember to come in wearing the Vivera retainer so that the tooth does not move and for us to check the fit after rebonding anything.
Can you order another set of retainers?
If you would like to order an identical set, the final scan is stored digitally and can be reordered via phone/ email to be shipped to your home. The cost is the current price of Viveras at the time of ordering.
Can you wear the same retainers after other dental treatments?
If you have a large filling/ crown placed or make any significant changes to your teeth, your Vivera retainer may no longer fit and you will need to be rescanned and pay for a replacement. You should always bring your Vivera retainer to any treatment appointments which can alter the shape of your tooth.
If you are considering Invisalign as a treatment option, it is indeed a great way to renew your confidence and also correct a range of orthodontic concerns in relation to your health.
You can now book a consultation at any of our state-of-the-art dental clinics in Nine Elms, South Quay and Churchill Place. We assure you that our team of specialists and experts will provide the best care and a tailored treatment approach for each patient who walks into our clinic.
