There are best practices when it comes to living with Invisalign. They may not gel with your typical daily life at the start but making a few tweaks to your usual habits will make it easier to function with this orthodontic alternative and make it work as effectively as possible. Here are just some tips to help you get used to the new normal (which, if you’re lucky, will only last a year or less).
1. Plan Your Day
You may not be the type of person who does well on a hardcore schedule, but you may have to be willing to adjust your preferences for the length of Invisalign treatment. You’ll be sure to get in enough hours wearing your trays if you budget times for meals and cleaning your teeth and aligners and ensure that Invisalign isn’t out of your mouth for more than two to four hours a day.
2. Always Be Prepared
If there is one thing you want to have with you at all times as an Invisalign patient it’s the case for your aligners. Yes, it’s also a good idea to carry toothbrush, toothpaste, and dental floss so you have them at the ready for cleaning Invisalign, but it’s the case that will save you from accidentally breaking, trashing, or damaging your trays.
Wherever you are – out to eat, at home, at work, at school, or anywhere else – always put your trays in the case if you take them out. They’ll always be safe and you’ll never find yourself having to call your dentist for advice about what to do because of lost or broken aligners.
3. Rely on Helpful Tools
Some patients struggle getting Invisalign in and out of their mouth. This sometimes happens with people who need Invisalign attachments to help the trays fit more snugly. Your Invisalign dentist will be happy to recommend tools that will help you remove the trays without hurting your teeth, the trays, or your fingers.
4. Make It Easier on Yourself
Invisalign works on a specific timeline and you will know from the start of your treatment how often you’re expected to change out your trays. When those days arrive, don’t start them with a new aligner, put the fresh trays in at night then get to sleep. Those initial adjustments and tenderness will occur while you sleep so you miss most of the discomfort and go right to the normal days and nights of being an Invisalign patient.
5. Live Your Life
Living with Invisalign is big commitment, but it doesn’t have to be a major interruption of your daily life. Work, school, and play will all still be the same – you just might have to readjust your eating and drinking habits, so Invisalign is worn long enough and not compromised by meals or snacks.
When you choose Invisalign, you’ll discover that you become a new person almost instantly – and in a good way. A slowly straightening smile delivers incredible self-confidence. Contact Impressions Dental in Chandler, AZ, to find out whether living with Invisalign is right for you.
