My First 50 Days of Invisalign: 5 Things I Have Learned

1. Invisalign must be worn for 22 hours each day. I know, I know, if you are thinking 22 hours is longer than you were expecting, I totally get it. I was surprised too, but I can assure you it is easier than you think! I am so used to wearing my aligners that now if I am not wearing them, my mouth and teeth feel odd. My doctor has me on a 5-day scan schedule, which means I am notified every 5 days to take a scan of my teeth by using my Dental Monitoring ScanBox. The absolute best results are going to come from wearing my aligners for at least 22 hours a day, so that is motivating too! Plus when I receive the doctor’s approval to move forward with my next set of trays, it makes wearing those aligners for that time frame all so worth it!
2. You are given a 2-hour time-frame to be free from wearing your aligners. These 2 hours should strictly be reserved for eating, drinking, and brushing/flossing your teeth. This took me by surprise too, but really, when you think about it, it makes perfect sense! It would be messy and uncomfortable to eat with your Invisalign in, and it could damage your trays. Drinking hot beverages while wearing Invisalign could potentially deform your trays. Yikes! Not to mention, beverages like soda, wine, juice, coffee, tea, etc. could also cause damage to both your teeth and Invisalign. Since the sugars from the drinks could get under your aligners, this could lead to cavities. Keep in mind that your aligners will stain easily and no one wants yellow aligners. Eww! Although you will have to adjust to new eating/drinking habits, I do have some good news! You CAN drink water while wearing your Invisalign. THANK GOODNESS! Water will become your new best friend, which is great because it keeps your mouth from feeling dry, enhances healthy oral hygiene and you consume more water every day.
3. Although the Invisalign trays are clear, you will have white attachments temporarily bonded to your teeth. These attachments will feel like little bumps on your teeth. The attachments allow your aligners to grip your teeth as they guide your teeth into their new positions. For me, I have attachments placed on almost all of my teeth but that is not the case for everyone. It will vary for each patient. One thing to note, the attachments can stain over time. It is not possible to reverse the stain on your attachments, so you will want to be careful about limiting foods and drinks that stain.
4. Before Invisalign, I used to brushing, flossing and rinsing my mouth with mouthwash twice a day (morning and night). Once I started wear aligners, I learned that it is important to brush and floss my teeth after every meal or beverage. Not only will this keep healthy oral hygiene, but it will also reduce your chances of staining your teeth and attachments. I’ve also found it helpful to swish with mouth wash before placing my trays back in my mouth. I alternate between two types of mouthwash: Crest Advanced with fluoride and Crest 3D White.
5.  You can still feel CONFIDENT while wearing your Invisalign! Before I started this journey, I had the impression that I wouldn’t feel confident about my smile and teeth until after I was done with my treatment plan. All I can say is WOW I was so wrong! Over the past 50 days, I have noticed slight changes to my mouth and teeth and I feel more and more beautiful and confident with my smile. Each day, each new scan, each new tray, gives me such a rewarding feeling. I am putting all this hard work in for myself and I couldn’t feel more beautiful and confident as I see my new smile unfold throughout this journey.

Author: Jordan Aware, Invisalign Patient at VanLaecken Orthodontics in Sioux Falls