Ten Tips to Get the Best Invisalign Results

Wear your aligners for 22 hours every day. We know that the ability to remove your clear Invisalign aligners to eat, brush, and floss naturally is one of the biggest attractions of Invisalign, but indulge that luxury sparingly. The best way to get past the initial discomfort of a new aligner and to get to your end goal asap is to wear the aligners as much as possible. When they’re in your carrying case, they aren’t straightening your teeth.

Keep up your oral hygiene habits. One of the downsides of the Invisalign system is that the aligners can trap food particles between the thermoplastic material and the enamel of your teeth. In the worst case scenario, that can lead to bacteria growth and the development of tooth decay. The solution is easy: brush every time you finish eating, floss every day, use mouthwash occasionally, and drink lots of water.

Clean the aligners every time you take them out. See our point above about keeping your teeth clean. The same applies to your aligners. Your dentist in Winnipeg will give you detailed instructions about how to maintain your aligners, including how to use the Invisalign Aligner Cleaning System, or even just toothpaste or antibacterial soap. One of the other big advantages of Invisalign is that the aligners are clear and thus nearly invisible. Cleaning them every time you take them out is how you keep them that way.

Use whitening toothpaste. One of the bonuses of Invisalign treatment is that your aligners will hold the fluoride and whitening compounds that are contained in whitening toothpaste against your teeth for longer than if you’d just brushed and rinsed it all away. During your Invisalign treatment, use a whitening toothpaste to get this added whitening benefit in the bargain.

Consider your diet. Yes, you can remove your Invisalign aligners to eat naturally, but you want to keep them on for all but two hours every day. And, you need to clean them everytime you remove them. All this adds up to an opportunity to think carefully about your diet, to reduce snacks during the day, to eat nutritionally when you do eat, and to ensure you’re drinking lots of water. Some people report welcome weight loss during Invisalign just because of the extra thought and attention paid to eating.

Follow the plan. Your dentist in Winnipeg developed a detailed and specific treatment plan just for you. That plan included switching from one aligner to the next on particular dates and in a particular order. To ensure you get all the benefits of Invisalign, don’t freelance or improvise. Follow the plan. If adjustments have to be made, your dentist will identify that during your occasional follow-up appointments.

Opt for the buttons. Depending on your treatment plan, your dentist may recommend placing small dots on your teeth to help anchor your aligners in position. Those anchors will help ensure the aligners are exactly where they’re supposed to be, and that they get the optimum grip on your teeth. Those dots will be coloured to blend with your teeth and, if recommended, can really boost your straightening results.

Carry the case. When you remove your aligners — which you’ll do for a maximum of two hours every day — place your aligner in the retainer case. It’ll keep your aligners clean and help make sure they don’t get lost while loose in the bottom of a backpack or gym bag.

Opt for the chewies. Getting the best results from Invisalign near you is easier when you use aligner chewies. Chewies are spongy cushions that you chew for up to 10 minutes a few times a day. Doing so helps close any gaps between the aligners and your teeth. It’ll help optimize the fit of your aligners. Chewies are available from your dentist in Winnipeg in several colours and flavours.

Commit to maintaining your results. After you finish wearing your last aligner and any refinement aligners, celebrate your accomplishment. Then follow your dentist’s advice to wear a custom-made retainer as you sleep going forward. It’ll help sustain your hard-won goals indefinitely. No one wants to go back to the crookedness and odd gaps they started with.

If you have any questions about Invisalign, including whether it is right for you and how to get the best results as fast as possible, contact a dentist near you so that we can answer all your questions right away.