Invisalign has given thousands of people the smiles of their dreams. These clear, removable aligners are a total game-changer, but what’s it like living with Invisalign, and how can you make the most of your experience? Follow these handy tips for Invisalign’s success.
What Is It Like Living With Invisalign?
Invisalign is the clear, removable, and comfortable route to achieving the perfect smile. Invisalign aligners are made of transparent medical-grade plastic, which means you’ll barely notice they’re there. As a result, you’ll see how much more confident your smile will become as your Invisalign aligners discreetly go to work.
With no wires or metal to contend with, your aligner trays are not only built for discretion and comfort, but you can easily remove them for eating, drinking, brushing and flossing. So getting used to Invisalign braces is likely to be much more straightforward than you ever expected, with minimal changes to your lifestyle.
“I thought straightening my teeth was really going to be a pain,” one satisfied client told us about their experience of living with Invisalign braces. “With Invisalign, I couldn’t have been more wrong. I can still eat and drink everything I enjoy, and because they’re clear, you can’t even see them on your teeth. It really has been life-changing.”
How Does Invisalign Feel?
So what is it like living with Invisalign? Allow us to explain more about Invisalign and what to expect.
As an Apex Provider of Invisalign, we’re in the top 1% of Invisalign providers in Europe. We’ve overseen the success stories of countless happy, smiling clients over the years. A handful of them came to their initial consultation with worries about how Invisalign would feel. Will it be painful? Will it be uncomfortable all the time? The answer to both is: no! Some temporary discomfort is the worst you can expect with Invisalign.
We wish we could say there was no discomfort, but the pressure it takes to align your teeth into the desired position will inevitably feel alien to your mouth initially. This is certainly the case with your first Invisalign tray and potential every new tray after that. This is because the difference between where your teeth are at the time and where your aligner intends to move them will be at its most pronounced.
But don’t worry, you won’t have to grin and bear it for long. That initial discomfort will subside and disappear altogether in most cases. Unquestionably, the first week of Invisalign will take the most getting used to. But once you’ve lived that experience and found that it’s very manageable, you’ll know what to expect of Invisalign when your next set of aligner trays is due. It gets easier, we promise!
We’ve also got some tips for starting Invisalign treatment coming up later in this blog. So stay tuned!
Does Invisalign Make Your Teeth Sensitive?
Invisalign doesn’t directly make your teeth sensitive. Instead, the main culprit of teeth sensitivity is a loss of tooth enamel, which is the hard outer layer that protects your teeth. Enamel erosion is caused by acids in the food and drinks you enjoy, especially sugars, starches and soft drinks. This is why it’s so important to brush your teeth after every meal and to clean your Invisalign aligners twice a day, as well as rinse them every time you remove them. An effective hygiene routine will ensure that no acids or bacteria linger in your aligners and on your teeth throughout the day.
5 Tips For Living With Invisalign
Getting used to Invisalign braces takes time and practice. To help you along, we’ve got some tips for Invisalign newbies and veterans alike that will make your first week with Invisalign (and each one after that) a breeze. The following Invisalign tips and tricks are guaranteed to help you achieve that happier, healthier smile you desire.
1. Steradent Denture Cleaner
Your secret weapon for cleaning your Invisalign trays is Steradent. These denture cleaning tablets work just as well as specialised cleaning crystals, except at a fraction of the price. Soak your aligners in a cleaning container full of warm water and add a pack of Steradent for 15 minutes to get the best results. Our founder and award-winning Invisalign dentist, Ollie, is a big fan of this cut-price cleansing alternative. Ollie says, ‘Invisalign cleaning crystals can be quite expensive. I generally recommend Streradent, which is much cheaper to use.’
2. Metal Straws To Drink Tea And Coffee
Remember we mentioned that acidic foods and drinks can play havoc with your precious tooth enamel? Well, coffee and, to a lesser extent, tea is acidic by nature. Both drinks can raise the acidity in your mouth and cause staining. The catch-22 for caffeine lovers is that brushing your teeth while your mouth is in an acidic state can actually accelerate acid erosion, damaging enamel and the dentin beneath.
But if you can’t survive without your caffeine fix, you don’t have time to wait the 30 minutes experts suggest you should wait before brushing your teeth after coffee or tea. Not if you want to keep your aligners in for the recommended 22 hours anyway. So use a metal straw (ensuring your drink has cooled first!) to minimise contact with your teeth. Then rinse your mouth with cold water afterwards to return your mouth to a neutral pH quicker.
3. Chewies
When you’re adjusting to a new aligner, you may find that they take a short while to fully bed in. You can speed up the process by chewing on a specially designed Invisalign chewie. These soft, plastic cylinders can help improve your aligner’s fit, making them as snug and as comfortable as possible. Simply chew on the chewie for 5-10 minutes a day (preferably just before bed) to work out any air bubbles and improve the position of your trays.
4. Pultool
Closely fitting Invisalign aligners can sometimes be tricky to remove, especially if you’ve got long nails, soft nails, or no nails at all. Plus, using your hands isn’t necessarily the most hygienic method. This is where the Pultool Aligner Removal Tool comes in handy. This hands-free gadget – which is made using food-grade, BPA- and phthalate-free materials and is dishwasher-safe – helps to remove tight, stuck, and difficult-to-remove Invisalign aligners.
5. Retainer Gel
Retainer gels are a great way to get more out of your Invisalign aligners than straighter teeth (as important as those are!). Specially designed to be applied to the inside of your aligner, retainer gels provide an extra layer of protection from decay, gum disease and acid reflux. In addition, retainer gels typically contain tooth and oral hygiene-friendly ingredients like fluoride, xylitol and sodium bicarbonate to reduce teeth sensitivity and keep your breath fresh.
Liverpool’s Award-Winning Invisalign Dentist
Living with Invisalign braces is a journey. But it needn’t be an uncomfortable or troublesome one, especially if you follow our handy tips for Invisalign users. With the right tools, patience, dedication, and the support of an award-winning dentist by your side, your Invisalign experience can be as positive as the results you’ll achieve. For more information about Invisalign, or to book an appointment at Ollie & Darsh, please contact us on 0151 236 6578.