Patients of all ages appreciate the option to amend alignment issues in their smiles with Invisalign. The clear plastic trays offer flexibility since patients can take the aligners out of their mouths when needed. And they appear more subtle than traditional metal braces over the teeth.
But the ability to remove Invisalign comes with the risk of not wearing the trays as often as required. Compliance with this treatment, which includes wearing Invisalign at least 22 hours per day, is crucial for it to work.
Forgetting to wear your aligners could disrupt your treatment. So you should remain aware of your behavior in order to achieve the best results from this process. Read on to find advice from your orthodontist to ensure you wear your Invisalign as directed.
Keep Your Invisalign Case Handy
Your orthodontist will provide you with a convenient case that snaps closed to hold your Invisalign aligners when you do not wear them. While you wear Invisalign as you sleep and throughout your day, you can take them out during meals and when completing oral hygiene. As you do these tasks, it helps to have a safe and sanitary way to store your appliances.
If you try to place your Invisalign on a napkin to save time, it can get thrown in the garbage by accident. You can avoid losing your Invisalign by having a designated case for them.
The case will fit easily in a handbag or pocket. Your orthodontist might offer options that will allow you to clip it to a belt loop or wristlet for even more convenience. This way, you can feel confident about where your aligners are located and can place them back in your mouth with greater ease.
Set Reminder Alerts
Even when you have your Invisalign aligners nearby, it is not always easy to remember to put them back in your mouth after eating or drinking. This can prove especially difficult at the beginning of your teeth-straightening treatment when you are not yet accustomed to these appliances in your daily life.
Your busy schedule can take your attention to other things, making you forget to wear Invisalign as often as needed. So many patients find it beneficial to set alarms on their phones or other devices that act as reminders to wear Invisalign. These alerts serve to check that you comply with your treatment.
Pay Attention to Your Oral Habits
When you introduce oral appliances into your regular routine, you might notice they affect your usual oral habits. You might not realize you exert certain behaviors until you have these custom Invisalign aligners. But your oral habits can disrupt this orthodontic treatment if you are not careful.
Pay attention to your habits to ensure they do not interfere with the teeth-straightening process. For instance, if you fiddle with the aligners with your tongue, they might not sit on your teeth properly. And then they cannot push and align your teeth as intended.
You might also snack frequently, and you must remove Invisalign each time you eat to avoid making a mess. You can worry less about replacing Invisalign in the mouth when you do not take it out as often. Curbing snacking when not hungry can make you less likely to forget to wear Invisalign.