Unlike fixed braces, Invisalign is a removable appliance and doesn’t have to be kept in your mouth all the time, although we recommend at least 22 hours wear daily. This creates a common question that we get asked a lot, do I need to wear a brace at night?
Do I need to wear my Invisalign while I sleep?
The answer to this question is yes. You should only really take out your aligners to eat, drink hot drinks and brush your teeth. The maximum amount of time a day that you should spend without wearing your brace is two hours. As a night’s sleep is longer than these two hours, keeping your Invisalign out is a bad idea.
Bedtime is the best time of the day to wear your Invisalign as you will be able to give your teeth time to straighten, without being disturbed.
What if I forget to wear my Invisalign?
If you forget to put your Invisalign back in after having something to eat or drink, or you’ve been brushing your teeth or cleaning your aligners, you will need to wear them as much as possible the next few days.
Invisalign is highly reliant on the patient to wear the aligners, in order to work. Unlike fixed appliances, such as metal braces which are left to straighten teeth on their own, Invisalign requires the patient to put the effort in. If the patient hasn’t been wearing their brace for the whole 22 hours a day or finds themselves forgetting to wear them, they can’t expect that the results they want will come quickly.
How long does Invisalign treatment last?
The treatment time depends on the patient and what results they want to have achieved at the end of their Invisalign treatment. If you only have a few teeth you want to straighten, then the treatment time won’t be very long. If you have severe crowding or gaps between your teeth then your treatment time will be longer. The average treatment length is between 6-18 months.
After you have finished your treatment then it is recommended that you wear a retainer, as this will stop your teeth from shifting back to their original position. There are two types of retainers to choose from, a fixed retainer and clear removable plastic retainer. The fixed retainer is permanently fixed to the backs of your teeth, whereas the plastic retainer is usually only worn at night. A fixed retainer is optional but a removable retainer will be given at the end of every course of treatment and recommended to be worn every night.
If you’re interested in trying Invisalign or want to know more about the brace treatments that we offer, contact us on 0161 7680931.