Invisalign Instructions

Congratulations on beginning your Invisalign treatment with Dr. Durbin! We are so excited to watch your smile transform! Your Invisalign delivery appointment is an exciting day, so sometimes patients forget the instructions explained at this appointment. For your convenience, we outlined our Invisalign instructions below. As always, please call or email us at [email protected] if you have any questions.

ATTACHMENTS:

• Attachments are made of composite and bonded to your teeth. Each attachment is a special geometrical shape designed by our doctors. They help move teeth to their perfect end position. Attachments can sometimes pop off, but this is rare. If this occurs we can easily replace the attachment. Just call our office to schedule an appointment.

ALIGNER INSERTION:

• Gently push the aligner over your front teeth then apply equal pressure in the back molar areas (using your fingertips as shown below) to push the aligner into place.
• Do not bite your aligners in to position. This may damage them.

ALIGNER REMOVAL

• Use your fingertips to pull down on the inside of your right and left back molars and slowly pull the aligner off of your molars. Next you will grab the right and left back ends of the aligner and slowly work your way forward gently prying the aligner away from your front teeth.

ALIGNER NUMBERS:

• Your name and aligner number will be printed on each aligner bag. The aligner number is also located on the back biting surface of each aligner. U/L indicate upper or lower followed by the aligner number. In the example below, L14N stands for lower aligner #14.

24/7 WEAR:

• Aligners need to be worn FULL TIME in order to effectively move teeth. They should only by removed for 15 minutes at a time when eating or cleaning your teeth. Patients who wear their aligners full time finish treatment faster and have better outcomes!

FOOD/DRINK:

• Do not eat or drink sugary/acidic beverages with your aligners in place. Food and beverages can become trapped under your aligners and cause tooth damage. Colored beverages can stain your aligners. Drinking water with your aligners in is perfectly safe!
• After you eat or drink we recommend brushing your teeth before replacing your aligners. If you do not have time or access to brush, please rinse your mouth with water to remove food debris then brush when you get home.
• When eating or drinking please store your aligners safely in your Invisalign case.

TRACKING:

• Tracking means that your teeth are fitting perfectly into your aligners. Do not change your aligners until all teeth are tracking perfectly. There should be zero “air space” between the edges of your teeth and the aligner. If there is an air space, please wear the aligner for a longer period of time until it fits. We do not recommend progressing forward into new aligners unless you are tracking perfectly. If you have worn an aligner for 2 weeks and it still does not track, please call our office to schedule an appointment.
• Chewies and Bite Sticks: If you experience tracking problems we recommend using a chewy or bite stick to help the aligner track. Please bite into your chewy or bite stick for 15 second increments for 15 minutes a day to help the aligners track.

CHANGING YOUR TRAYS:

• Please wear each aligner set for 1 week. You will change into a new aligner set on the same day each week.
• Accelerated Treatment: If you are using Acceledent, please wear each aligner set for 3.5 days. You will change into a new aligner set twice a week.
• If you experience tracking issues please stay in your current aligners until they fit perfectly.
• Always keep your most recent aligner set as a back up.

CLEANING YOUR ALIGNERS:

• We recommend cleaning your trays using a toothbrush and clear soap or clear mouthwash. You may also use toothpaste or denture cleaner, but these may cause your trays to become cloudy. Usually this is not a problem since patients change their trays weekly. Colored mouthwash can stain your trays.

WHAT IF I LOSE AN ALIGNER?

• Lost an aligner? Life happens… no worries! Please move forward to your next aligner set. You may need to wear this set longer (2 weeks) in order for it to track properly.
• If you do not have any future aligners please go back to wearing your most recent aligner set and call our office. For example, if we gave you aligners #1-12 and you lose #12 please go back to wearing #11. If you did not save a back up set please contact our office immediately as this is an emergency.

Are you interested in Invisalign? Trust your smile to an orthodontic specialist. Dr. Durbin is aDiamond Level Top 1% Invisalign Provider, which means that he has the knowledge, experience, and expertise needed to correct even complex malocclusions with Invisalign.