How Invisalign Fits Into Your Everyday Life
When you become an Invisalign patient, it’s necessary to adopt an Invisalign lifestyle. Thankfully, living with this orthodontic alternative is easy and intuitive for most patients and blends easily into your preferred ways to live, work, and play. Learn what it’s like to be a patient who wears clear aligners, from Dr. Charmaine Johnson and her team at Premier Smile Center in Fort Lauderdale.
How Invisalign Affects Appearance
The biggest concern of most orthodontic patients is how different they’re going to look. When wearing clear trays, you won’t look very different at all. If you must wear attachments – small composite dots bonded to the teeth to make aligners fit more snugly – they may make Invisalign more visible.
What patients are excited about is when they notice a difference in the position of their teeth from two weeks to four weeks, and so on. Change happens quickly and you’ll find yourself smiling more than ever and feeling great about your appearance.
Eating with Invisalign
There are no food restrictions for Invisalign wearers. Eat whatever you want, just remove the trays before you bite. The aligners should only be out of your mouth for two to four hours every day, so keep track of how long the trays are off your teeth. Many patients set a timer so they don’t forget to put them back in.
There will be times when it seems like you can get away with having a small snack with Invisalign in your mouth, but this temptation puts you at risk for damaged, stained, or foul-smelling aligners. If you must eat, remove Invisalign, and clean your teeth and trays before you put them back together.
Wearing Invisalign at Work
Your Invisalign trays will accompany you to work, whether you work from home or in an office, on the road or in front of a classroom. They will not interfere in your professional life, video calls, or in-person meetings. The snug-fitting trays have a slim profile that keeps them discreet while you go about your daily obligations.
Wearing Invisalign at School
The most important thing to worry about where Invisalign is concerned when you’re in school is that you always have your case with you and an on-the-go cleaning kit. Be ready to clean your teeth or trays at a moment’s notice and remove your aligners for meals. Otherwise, don’t expect much interruption in your learning. Clear trays do their work while you do yours.
Managing Invisalign While Sleeping
Yes, you must wear Invisalign while sleeping. That is, ideally, a solid six to eight hours of quality Invisalign wear time that doesn’t interfere with anything you have going on during the day. Plus, many patients choose to switch to new trays at bedtime, so they get the worst of the new-tray pressure out of the way while they sleep.
Playing Sports While Wearing Invisalign
If you play a sport, you’re probably concerned about whether Invisalign will prevent you from enjoying this hobby. It won’t. Discuss your activities with your Fort Lauderdale Invisalign provider to find out if you need a mouth guard to protect your teeth while you play. Remember that Invisalign trays do not work as a protective guard.
Cleaning Invisalign
Cleaning Invisalign trays is easy. Soak them daily as recommended, and as often as possible between morning and bedtime cleanings. The effort takes only minutes and ensures the trays stay clear and tooth enamel isn’t subjected to built-up bacteria on the aligners. This part of living with Invisalign is so important. Along with soaking trays, brush your teeth multiple times a day too. The condition of teeth and trays affect each other.
Are You Ready to Live with Invisalign?
Learn everything you want to know about Invisalign from Dr. Johnson and her dental team at Premier Smile Center. Schedule a consultation and find out if you’re a good candidate for this treatment.