INVISALIGN PATIENT INSTRUCTIONS

Congratulations! You are on your way to the beautiful smile that you’ve always wanted. Here are some simple instructions for the proper care and use of your Invisalign aligners.

1. Most people experience some mild soreness for a day or two after starting each new stage. This is normal. It is a sign that the aligners are working and moving your teeth to their final destination. 
2. On rare occasions, aligners may temporarily affect your speech slightly. However, as your tongue gets used to having the aligners in the mouth, any minor disturbance in normal speech caused by the aligners will usually disappear within 48 hours (depending on how much you speak). 
3. Aligners should be worn 21-22 hours per day. They should be removed for eating and brushing. After eating, we recommend that you brush, floss and insert your aligners as soon as possible. 
4. When brushing your teeth, brush off your aligners as well. Never place them in boiling water or soak them in mouthwash or denture cleaner. 
5. When inserting aligners begin with your front teeth and gently move backward. 
6. When removing aligners begin with your back teeth. Unseat your aligners with your finger nail and the back, then gently wiggle your way forward. Do not remove the aligner by pulling straight down from the back. This could crack or tear the aligner in the middle. 
7. When not wearing your aligners, always store them in the Invisalign storage case. NEVER WRAP YOUR ALIGNERS IN A NAPKIN, they will get thrown away.
8. Keep your aligners away from pets. Dogs and cats love to chew on used aligners. 
9. When two weeks is up and you are ready to change trays, it is best to do so in the evening so you can sleep through any minor aches or pains. Use the Invisalign app to track dates for when to change to new aligners.
10. Take Tylenol or Ibuprofen every 4-6 hours as needed the first few days with new aligners. 
11. When finished with a set, clean them and place them back in their original pouch. These can be used as back ups in case an aligner is lost or broken.
12. If you misplace or break a set of aligners, wear the previous set. If you are 2 days or less away from your next aligners you may insert the next aligner. Do not insert the next aligner if you are more than 2 days from the scheduled switch. 
13. In the case of lost or damaged aligners after they have left our office, Invisalign will make you a replacement aligner in a short period of time. In those cases, the cost for a replacement is $100 per aligner. It is therefore very important that you insert and remove aligners very carefully and store them in the proper case. 
14. If one of the bonded attachments falls off your tooth during treatment please notify the office to have it replaced. 
15. You may drink fluids while wearing your aligners. Please keep in mind that beverages high in sugar and/or acid will damage your teeth if held against your teeth by the aligner for an extended period of time. Also, very hot drinks could warp or distort your aligners and should therefore be avoided as much as possible. After drinking, we recommend that you rinse off your aligners and rinse your teeth. Do not brush immediately after an acidic beverage.