Tags – Invisalign Treatment Not Working
If you’re one of the many people who have started an Invisalign treatment but aren’t seeing the results you were hoping for, don’t worry – you’re not alone.
And whilst Invisalign effectiveness is rarely called into question, sometimes you may not get the results you want.
But before you give up on your treatment altogether, it’s important to explore the possible reasons why it is not working.
This blog post will outline three possible reasons why your Invisalign treatment may be failing.
1. Chew Chew!
First things first, we’re not talking about your hunger cravings or tasty (but naughty) treats that are bad for your teeth.
Following your treatment, your dentist should have recommended some “chewing exercises” for you to perform.
The reason being, Invisalign works by gradually moving your teeth in their new position, and needs 22 hours of wear a day.
However, every time you push the trays in, they only sit 95% of the way.
Then each time you swallow, or your teeth touch together, your aligners grip your teeth.
And even if you do wear your aligners for 22 hours a day – it isn’t enough.
Essentially, your aligners need to fit perfectly at all times, with no gaps between your teeth and aligners.
Hence why, your dentist will recommend chewing exercises for 10 – 15 minutes a day, which will “wake up” your teeth and help them move into the goal position.
2. Looking After Your Aligners
Keeping your Invisalign trays safe and clean should be your biggest priority.
In terms of hygiene, clean aligners will reduce the risk of potential cavities, and prevent them from smelling funky!
On the other hand, keeping your aligners as clean as possible will prevent them from becoming less opaque.
To keep your Invisalign trays clean and properly looked after, you should:
- Never clean them with hot water – this will weaken and change the aligners’ shape, and even the smallest of changes will throw your treatment off track
- Never allow saliva to dry inside your aligners – give them a gentle clean inside and out with your toothbrush
- Always keep them in your mouth (duh!) or inside the case when you’re not wearing them
3. Your Teeth Are Colliding
Picture this for a moment: it’s rush hour and you’re about to grab the next tube in the London Underground. But it’s incredibly difficult to squeeze through an open door because of the huge crowd of people. Yes, after a bit of bumping and shuffling, you eventually get on, but not after coming into contact with other people.
You may be thinking what this has to do with your treatment, but Invisalign can create the same crowding effect in your mouth.
If you have teeth colliding together, during treatment, your dentist may use an agent called interproximal reduction, or IPR, to reduce the space between two teeth.
This method is generally done at the practice, where your dentist will remodel your teeth to prevent collisions.
But don’t be concerned! IPR is a safe and effective method of expanding room so that your teeth may be straightened.
Finishing Thoughts
In some cases, your teeth may simply not be moving quickly enough, or according to your Invisalign plan.
If this is the case, you will need to schedule an appointment with your dentist so they can assess your mouth and give you a treatment revision – you may need new aligners or use Invisalign attachments to help move your teeth into the right position.
Please get in touch to find out more.
In the meantime, take a look at our Invisalign treatment here.
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