Adults and teenagers should also have examinations to determine if they need orthodontic treatment. If they have mild to moderate dental malocclusions, then it is often possible to straighten the teeth with clear plastic aligners rather than wearing braces. Invisalign braces or aligners are some of the most popular orthodontic devices today, and more individuals are using these to fix a smile and a bite. You might wonder how long you must wear aligners, and the amount of time varies from one patient to another based on several factors.
What Type of Malocclusions Do You Have?
First, you must consider what types of dental misalignments are in your mouth. Moderate malocclusions will likely take longer to repair than mild misalignments. In addition, if you are a young teenager, then you will have softer bone tissue in your gums, making it easier for the Invisalign aligners to shift the teeth into the correct positions. Adults have bones that are more solid, so it can take longer to move the teeth into the proper alignment. Patients who fail to follow their dentist’s treatment plan will also need to wear the aligners for a longer amount of time.
Invisalign aligners are made using medical images and molds of your mouth. These items are analyzed with computer software to make a series of aligners. Each set of aligners is numbered so that you won’t lose track of how you are supposed to wear the items. The aligners are made in a slightly different way so that your teeth are pushed gently into the correct position. Patients typically need 20 to 30 sets of aligners, and each set of aligners is worn for two weeks.
This means that your dentist will plan on having you wear Invisalign aligners for a year or longer. However, if you only have one or two misaligned teeth, then you may only need to wear the aligners for six to eight months. While your dentist can predict how long your treatment will last, there are other factors to consider. For the best outcome, you should wear your aligners for at least 22 hours a day and night. You should only remove the aligners to brush and floss your teeth along with eating food or drinking beverages.
If you fail to wear your aligners enough, then it will take longer to straighten your teeth. You might decide to avoid wearing your aligners to important meetings at work or while you are on a date, but this means that your teeth will shift back into the wrong positions. When you have influenza or a sinus infection, you may fail to wear your Invisalign aligners because you feel terrible, but again, this will disrupt your treatment plan.
In some cases, patients have problems with their aligners degrading, and this can occur for several reasons, including grinding the teeth. You may grind your teeth while you are sleeping, but if you wake up to find that your plastic aligners are in shreds, then this will change the length of time required for wearing the devices.
It is also important to consume a nutritious diet while undergoing treatment with aligners so that your teeth and alveolar bones remain strong. Each person who is wearing Invisalign aligners will have a different experience, and in some cases, it can take a longer or shorter amount of time to repair the positions of the teeth.