4 Tips to Shorten Your Invisalign Treatment

It’s easy to see why countless adults and teens have chosen Invisalign to straighten their teeth. Not only are the clear aligners barely noticeable, but treatment with Invisalign takes less time on average than traditional braces. In many cases, Invisalign can accomplish the same results in 12 to 18 months that braces take two to three years to create. Still, you’d rather have a beautifully straight smile as soon as possible. If you want to minimize your time spent wearing the aligners, remember these four easy tips for speeding up your Invisalign treatment.

1. Wear the Aligners for 22+ Hours a Day

For Invisalign to work as planned, you’ll need to wear the aligners as often as you can. Ideally, this should be about 22 hours per day. The remaining two hours should give you plenty of time to eat, drink, brush, and floss – the only activities before which you should take out your trays. If you don’t wear the aligners often enough, your teeth will move more slowly than intended, prolonging your treatment time.

2. Brush Your Teeth After Eating or Drinking

Once you’re done eating (or drinking anything besides plain water), brush your teeth before placing the aligners over them again. Otherwise, bits of food could get trapped between the trays and your teeth. They’d have ample opportunity to attract bacteria that cause tooth decay, and getting that decay treated could extend your Invisalign timeline. If you’re unable to brush your teeth after a meal or snack, at least rinse your mouth with water before putting your aligners back in.

3. Clean Your Aligners

Cleaning your trays with a toothbrush and toothpaste seems like a reasonable assumption to make, but toothpaste can actually be abrasive. It may create tiny scratches in the plastic where bacteria can gather. Instead, gently clean your aligners with a soft-bristled toothbrush and clear antibacterial hand soap. Also, do NOT use hot water; it could warp the plastic, preventing the aligners from shifting your teeth in their planned directions.

4. Don’t Skip Your Routine Dental Visits

Throughout your Invisalign treatment, your regular progress visits with your dentist are crucial. They give your dentist the opportunity to monitor how your treatment is going, and if they detect any issues, they can address it promptly. That way, you can avoid the problem getting worse over time, which may end up lengthening your time spent wearing the aligners.

Even with Invisalign’s shorter average treatment time than traditional braces, you might still be looking for ways to expedite the process. By keeping these tips in mind and following your dentist’s guidelines, you’ll have a flawlessly straight smile before you know it!

About the Practice

Souris Valley Dental Group has been helping families in the Minot, ND area smile brightly since 1968. Since that time, they’ve kept up with the latest techniques and technologies in the field of dentistry. With five experienced dentists on their team, they can provide the majority of dental services under one roof, including Invisalign. If you’d like to learn more about what to expect with Invisalign treatment, contact Souris Valley Dental Group at 701-852-5595.