29 Essential Questions and Answers About Invisalign

Click to Expand Answers For Invisalign Questions

• Is Invisalign treatment painful?

  Lets be totally honest about this..  When you first get your Invisalign trays on, your teeth are going to be very sore and sensitive. Your gum and cheek tissue may develop sore spots. This is normal. I always tell my patients that for the first week or so they are going to wonder why they started this process in the first place, no matter how much they want to change their smile. This is no different than what you would experience with traditional braces. Any time that your teeth get enough force on them to start them moving, they are going to be sore. That is OK and a normal part of the process. 

  Now I do have some good news about what to expect after that. The first week or so is the worst that it gets. Once you’ve made it past this hump, things will get significantly better and you won’t notice a whole lot of soreness. You may have some occasional soreness or tissue irritation when changing trays but these can be easily managed (see some of the later questions).  

• How many hours a day do I have to wear my Invisalign trays?

  Invisalign recommends that you wear your trays / aligners for 20- 22 hours a day with 22 being the most ideal. Every second that the trays are off your teeth, they want to slide back into their previous position, which they do very very quickly.

  If you want Invisalign treatment to go as smoothly and quickly as possible, wear those trays every single second that you are not eating or brushing them. I notice a major difference in the speed and effectiveness of treatment in patients who wear their trays

• How long does Invisalign treatment take on average?

  Align Technology (the company behind Invisalign) reports that the average Invisalign case takes just 12 months. It is important to realize that this number is just an average. There are hundreds of different factors that go into your specific treatment plan and how long it will take to accomplish.

  Things that can be accomplished more quickly include minor crowding or spacing of the front teeth alone. Many of these cases are treated only for cosmetics without changing how the teeth bite together.

  Things that take quite a bit longer include things such as correcting a major overbite, underbite, or crossbite. Cases that involved missing teeth or teeth that have to be extracted also take a lot more time. Most dentists or orthodontists with experience in Invisalign can give you a ballpark time period during your consult.

• I'm having trouble removing my Invisalign aligners. Is there a better way to do this?

  In general, the easiest way to get an aligner off is to grab the back edge on one side and pop that one little area off. Once you’ve got it started the rest should come off much more easily. Easy enough to do right? Not always. Many people can’t get it started easily and really struggle them. There are a couple of things you can do to make this easier.

  Some people don’t have fingernails that can be used to grab the tray. If yours are too short or too long you may want to invest in a device to help you get the trays off. You can either buy a special pick to get them off use a small crotchet hook. The crotchet hook is a lot cheaper and works just as well or better than the specially branded products.

  

  Have you just started Invisalign or just changed trays? They can be really tough to get off for a day or so afterwards. Once the teeth have had a chance to move slightly, they should loosen up enough so that it is easier to get them off.

  You may also have a lot of buttons on your teeth which makes them more difficult to get off. If your dentist or orthodontist has bonded a lot of buttons on, study the trays to see where the buttons are. Find the side or area where the least amount of buttons are and start to pull it off right there.

• My Invisalign aligners are turning yellow or staining. What can I do about this?

  Some people build up stain really fast on their aligners. They can take on a yellow or brown tint that isn’t terribly attractive. There are a couple of things you can do to avoid this.

  • Brush your aligners and teeth every time you take them out. Don’t brush the aligners with toothpaste as this will scratch them and cause them to accumulate stain faster. Get used to carrying around a case with these items. As a side bonus, your teeth will be super clean and it will reduce your risk for cavities.
  • Avoid drinks that stain. These include coffee, tea, and red wine.
  • If you’re a smoker, try to quit. You’ll never keep them unstained if you’re smoking.
  • If you want to get them really clean, invest in an ultrasonic cleaner. Most dentist’s offices have one of these and they use them to clean peoples appliances. They vibrate at an extremely high rate of speed which cleans debris off of your trays. I recommend one like this…

  

• My Invisalign aligners are sharp and cutting my lips and gums? Can I fix this myself?

  Most aligners that fit correctly fit snugly around your teeth and cause little to no irritation. Occasionally there can be a small area on your aligners, usually around the gumline that irritates your lips or tongue. For minor areas of irritation, you can use a regular nail file to smooth the Invisalign trays. You won’t do any damage to the aligners or cause them to not work. Don’t use scissors to cut areas off. This can compromise the effectiveness of the aligners. Areas of irritation can sometimes indicate that the trays aren’t fitting correctly. Make sure you see your dentist or orthodontist soon to make sure everything is still on track.

• Will Invisalign affect how I speak?

  Initially, yes it is very likely that you’ll speak differently. It’ll sound like you have a bit of a lisp. The good news is that this goes away pretty quickly. Many sounds that you make are achieved by pressing your tongue against the roof of your mouth or the back of your top front teeth. Invisalign can change this distance a bit and your tongue gets confused. Most people are fully back to normal within a week. To speed up the process of reprogramming your tongue you can do some speak exercises. Count from sixty to seventy over and over again. Say the word “mississippi” over and over again. Do it enough and your tongue will learn the new patterns. 

• How noticeable is Invisalign?

  Compared to traditional braces, Invisalign is almost undetectable. People may notice that your teeth have a slightly shiny look to them. If they look really closely, they may see some small projections (buttons) on your teeth. I’m a dentist, and while I notice when people are wearing aligners, I have to be paying close attention to actually see them. 

  This is a patient of mine who is currently doing Invisalign. There are no trays on in this picture but there are multiple buttons on the teeth. As you can see, it isn’t terribly noticeable even when zoomed in close. 

  

• My Invisalign tray ripped. What do I do?

  Invisalign trays will occasionally rip or tear when you try to take them off. This happens a lot more often if you’ve been wearing the tray for  more than a couple of weeks. For the most part it isn’t a major problem. 

  If it is just a small tear and the tray still fits snugly around all your teeth, you can stay in the current tray until it is time to change to the next one. 

  If it is a bigger tear and is affecting the fit, there a couple of different options. If you are a couple of days away from changing to the next set of trays, you can usually just start the next set early. 

  As always, consult your dentist or orthodontist as soon as you’re able to get in touch with them to make sure things are still on track. 

• Can you whiten your teeth during Invisalign treatment?

  Yes! Whitening with Invisalign works really well. Place a small dab of bleaching gel on each tooth in the tray. You want just enough so that it covers the tooth but doesn’t squeeze out of the tray when you put it in. If it does squeeze out, clean up the excess so that it doesn’t irritate your gum tissue. I recommend buying 35% bleaching gel from Amazon. It is the same exact product that dentists use for standard whitening. You’ll want to keep this in the tray for 30-60 minutes each day. Don’t wear it overnight as this concentration is only meant for daytime use. You may experience some sensitivity after whitening but this fades within several days after stopping whitening. Bleaching doesn’t cause any permanent damage to the teeth. It is even good for the health of your gum tissue as. 

  

• How do I clean my Invisalign trays?

  For most people, Invisalign trays are adequately cleaned by a thorough brushing with a toothbrush and plain water. I recommend doing this every time you take out the trays. You can use soapy water for a better clean. Because the trays are changed so frequently you don’t usually have to worry about much build-up on the trays. 

• Can you smoke with Invisalign?

  Yes, you can smoke while doing Invisalign but you will likely stain your trays pretty quickly. They can turn a nice yellow brown color from the chemicals in the smoke. 

• Can you drink coffee or tea with Invisalign?

  Yes, you can drink coffee or tea while doing Invisalign but it may stain the trays. I also recommend avoiding adding any natural type of sugar (table sugar, honey, agave nectar, etc). If the liquid gets in the trays, it will be held against your tooth and can cause cavities more quickly than normal. Black coffee and unsweetened tea won’t cause cavities so you can indulge in either of those as much as you want. You should drink these with the trays in in order to maximize the amount of time that you wear the trays during the day. 

• How often should you brush and floss while doing Invisalign?

  I recommend brushing your teeth anytime you take the trays out and after you eat. If you have food on your teeth when you put the trays back in, the food will be held tightly against your teeth and this can quickly cause cavities. Flossing you can do less regularly. Once a day is fine for most people unless you are finding that you are trapping a lot of food in between your teeth. 

• I lost my Invisalign tray? What should I do?

  So you misplaced or threw away your Invisalign tray…  For the most part, this isn’t a big deal. If you only have a couple of days until the next tray change, you can safely move ahead to the next tray. This is especially true if you’ve been in the current tray at least a week. 

  If you just changed to this tray, you will probably need a replacement tray, depending on your dentist or orthodontist’s preference on how to treat this. Let them know and they can order a new tray easily without any new impressions. 

• What happens if you don't wear your Invisalign trays often enough?

  Invisalign trays are meant to be worn 20-22 hours a day. If you aren’t compliant with these instructions, you’ll find that your teeth won’t move correctly. At first you may notice a couple of areas where your trays don’t fit quite perfectly around your teeth. Over time this will get worse until your dentist or orthodontist has to take new impressions and get new trays made. This can significantly increase how long you’ll be in treatment. 

• Can you go backwards in Invisalign?

  As mentioned in the previous answer, you need to wear your Invisalign aligners 20-22 hours a day. When patients don’t do this, tooth movement can stall and start moving back to their original position. It isn’t unheard of for patients to go backwards in the trays they are wearing. Teeth under active orthodontic treatment want to move back to their original position and will do so very quickly if the aligners are removed. 

• My Invisalign trays are loose? Is this normal?

  Invisalign trays will often loosen up significantly when they have moved all the teeth that they need to for that aligner. This is usually the reason why the trays can start to feel loose. This happens at about a week after a tray change. 

  Some people have really short teeth which give the trays a small surface to hold on to. In these cases the trays can be looser than usual. 

  Trays can also become loose if something is going wrong. Something going wrong can include buttons falling off or the trays are ripped or torn. Check these things thoroughly and call your dentist or orthodontist if this happens. 

• What do the numbers on Invisalign aligners mean?

  There are three different meanings of the the numbers that are present on Invisalign aligners.  

  The longest number is your patient number that Invisalign uses to track your case. 

  The 1 or 2 digit number is the tray number. This can sometimes be hard to see. 

  Lastly, it shows whether the tray is an upper or lower tray. 

• Is there BPA in Invisalign aligners?

  No, there is no BPA in Invisalign aligners. In addition Invisalign states on their website that the aligners don’t contain “latex, parabens, phthalates, glutaraldehyde, or epoxy”. Invisalign has been in business for over 20 years and has done extensive testing on the safety or their aligners. 

• Can I change my Invisalign trays every week?

  This depends primarily on the dentist or orthodontist who is doing your treatment. Up until about a year ago, the recommendation from Invisalign was to change the trays every two weeks. After extensive research they found that they were able to get the same results with weekly changes. This assumes that you are wearing the trays the recommended 20-22 hours a day. If you’re getting less wear than this, you’ll still need to change them every two weeks. If your dentist or orthodontist still has you changing them every two weeks, mention to them that Invisalign recommends weekly changes now. They may not know about the change. For more information on this topic, see our more in depth article on it. 

• How often do I have to see my dentist or orthodontist while doing Invisalign?

  You’ll likely see them every 4-6 weeks. Most of these visits are pretty quick (20 minutes or less). Occasionally they’ll last a bit longer if new buttons need to be put on, new impressions taken, or interproximal reduction needs to be done. 

• Will I have to wear a retainer after Invisalign?

  YES! You will definitely need a retainer immediately after Invisalign treatment. As soon as the trays come off, your teeth will start moving back to their original position. In general, you’ll need to wear a retainer full time for the first 6 months, every night for the following 2 or so years, and after that you’ll only have to wear it a  couple of times a week at night. It takes a long time for the teeth to get used to their new positions. 

• Does insurance cover Invisalign?

  Many dental insurance plans have some coverage for Invisalign. Is included under the orthodontic benefit. The only way to know for sure is to call your insurance company and ask if your plan includes an orthodontic benefit. Make sure to ask if there is an age limit on this benefit. The maximum they cover is usually $1,000 – $1,500 and you’re on the hook for the rest. 

• My teeth feel loose during Invisalign treatment? Is this normal?

  Yes, loose teeth are entirely normal when undergoing any type of orthodontic treatment (including Invisalign). The teeth most likely to be noticeably loose are the small front teeth on the bottom. This is a result of how teeth move through the bone. Once they get to the desired position and stop moving, they tighten back up. Wearing your retainer is an important way to speed up this process. 

• What time of day should you change your Invisalign trays?

  It doesn’t particularly matter what time you change your trays. You do want to make sure that you change your trays consistently at the same day and time each week or two. Doing this on a consistent basis will help you remember to change the aligners on time. 

• Can the Invisalign trays give you a bad taste in your mouth?

  In general, the trays shouldn’t taste like much of anything. If your tray is starting to get dirty or build up debris, you can get a slightly stale taste when you put it in. Cleaning the aligner more thoroughly each time it comes out can help you avoid this. 

• Should You Keep Old Invisalign Trays?

  Yes, I highly recommend holding on to your previous trays. If something comes up where you can’t wear them for an extended period of time, your teeth may shift back. Sometimes this situation can be salvaged by going back several trays until one fits. 

• What to do if Invisalign attachments pop off of your teeth?

  Sometimes one of the buttons on your teeth will come off when you take the tray out. If it is just a single button and your follow-up visit with your dentist or orthodontist is 2 weeks or less away then you can leave it off without compromising your treatment. Make sure to mention it at your next visit so they can rebond a new button on your tooth.

  If it is a special button used to attach elastic bands and can’t do so anymore, then you should see your dentist or orthodonist quickly to have it rebonded. These individual buttons are more important to replace quickly.