Invisalign is a fantastic orthodontic solution that make it possible to achieve straight teeth without the need for traditional metal braces. One of the most common questions we get at the Cottage Dental Practice in Ormskirk is ‘does Invisalign hurt?’.
The short answer is yes…..and no…….confusing right? Let’s look into that a bit more…
As well as being an almost invisible solution to straightening your teeth, Invisalign also has the added benefit of being more comfortable than traditional metal or ceramic braces. Having said that, this does not mean that you shouldn’t expect some mild discomfort during your Invisalign treatment.
Lets look at some of the reasons you might expect some discomfort and how that can be alleviated.
Those who are familiar with traditional metal braces will understand the discomfort experienced following placement of the braces or changing of the wires. This is completely normal. In order to move teeth and achieve your perfect smile, some pressure is needed to be exerted on the teeth. It is this pressure that can cause the initial discomfort.
Invisalign is very similar. When the aligners are first fitted, or when changing to a new aligner, you may feel some initial discomfort from the pressure of these new aligners. The good news is, this tends to be very mild. It is usually just a sense of discomfort, and this tends to only last for a few days.
Now let’s look at some of the top tips we give our Invisalign patients at the Cottage Dental Practice to help reduce as much of this discomfort as we can.
Top tips for reducing discomfort from Invisalign
I have found that for most Invisalign wearers, the discomfort they experience is so mild that they are happy just to ride it out for a few days. However, there are a few things you can do to ease any any discomfort.
Pain Relief for Invisalign
An effective way to reduce Invisalign discomfort is using over the counter pain killers. Whatever you would take for a headache is sufficent and most people tend to have have their preferred pain killer and know what dosage to take.
Start a new set of aligners at night
As we discussed earlier, it is not unusual to have some discomfort when changing over to your new aligners. One great tip is to switch to your new aligner just before bed. This way you will be asleep during those initial hours where you may have had some initial discomfort allowing your teeth to adjust to the new aligners.
Avoid hard or crunchy foods
If you find your teeth are a little tender following a new set of aligners then it may be a good idea to avoid anything too crunchy or hard for the first few days whilst your teeth adjust to the new aligners.
Rough or sharp edges
It is not unusual for your gums, cheeks or tongue to be a little irritated by the edges of the aligners at first, after a week or so this should settle down as your mouth adapts to having the aligners in place.
Invisalign aligners are laser cut for precision so their edges should be nice and smooth. However, if you find there is an edge that is rough or sharp please get in touch with your dentist. Whilst it might be tempting to adjust this with a nail file, there is a risk that you remove too much that effects how well the aligners fit, or remove an important part of the aligner that is key to moving the teeth which may then slow down your treatment time.
What if my discomfort doesn’t improve?
If you feel that things just aren’t getting any better by following the tips above or your discomfort is severe then be sure to contact your dentist who will be able to assess this for you and provide much needed relief.
The most important thing is to continue to wear your aligners. It may be tempting to remove them if your teeth are aching, but you need to keep wearing them for this discomfort to subside. By removing the aligners you are only delaying the discomfort for a later time, but also prolonging your treatment time.
Learn more about Invisalign
If you wish to learn more about Invisalign we would be more than happy to welcome you for a free initial consultation at the Cottage Dental Practice in Ormskirk. If you would like to arrange this then please feel free to contact us on 01695576165 where one of our reception team will be more than happy to help.
Dr Richard McIndoe
