Invisalign’s aligners themselves don’t cause any pain. What they do, though, is move your teeth — slowly but surely. As your teeth move, they may feel sore due to the pressure placed on them by the aligners. It is a good news/bad news scenario. The bad news is that it means the process is working. Your teeth are moving! The bad news? You may feel uncomfortable for a while. Thankfully, the discomfort is almost always minor and temporary. Here’s what you need to know about the discomfort you might feel while straightening your teeth with Invisalign in NW Calgary.
How long will you feel discomfort?
Discomfort most commonly pops up when you start your first aligner and switch between aligners. While straightening your teeth with Invisalign in Royal Oak, you’ll switch from one aligner to the next every two weeks while your teeth move into new positions. Your teeth may feel sore for the first few days after you make the switch. You’ll have gotten used to the new aligner within a couple of days and won’t notice the discomfort.
If discomfort persists beyond a few days, you should contact a dentist near you for advice. That’ll allow your dentist to ensure nothing unusual is happening. In most cases, any discomfort after switching to a new aligner is temporary, and you can even make that easier with these five tips.
Ease discomfort by wearing your aligners as much as possible.
You’ll be tempted to remove your aligners when uncomfortable, but that won’t help. The best way to get past any discomfort is to wear your aligners as much as possible so your teeth will complete their shift sooner.
Ease discomfort by drinking cold water or even sucking ice cubes
You should remove your aligners before eating or drinking anything except water. You can drink water while wearing your aligners; drinking cold water can help ease discomfort. You can even suck on small ice cubes while wearing your aligners as long as you do not bite down on them.
Ease discomfort by timing your new aligners right.
As we mentioned, the most uncomfortable hours of Invisalign treatment come immediately after switching to a new aligner. To minimize your experience of that discomfort, put a new aligner in for the first time just before you go to bed. You’ll sleep through the worst discomfort, which should be severe enough to interrupt your sleep.
For the first few days, with a new aligner, eat soft foods.
For the first two or three days after you switch to a new aligner, eat only soft foods after removing your aligners. Giving your teeth a break from chewing hard and crunchy foods will help to eliminate the temporary discomfort associated with your new aligners.
In the worst case, take over-the-counter pain medications.
Those first four tips are usually enough to deal with any discomfort you’re experiencing. If, after trying all those tips, you’re still experiencing discomfort, you can take over-the-counter pain medication as directed until you become accustomed to your new Invisalign aligner.
The first step in developing an Invisalign treatment plan is carefully assessing your jaw, gums, teeth, and goals. That assessment will give your dentist in Calgary a chance to answer any questions about what you’ll experience. If anything unusual or unexpected occurs during your treatment, don’t hesitate to contact the staff at Spy Hill Dental to get the answers you need.
