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Is Invisalign Painful?
Cherrywood Dental • Jul 22, 2018
Gone are the days where getting straighter teeth translates to a commitment of living your adult life with metal wires and brackets. Straightening your smile can be achieved without the discomfort, awkwardness, and embarrassment that can accompany braces as an adult. Invisalign is the best way to see straighter teeth without an uncomfortable treatment plan.
How much pain is Invisalign going to cost you?
Typical Invisalign Patient Discomfort
Those who are familiar with traditional metal braces know that orthodontic treatments typically come with pain and discomfort. After all, when moving teeth and straightening the bite, there is bound to be some pain. And just like traditional braces, you will experience tenderness and discomfort with Invisalign, but in general, it is less painful than traditional orthodontic treatments.
Patients typically experience discomfort from:
Beginning Treatment
The whole point of Invisalign is to shift your teeth into a straighter, more becoming, healthier smile. In doing so, the aligners have to put pressure on the teeth in order to get them to move, and pressure often means soreness.
New Aligners
Each and every time you switch from an old aligner to a new one, your teeth will have to adjust just like they did with the very first aligner. This soreness can be pronounced during the first few days after putting in a fresh set of aligners, but will eventually go away on its own as your teeth shift.
The Rest of Your Mouth
The edges of the aligners, while not sharp, can be irritating to your gums and the insides of your lips as your mouth gets used to wearing them. After a couple of weeks, your mouth will adjust to the feeling of wearing the aligners and will develop the necessary callouses to prevent further irritation.
Rough or Sharp Edges
Pain caused by rough or sharp edges on your aligners can easily be remedied by Cherrywood Dental Associates. If you run your tongue along the edge of the aligner as you are becoming familiar with the shape and feel of the aligners in your mouth, a cut can easily happen on your tongue if there is a rough finish on the aligner. Just let us know where the sharp edge is, and we can take care of it right away so no further injury happens.
Soothing Sore Teeth During Invisalign
The most discomfort and pain you will feel during treatment is when you switch to a new set of aligners. The discrepancy between the current alignment of your teeth and the shape of the new aligner where your teeth need to go will be greatest when you first start wearing them.
Try using these tips and tricks to help soothe sore teeth during treatment:
Wearing Your Aligners More
Yes, one of the best ways to alleviate the pain you experience with a new set of aligners is to wear them more! The more you wear your aligners, the quicker your teeth will be able to shift and conform to the fit of the new aligner and your teeth will become more relaxed.
Switch to a New Aligner at Bedtime
Help to minimize the amount of discomfort you notice by switching to a new set of aligners right before you go to bed. This easy time change allows your teeth to begin to adjust during sleep when those first few hours of pain really set in.
Keep a New Aligner In as Long as Possible
An extra bonus to switching to a new set of aligners at bedtime is the fact that your teeth will have several hours of wearing the new aligner before they have to be removed. Often times, taking out the new set of aligners is the most uncomfortable part, so making the switch from one set to another at night lets your teeth have some hours of adjustment.
Managing Your Pain
An Over-the-counter (OTC) pain reliever can be an effective way to help control aligner discomfort. These drugs work by inhibiting the formation of some of the compounds that help to stimulate body pain receptors. You can get a head start on this inhibitory effect by taking a dose of your selected OTC pain reliever an hour or so before you switch to your new set of aligners for an easier transition.
Check With Your Dentist Before Any Self Adjusting
If you find the edge of an aligner to be sharp and irritating, before making an attempt to adjust on your own, simply give Cherrywood Dental Associates a call and bring your aligner in so we can make a quick adjustment for you. This type of adjustment is quick with zero cost to you.