Here I am, a month into wearing Invisalign aligners. I have worn my first two aligners and things have been going quite well.
At first, I became very nervous after reading on the internet about people getting multiple cavities just weeks into using Invisalign. I suddenly feared what risks I was letting my teeth in for. However, I decided that with a strict and thorough hygiene routine, the chances of getting any cavities at all would be minimal. Wearing Invisalign must either drastically improve your oral health (with cleaning and flossing three times a day), or, be to the detriment of your teeth if you don't step up your cleaning habits. After all, what you are essentially doing is putting plastic over your teeth after eating, so you either will remove all bits of food to a point of cleanliness that you would not do normally, or, trap bits of food in there that will lead to cavities and fillings. I decided to get into a very strict routine from day one, and cleaned regularly and vigorously.
That is, until a few days down the line when my boyfriend commented that I should not be cleaning too much and too hard, in case I'm reducing my enamel. That's when I realised there's more to the picture than just cleaning my teeth all the time, but to look at what I'm eating and how soon I brush my teeth after eating acidic food.
So, even though time is tight for mealtimes and I'm aiming to get my aligners back in as soon as possible, I also try to leave time for the pH of my mouth to get back to neutral before brushing my teeth. If I want to eat anything acidic (such as an orange), I eat it at the beginning of my mealtime so that I have maximum time for the acidity to neutralise. I follow that up with my meal of whatever I'm eating, and sip water throughout the meal to keep food particles and acidity at bay. I also try to finish up with cheese or milk (which alkanise the mouth) then wait about 10-15 mins before going to brush my teeth.
I like to drink tea, but I heard that you should avoid drinking tea with meals (or just before or after them) as it can sap the nutrients from your food. I was disappointed to learn this, because with wearing Invisalign, it seems convenient to lump my adored cup of sweet tea in with a mealtime. I decided that sometimes, I will just have to have a tea at mealtimes. At other times I will have a break in the afternoon just for tea, then brush and mouthwash afterwards.
Onto my brushing routine itself. It's very strict. I don't want cavities...
I remove my aligners, rinse with water, rinse the case with water, then put them away and go eat.
When I return, I brush my teeth (I use a manual brush out of preference, I like to have control over the brushing and have found electric toothbrushes are a bit too ferocious for my IPR-ed gaps) and brush my tongue. I then floss (everytime I have eaten something). I then gargle and rinse my mouth out with Listerine for at least 30 secs, and whilst I'm doing that I check my aligners visually and start to clean them, with a soft toothbrush and water. I brush my aligners gently like this everytime I put them back in. I used toothpaste at first, until I learnt that it's not recommended to do so, because it can be abrasive and make tiny bacteria-breeding holes in the aligner. So instead, I use toothpaste only once a day (in the morning) on the aligners, and the tiniest amount possible, enough to make a brief white watery foam on the aligner. The toothpaste I use for this is a natural, non-whitening paste (Kingfisher toothpaste, to be precise). I try to get a bit of warm water on the aligner whilst I clean it. I then rinse them, rinse out my mouth, rinse out the case, give final visual check to the aligners to see if there are any marks, give visual check to my mouth (on the IPR gaps in particular) then put the aligners back in.
I never drink anything but water with the aligners in, and I try to sip water regularly, to stop my mouth getting dry especially in hot weather. I did drink sugar-less tea through a straw once, with the aligners in, but afterwards I felt like I just wanted to get them out (even just for the feel of them having had tea on them) so I didn't see the point of keeping them to start with.
I've weirdly enjoyed the experience so far, and stepped-up hygiene routine isn't that much of a problem. After all, one should brush 3 times a day anyway. Sometimes I find myself brushing 4 times with the added tea break in the day, but that's ok. I strangely enjoy flossing, so that's not too much of a chore, and I've learnt how to do it fast (but safely). I'm getting through alot of floss.
Regarding mealtimes, I have had to get used to keeping mealtimes brief and not dawdling over meals or my cups of tea, but half-full tepid cups of tea left lying around pre-Invisalign days weren't necessarily conducive to my life anyway. I have missed being able to lounge around snacking especially in the evenings, but that kind of habit is not good for your teeth anyway. I cram any treats into mealtimes.
Even if I have not eaten through the evening since my last meal, I like to take out the aligners for 5 minutes before bedtime to give a quick mouthwash rinse and check the aligners for any marks, before a long night with them. Sometimes I will flush my mouth with mouthwash with the aligners in, after long periods. I make sure I rinse well afterwards.
I have already noticed movement which I am very excited about. I have observed that my front teeth (which are drifted about 3mm to one side, the crux of what I want to correct) have already moved round maybe as much as 1mm. My bite also feels a little bit different already; when I clench my teeth together with the aligners in (gently!) my front teeth meet my bottom teeth in a way I am pretty sure I could not do before...
Next week I go to get some more teeth IPR-ed - and also - drumroll - a load of attachments on my teeth. 14 of them! Up to now, the experience has been attachment-free.
I feel alot more confident about getting the aligners in and out (at first I was very scared of scratching my teeth or gums, or yanking out my teeth themselves!) whereas now I can pop 'em with complete assurance that nothing bad is going to happen. So I imagine that once I have attachments, the experience I've had over the last 4 weeks will significantly bolster my confidence and ability in prising out the aligners, which I've heard become alot harder to remove when wearing attachments.
Fuck... 14 attachments. Then I get another 3 more in 12 months if everything goes to plan.
I'm going to have alot to get used to. Bah.
The ongoing movement will keep my excited though. I feel like this is going to be a journey I enjoy, not merely a rush to a final result. I am already fascinated by it.
