Many patients wonder just how long they have to wear clear aligners like Invisalign every day. For example, must the aligners be worn while they sleep? This press release answers a patient question on the subject.
SACRAMENTO, Calif., October 17, 2018 (Newswire.com) - Invisalign is a system of clear plastic aligners for correcting crooked teeth. Although they look somewhat like clear mouthguards, the aligners are much slimmer, much more snug, and almost invisible, as the name suggests. Since clear aligners substitute for traditional orthodontics like braces, they can only treat patients while they wear them. So does a patient need to wear Invisalign while they sleep?
How Long is Invisalign Worn Every Day?
Invisalign aligners should be worn an average of 20 to 22 hours every day. Since most people sleep for six hours or more every night, they do need to wear Invisalign while they sleep. When patients fail to wear Invisalign for the proper amount of time, the teeth do not have enough force applied to move them into their proper positions.
Consider the fact that braces are worn for 24 hours, every day. Although Invisalign is removable for eating and brushing the teeth, if a patient fails to wear the aligners long enough, the treatment time is significantly lengthened. Also, Invisalign is worn as a series of aligners, with a new set arriving every one to two weeks. If the client sleeps without Invisalign, the next set of aligners simply will not fit and the treatment stalls.
Therefore, for people with the discipline to wear their aligners faithfully for the prescribed period of time every day, Invisalign is an excellent program for orthodontic treatment. If “sticking to the program” is difficult for an individual, then the orthodontic treatment they choose should use fixed braces. For more information on either option, potential orthodontic patients may contact the Sacramento Dentistry Group at sacramentodentistry.com.
Source: Sacramento Dentistry Group
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