for those who have worn their aligners for less then the recommended time.

[invisaligngirl85]

yes another thread.. lol

i was wondering has anyone worn their aligners for less than the recommended time? and if so, how many hrs did you wear them? and did your treatment still yield results? is there anything wrong with wearing your aligners for 16 hrs a day instead? if the only issue is time relapse, then im fine with that... I dont mind the treatment taking a bit longer than usual.. my estimated time is around 6 to 7 months anyways. plus i wouldn't be wearing them for 16 hrs everyday of the week anyways... only about 2 to 3 days out of the week....

[Zoso]

If you don't wear your aligners the recommended amount of time, then they do not have as much time in your mouth to achieve the proper results before you move on to the next tray. This can lead to a cumulative divergence from the planned movement that can see you having to step back and repeat several aligners, adding weeks or even months to your treatment. At worst, you can go so far off plan that they need to "reboot" treatment, chucking out the rest of the trays, and starting afresh with new impressions, and the additional delay required for the new series of trays to be fabricated and delivered.

[Sunny]

Invisaligngirl your posts are interesting, as although you want the advantages of invisalign, you don't appear to want to do, what this system requires. I recommend you talk to your orthodontist about this, as this person would be best to advise you.

If you do not wear the aligners for the prescribed length of time, you also put your teeth at risk. This means ... your teeth are 'forced' to move when an aligner is put in, but after a few days of 20-22 hour wear, the aligners move on and off easily, due to the teeth having moved slightly. If aligner wear is less, the teeth are continually being 'forced' to move, when the aligners are on, then will move back when the aligners are off. This can cause root reabsorption and the loss of teeth.

It's great that you don't mind if your treatment takes longer, but you need to check that your orthodontist also doesn't mind. Many practices will charge additional when a patient will not comply with treatment requirements and their treatment is extended.

Maybe this isn't a good time for you to have invisalign. You might be better to wait till you have the ability to commit to treatment and then invest your money to do it correctly.

Good luck with discussing this with your orthodontist.