How long do/did you have to wear each aligner?

[IHIC]

Hi,

Just curious as to how long each of you have been told to wear each aligner by your ortho?

The reason I ask is I have been doing more 'research' about Invisalign and managed to come across a site called realself (it's a cosmetic website where random people can ask questions and get answers from professionals in the subject, like Invisalign for example). Someone asked if their next tray fits ok on their teeth would it be ok to change to the next tray before the 2 week period is up. The 'professional' (Cosmetic dentist) answered saying no obviously, because movement that is forced too fast does not allow the bone to properly remodel etc. They also said some people will need to wear aligners longer than 2 weeks, but never less than 2 weeks.

I have seen people saying they have to change their aligners every 10 days, so wondered why she stated no less than 2 weeks.

[kezzakattami]

I wear mine 2 weeks as per my ortho's request

[Sunny]

IHIC forcing teeth too move too quickly, can put the roots of the teeth at risk of resorption, which can result in the tooth becoming loose and falling out.

Aligners can be made that cause minimal movement, and if your ortho has chosen to have you wear this type, then sometimes it may be ok to wear the aligner for less time. This is why this is something that must be done in consultation with your orthodontist.

It's always wiser to wear an aligner longer than for a shorter period of time.

[myhollywoodsmile]

Hi there,
I wear mine for 2 weeks as per my ortho's instructions. I feel like I need to as well as they continue to get looser in the second week. I know that some people wear them 10 days and I seem to remember that there was someone on here a while back that was wearing them a week each!

[gdriftr]

I don't think there's a really hard and fast rule. it depends how your teeth move and how much movement the ortho programmed in. I started on 14 days, then moved to 12. Since it was going well I later suggested going even quicker but the ortho said no. However I think she felt the risk was the treatment going off course, rather than my teeth falling out...

[Weeeyin]

Hi. Its me that only wears each tray for a week, This was a decision my ortho made and not me. If i've been naughty and not worn the tray 22 hours a day minimum or I feel its still tight after a week I wear it a bit longer. 1 week has seemed fine so far mostly but now i'm on 2 week rotations and i've only 4 sets still to go.

[kezzakattami]

I went for a usual 6 week check last night, got my next 3 sets of trays and there was some usual IPR thrown in for good measure! Im on tray 13 now of 17U and 14L and my ortho told me I can wear these trays for 12 days a piece now instead of the usual 14. Great news! I have found that my teeth are more quickly adapting, the more trays I get through now. Anyone else found this?

[katiekatie23]

hi well im still on my 1st tray i have got to wear this for 5 WEEKS oh my god its going to be the longest of my life!!!!!!!!! i suspect its different for each person and seem to me that this site can only give generic answers as each persons teeth are different and will react to the treatment in different ways!!

[Weeeyin]

you got it katiekatie, we're all different , life would be boring if we were all the same I guess. Honestly the time does fly by. I was thinking the other day about when I started back in January how nervous I was about parting with my pennies and now looking at my straight teeth and only 2 trays to go how pleased I am. I had a party at the weekend there where I've not seen a few people since Christmas when I was telling them about getting braces and now i'm almost finished, its been such a fast time for me. Good luck x

[Punkin]

hi well im still on my 1st tray i have got to wear this for 5 WEEKS oh my god its going to be the longest of my life!!!!!!!!! i suspect its different for each person and seem to me that this site can only give generic answers as each persons teeth are different and will react to the treatment in different ways!!

5 weeks seems a bit extreme. I've worn every set except for two for two weeks; there were a couple of sets that I wore for three weeks because they just didn't feel like they were ready to come off when the two weeks was up. That, and this final set is staying in until I get my refinement trays.

But, yea, 5 weeks seems like a very long time. Did your ortho tell you why you needed to leave them in so long?

[Lucy1986]

I asked my ortho if I could wear them for less than 2 weeks at a time, but he said it was a bad idea, as he's had people try this before and they've ended up damaging their teeth and treatment going way off course, so i'm going to stick to the two weeks!