I’m at the very end of my Invisalign treatment and need to move to another city. Do I just finish these aligners and am done or do I need to find another Invisalign dentist?
Angelique
Dear Angelique,
In most cases, by the time you are at the end of your Invisalign treatment you don’t need to find another dentist. The exception being if your teeth were a tad ornery and your dentist had to do some special interventions to keep you on track. It doesn’t sound like that is your case.
Often, after any type of orthodontic treatment, the patient needs to wear a retainer for a time to ensure the teeth are able to retain their new position. The good news is, you may not even need to see a dentist about that. Your last pair of aligners can double as a retainer if handled properly.
Using Invisalign as a Retainer
- Start by wearing them all the time for a month.
- When that is done, wear them only at night for two months.
- Start wearing them every other night, while doing the movement test. *see below
- After a month or so, try backing off to every few nights, again being careful to do the movement test
- Go to once a week.
- Eventually, try once a month, then backing off completely.
The Movement test
While using the aligners as a retainer, it is important to periodically check that your teeth haven’t shifted positions. You do this by noticing if the retainers have gotten a little harder to put in. If they’re not going on easily, you may need to back up to the previous step, wearing them more often, then try again.
This is a great time for you to add a little brightness to your smile as well. Because the aligners are custom fit to your bite, they can double as teeth whitening trays. Ask your new dentist to provide you with some teeth whitening gel you can wear in your aligners. This will allow you to whiten while keeping your teeth straight.
This blog is brought to you by San Antonio Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Imam.