Posted on May 23, 2018
Like all good stories, this one must come to an end.
Actually, just kidding. This one goes on for a while. Because now that your Invisalign treatment is over, you still have some work to do! Completing your Invisalign treatment may mean that you don’t have to come see your orthodontist anymore, but you do still have to take care of your teeth to make sure that they stay straight for many years to come.
I’ll say that again.
WEAR YOUR RETAINER.
This is an important step of your post-Invisalign journey. After wearing aligners consistently, your teeth are susceptible to movement. Failure to wear a retainer for at least 20 hours a day during those first few months after your treatment is over will result in your teeth shifting back to their previous position. In fact, it could take as little as 24-48 hours of not wearing your retainer for your teeth to start moving back to their original, crooked position.
If you don’t wear your retainer, you may as well schedule an appointment in 10 years to get Invisalign again. I’ll be really old then.
Yes, this is just as important. Your retainer is pressed up against your teeth. And trust me, you don’t want to have the bacteria-laden material growing icky stuff in the same place that your donuts go.
Keeping your retainer clean can be difficult if you don’t do it regularly. You can do a simple cleaning every time you brush your teeth, and a more thorough cleaning once a week. That doesn’t sound too hard, right? It really is that simple, but I broke it down anyway in The Bite-Sized Guide To Cleaning Your Retainers.
Your regular dentist misses you. Don’t just ghost them like that!
Really though – maintaining good oral health is important to keeping your teeth straight. By getting regular cleanings, you will prevent periodontal disease and even tooth loss. Keep your pearly whites looking that way, and get your cleanings at least twice a year.
The past few months of wearing Invisalign have been intense. Making sure that your aligners are in for at least 22 hours every day. Not eating or drinking while the aligners were in. Shoveling food into your mouth so you could maximize those 2 hours a day that you could take them out.
But now that it’s all over and your teeth are perfectly straight, you need to make sure you keep it that way. By wearing your – say it with me now – retainer!
To learn more about your post-Invisalign journey, come visit us at Orthodontics LA. I’ll answer all of your questions with as little sarcasm as I can manage. See you soon!
