QUICK OVERVIEW OF WHAT TO EXPECT SEATING YOUR INVISALIGN

Time to expect for appointment: 1 hour- 1 1/2 hours

 HOW LONG YOUR TREATMENT WILL BE

We will show you a 3D rendering of your teeth and how they will move throughout treatment, we will also be able to tell you when we estimate you will finish with Invisalign. We will show you where attachments will be placed and if we need to do IPR (explained below). We will explain how to make sure your trays stay on track by wearing them 23 hrs a day and using a munchie to prevent trays from going off track, which could result in needing additional trays at the end of treatment.

ATTACHMENTS

We WILL place attachments, they are necessary to get the movement we want. They allow us to rotate, tip, and move teeth quicker and easier. Our attachments are a clear resin and will be polished off after treatment.

 IPR (Inter-proximal Reduction)

Most cases we don’t do IPR on the seat day (there are some exceptions), but just to review most cases (not all) require IPR, especially if you have crowding or a deep bite. IPR is when we go between the teeth and reduce the amount of friction between them allowing them to rotate and/or move closer together to improve your bite. IPR is done without the need for any kind of local anesthetic or numbing. We typically will schedule this into two separate appointments.

WHEN TO SWITCH TRAYS

Here in Dr. Sprowls office we do things a little different than most, due to her advanced training and constant continuing education. You will switch trays every 4 days, unless told otherwise by her or a member of her staff. The benefit of the 4 day tray change is, you can eat in them (we encourage it) which helps the teeth move into the spots the tray wants them to vs fighting the treatment. Added benefit is a new clean, clear, and rigid tray every 4 days vs a stretched out stained tray.

FOOD WE KNOW STAINS TRAYS

Tumeric, Mac n cheese, cheese filled pretzels, Cheetos, Doritos, Mustard, Honey mustard, Carolina gold BBQ sauce, and skyline chili. Even if your tray gets stained it still works. These stains you won’t be able to remove, so if you are curious if a food will stain a tray try it on your 4th day in the tray.

THE DAILY INVISALIGN TIME COMMITMENT

 The day-to-day obligations seem often to be a major concern for most patients. Here's the reality: Braces of any sort are a big responsibility and they demand your ongoing time, energy, and attention. Invisalign, though, is relatively low maintenance:

• Wear the trays 23 hours a day.

• Eat and drink in the trays, remove them and rinse after eating.

• Only remove the aligners three to four times a day for meals and cleanings IF you can't eat in them.

• Clean your teeth and the trays after every meal.

• Clean your trays morning and night Minimum. Using your toothbrush is fine.

• Change the trays every 4 days unless Dr. Sprowls or her team has said otherwise.

 Overall, you just need to brush your teeth more often and take care of your trays. That's pretty easy and the rules are simple, keep them in as much as possible, you have the freedom to enjoy your favorite foods all the way through. If you don't wear the trays your teeth will not move where we want them to.

WHAT TO EXPECT IN THE NEXT APPOINTMENTS

IPR- In most cases your second and third appointment after seating your trays requires some form of IPR to reduce the friction between some teeth to allow them to move and maintain or create a healthy bite

Removal- In most cases your 4th appointment will be to remove attachments and smooth any rough edges of teeth, we will scan and take photos. At this appointment you and our staff will evaluate your teeth, trays, and bite. If everything looks great then we order retainers, if there are some things that you want to tweak or we think can be improved we can order more trays. The end goal for us is to not only make you happy, but to make sure you have a healthy bite and improve the overall ease of you being able to sufficiently clean your teeth (which can result in fewer cavities in the future).