Invisalign is perfect for older teenagers and adults. This patient base especially enjoys Invisalign because of it transparency. The teenage years come with enough discomfort to have to worry about braces. The desire for a more transparent option is obvious. Children and younger teenagers do not always make good candidates for Invisalign because their teeth are still growing.

Invisalign is easy and a major benefit is you can remove your trays for eating and brushing. Otherwise, your trays must remain in your mouth for no less than 22 hours per day. Patients are instructed to wear a retainer shortly after removing their braces. However, it’s not uncommon for patients to neglect their post-treatment obligations. Therefore, their teeth begin to shift to the position they were in before treatment. Invisalign is the same way. If you are not dedicated to your treatment, you won’t get the results you want.

Retainers are very important, whether you’ve used traditional metal braces or Invisalign. At first you will be required to wear your retainers 22 hours per day. This recommendation is based on many factors, including the severity of your initial problem, your age, and whether we are using the retainers to finalize a few tooth positions. The majority of our patients are on this schedule for 3-6 months. If the plan is followed then they can be reduced to wearing only at nighttime for 6 months. Nighttime only is highly recommended until 12 months of daily retainer wear has been accomplished.

After 12 months of continuous retainer wear, we often recommend that you continue to wear your retainers at night 3-5 times a week for life. The reason we recommend this cycle of wear is due to the slow shifting of teeth forward and inward as we get older. This movement occurs very slowly and in general takes decades to occur. However, it can be prevented through continued and consistent wear of retainers. We recommend that you replace your retainer every year to keep your smile looking the same way it looked the day you completed Invisalign. We can create enough retainers in advance so that you never have to worry about losing them, breaking them, or wearing them out, and it also saves money!