Ways to Speed Up Your Invisalign Treatment

If you’ve started Invisalign treatment with Dillon Family Dentistry in either Bryn Mawr or on the Main Line, congratulations on taking the most important first step toward a straighter, healthier smile. However, chances are that many of you will keep wondering, “Are there things I can do to speed this up?”

To be honest with you, the answer is yes, and for several important reasons. For one thing, the process of moving your teeth biologically cannot be rushed, but you can also eliminate the most common habits that delay your present movement. For most patients, with the approaches described in this guide, they finish their Invisalign treatment ahead of schedule!

The brochure will provide you with all you need to know about how Invisalign works, the best ways to stay on track during your treatment, and what you should expect after your treatment is complete!

Key Takeaways Before We Dive In

Here’s a quick snapshot of what we’ll cover:

•        Wearing your aligners for the full recommended hours is the single biggest factor in your timeline.

•        Skipping or delaying aligner changes adds weeks, sometimes months, to your treatment.

•        Lifestyle habits like diet, oral hygiene, and consistency affect how your teeth respond.

•        Post-treatment retainer use is essential to protect every result you’ve worked for.

•        Regular check-ins at our Main Line and Bryn Mawr locations help us catch issues early.

Table Of Content:

1. How Invisalign Treatment Actually Works
2. Practical Ways to Move Your Treatment Along
3. What Happens After Invisalign? Don’t Let Your Results Slip
4. Why Patients on the Main Line and in Bryn Mawr Choose Dillon Family Dentistry

How Invisalign Treatment Actually Works

To speed up your Invisalign experience, you need to understand what is happening in your mouth while using braces. Each clear aligner pushes the teeth in different areas with a small amount of pressure (under 1 millimeter at a time). The bone and tissue around your teeth will remodel slowly based on the amount of pressure being applied to them, which is why long-term treatments take a few months instead of a few days.

When you come to Bryn Mawr for your Invisalign consultation, you will be scanned with digital impressions and provided with a detailed treatment plan that highlights every part of the process. To ensure your plan stays on track, as your braces each aligner will be created based on the previous aligners. So if you miss one of your aligners, it could cause all future aligners to be delayed as well.

This information is just the starting point! Here are some things you can do to help prevent delays during your treatment:

Practical Ways to Move Your Treatment Along

1. Wear Your Aligners 20–22 Hours Per Day – Without Compromise

One of the most important factors in the success of your Invisalign treatment is the amount of time you keep your aligners in place. All the force that helps reposition your teeth is created by the aligners and can only be generated while the aligners are in your mouth. When you take your aligners out for whatever reason, you are stopping that generation of force. To achieve optimal results from your Invisalign treatment, it is crucial that you wear your aligners for at least 20 hours a day, which means that you have about 2-4 hours left to wear them to be able to eat and brush your teeth.

According to studies, patients who wear their aligners as recommended will complete their treatment on or close to their original completion date based on their projected timeline. However, patients who wear their aligners for an average of only 2 hours less than they should each day will definitely experience a delay in the time that it takes to complete their treatment, often by several weeks.

The best thing to do is to put your aligners back in as soon as you are finished eating. Be careful not to place them in a napkin at the dinner table; this is how aligners get damaged or lost.

2. Change Your Trays on Schedule

Your orthodontist creates a treatment plan, including things such as appliance use and how often to change trays, for your Invisalign treatment in Bryn Mawr or on the Main Line. For the most part, the appliances need to be changed every one to two weeks, with the exception of those patients who are progressing quickly enough to warrant changing trays at a different rate than indicated on their plan. Your dentist at Dillon Family Dentistry will help advise you on how quickly to progress through your trays based on how well your teeth are tracking.

The biggest thing to remember is to never prolong the time between changing your trays without first consulting with a professional. Wearing an aligner longer than prescribed will not give you more time to finish your orthodontic treatment; it will only delay your treatment time.

3. Keep Your Aligners Clean and Damage-Free

If you’re wearing your aligners, remember that “warped or damaged” will not perform correctly. Heat can cause them to warp and fit improperly. This can be from leaving them in a hot car or rinsing with boiling hot water. Therefore, be sure to rinse with lukewarm water and always keep unused trays in their case.

If you are not regularly cleaning your aligners, it is possible for bacteria to build up on the aligners, which can lead to irritation of the gums as well as bad breath. Cleaning is essential so that you can maintain a clean and clear indent (the name of the space) where your teeth will go. You should rinse your trays every day upon removing them and use a soft toothbrush to gently scrub them every day.

4. Don’t Skip Your Check-In Appointments

When you attend progress reviews for your Invisalign treatment at our Main Line and Bryn Mawr offices, it isn’t just another appointment on the calendar. These are specifically to check and confirm that your teeth are moving in accordance with the new aligners you received each time, and if there is a small deviation, we will catch it early and make the necessary adjustments. If we do not catch these minor discrepancies early, then you will be required to wear refinement trays at the end of your treatment, which will then prolong your overall treatment time.

If patients stay conscientious about showing up to their scheduled progress reviews, they tend to complete their treatments in line with their initial anticipated completion date. Whenever you think of these appointments like ‘tune-ups’, instead of ‘creating ads’, you will always be inclined to make sure that you come in as scheduled for your progress reviews.

5. Watch What You Eat and Drink

You may be aware already not to wear your aligners while eating; however, this is only one reason for not doing so. If you snack frequently, you will need to take out your aligners frequently, and this results in decreased wear time. So it is best to eat meals and snacks during fixed periods to maximize the amount of time your aligners can do their job.

Be sure to take your aligners out of your mouth when drinking hot beverages such as coffee or tea. Repeated exposure to heat may cause some warping of the plastic, which could ultimately affect the fit of your aligners over time.

6. Maintain Excellent Oral Hygiene

Gum and cavity problems can cause disruptions in how well your Invisalign treatment is going. If there is a need for restorative work on a tooth during the course of your treatment, this could affect the way that your trays fit and require mid-course corrections as well. Continuing to keep your teeth and gums clean after each meal and before putting your trays back on by brushing and flossing will help you keep your treatment on track. 

What Happens After Invisalign? Don’t Let Your Results Slip

Achieving completion of Invisalign is a major accomplishment, but it is also not the end of maintaining a healthy smile. Teeth naturally tend to drift back towards their original positions, which is called “orthodontic relapse”. This is one of the most common reasons why people tend to repeat treatments after several years.

The next step in post-Invisalign care starts immediately after active treatment completion. Dillon Family Dentistry fits patients with Invisalign retainers either in Bryn Mawr or on the Main Line as soon as they take off their last aligner. In the beginning, you will likely be wearing your retainer 24/7 and will move to only wearing your retainer at night after a few months while your teeth are stabilizing.

Whether it’s following braces or aligners, you must wear your retainer(s). Retainers are necessary to maintain your desired smile; otherwise, your teeth will slowly shift back over time.

If you notice your teeth starting to shift again and have not been wearing your retainer(s) consistently, schedule a visit with us as soon as possible. Early detection of a relapse is easier to resolve compared to waiting until a later date. 

A Few Numbers Worth Knowing

Context helps when you’re making decisions about your treatment. Here are a few statistics that reflect the realities of Invisalign:

•        The average Invisalign treatment takes 12 to 18 months for most adults, though mild cases can be completed in as little as 6 months.

•        Studies have found that non-compliance with wear time is the leading cause of extended treatment timelines.

•        Over 15 million people worldwide have used Invisalign, with satisfaction rates consistently reported above 90% in clinical surveys.

•        Without consistent retainer use, research shows that teeth can begin shifting within just a few weeks of treatment completion.

Why Patients on the Main Line and in Bryn Mawr Choose Dillon Family Dentistry

Dillon Family Dentistry has been providing patients in Bryn Mawr and on the Main Line with customized, complete dental services. Our strong commitment to getting you the best final result with Invisalign orthodontics, including Invisalign Treatment, goes beyond providing just moving your teeth with trays; our goal is to get an excellent long-term tooth position; this is done by taking care of your long-term tooth position.

You will have a team at your disposal who will clearly explain your treatment, track your progress during your entire treatment, and modify your treatment plan if necessary throughout your treatment from your first consultation for Invisalign in Bryn Mawr until after being fitted for your post-treatment retainer. We provide orthodontic treatment with Invisalign for both adults and children; we treat patients with various ranges of crowding and different types of bites.

We understand that the Main Line is a very busy area; our office will help you with scheduling your appointments around the busy schedules of both you and your family; we will remind you of your upcoming appointments at least 2 times before the day of the appointment through email or text; the staff of Dillon Family Dentistry is always available to answer any questions that you may have while waiting in between visits.

If you’re ready to start or want to make sure your current course of treatment is headed in the right direction. We would be delighted to see you. 

Frequently Asked Questions

If you want to get results from your Invisalign treatment, you have to be consistent with wearing your trays, making appointments, brushing after meals, and taking care of your retainer once you are done with Invisalign. These habits will help make sure that you’re able to reach your goal by the end of the treatment.

Dillon Family Dentistry is here to help you every step of the way through your entire process, starting from when you come into Bryn Mawr for your first visit for an estimate on how long it will take to get through the treatment process until the moment that you are looking in the mirror and see the amazing results that have been created through this incredible process!

Ready to get started or have questions about your current treatment? Call us or request an appointment online at our Main Line or Bryn Mawr location today.