Invisalign wear and care advice

We’ve put together the following advice to help you get the most from your Invisalign treatment. If you have any questions, we’re always here to help.

How to wear your Invisalign aligners

• Wear your aligners for 20–22 hours a day, and only take them out to eat, drink and clean your teeth.
• Wear your first three sets of aligners for two weeks. If they are fitting well, we might advise you to wear subsequent sets for 7–10 days.
• Don’t eat or drink anything other than cold water with your aligners in, or you could stain or damage them.
• To remove your aligners, loosen them all the way around before removing them from the back on both sides simultaneously. Don’t pull or tug your aligners from the front or one side, or they could break.
• If you lose or damage your aligners, contact us straight away.
• It’s essential to wear your aligners as instructed. If your teeth don’t move as planned, your next set of aligners won’t fit.
• Always keep your last set of aligners. If anything happens to your current set, we might ask you to switch back to them.

How to care for your aligners

• When you’re not wearing your aligners, store them safely in their plastic case.
• Clean your aligners every day with a toothbrush and cold water. Don’t use toothpaste – it could scratch your aligners and make them go cloudy.
• You can use Invisalign cleaning crystals or Retainer Brite to keep your aligners extra fresh.
• Don’t clean your aligners using hot water – it could distort the plastic, and your aligners won’t fit.

Frequently asked questions

What should I do if I can’t wear an aligner?
If you lose or break an aligner, move forward to the next aligner in the sequence and add the extra days of wear time. Wear your other aligner as usual.

Use your chewies to help seat and activate the new aligner. If it’s not fitting well, contact us for advice. Never skip more than one set of aligners.

What should I do if an attachment falls off?

If an Invisalign attachment comes off, contact us for advice. Usually, if fewer than three attachments have fallen off, we won’t need to replace them straight away.

How can I stop my aligners from rubbing?
Sometimes when you start wearing a new aligner, it can irritate your tongue or the inside of your cheeks at first. You can use a mouth ulcer gel to soothe the affected area.

If your aligner has a sharp edge, you can very carefully smooth it using a nail file. If you’d like some help with this, please get in touch.

Is it normal for my teeth to ache?

When you start wearing a new set of aligners, you might find that your teeth ache for a day or two as they begin to move. We recommend switching to a new set of aligners before bed so you can sleep while your mouth adapts. You can take over-the-counter pain relief if needed.

For more aligner advice, read our Invisalign troubleshooting guide. If you have a question for our friendly team, don’t hesitate to contact us.