I know that braces cause pain because all my friends complained about it when I was growing up. I’m old enough to know I don’t want a mouth full of metal while I straighten my teeth. It would just seem unprofessional. However, I want to know what I’m signing up for. Does Invisalign have pain the way traditional braces do?
Laurie
Dear Laurie,
It’s always wise to go into any treatment with a good idea of the pros and cons. The pros of Invisalign are obvious.
- They work in half the time as traditional braces
- You can eat and drink whatever you want
- You can brush and floss much more easily
- You can straighten your teeth without anyone knowing
- You don’t have to worry about cuts and abrasions from metal wires and brackets.
There is one point in which Invisalign aligners can ache a bit. You switch aligners every two weeks. For the day or two when you first put in your new set of aligners, they will feel snug and ache a bit.
This is because the aligners are sculpted to the next alignment your teeth should be in by the time the two-week time period is up. After those first few days, your teeth will be in that new position and the aligners will feel loose.
Usually, just some over-the-counter pain reliever is enough to keep the pain at bay.
An Unexpected Benefit with Invisalign
One extra treat you can get out of Invisalign is inexpensive teeth whitening. The aligners can double as teeth whitening trays. So, all you will need to purchase from your dentist is the whitening gel that you can place in your aligners for a period of time each day.
This blog is brought to you by Lafayette, LA Dentist Dr. Mike Malone.