The aligners should be worn at all times, except when eating, brushing and flossing — at least 22 hours of wear per day. They should be leaned gently with a toothbrush whenever they are removed, if they need it. They should be stored in the red or blue retainer case when they are not being worn. (Never wrap them in a paper towel or tissue — they tend to get thrown out.) They should be kept away from boiling water, bleach, and other extreme cleansers. Store the future inventory of aligners in a cool, dry place.
Note: Your general dentist should not remove the composite attachments, if you have them. In addition, you should consult Dr. Block prior to receiving dental restorations, as this may affect the fit of the aligners. If a composite attachment (bump) breaks off on its own, get it replaced (re-bonded) immediately by Dr. Block.
Changing Aligners:
- After a period of 2 or 3 weeks (300–400 hours), provided there are no air-gaps between the aligner and your teeth, you should take out your aligners and put them into the original packing case to be saved. You can now wear the next stage of aligners. Please be sure you have worn your aligners for the necessary number of hours before moving ahead to the next aligners. If your aligner has not fully expressed the tooth movement required, you may slow your treatment time.
- After an additional 2–3 weeks, the next set of aligners should be put in the original packing case and stored along with the earlier sets.
- Bring these previously worn aligners to your checkup visits so they can be back-tracked if necessary or discarded if unnecessary.
Wearing Aligner Instructions:
- Clench into the aligners frequently to assure seating pressure and tooth moving pressure.
- Aligners can be worn longer than 2 weeks if they seat poorly or if the teeth do not look as straight in the mouth as in the aligner setup.
- If there appears to be an air gap between the aligner and the biting edge of any tooth, clench into the aligner more and wear it longer.
- Aligners should feel loose and comfortable before moving on to the next aligner.
