When I started my Invisalign, Dr. Shock told me to wear the Invisalign trays 22 hours a day. The case that holds my Invisalign trays even says to wear the Invisalign 22 hours a day. So, I was doing pretty great with that…at first. I have now been wearing Invisalign for 20 weeks. I do not like to admit this, but I have found that, over time, I have become a little less compliant. I have accidentally gone to sleep three times without putting the Invisalign back in my mouth. Also, I used to hurry to the bathroom to brush my teeth and trays as soon as I was done eating. Now I may wait to drive home if I am out somewhere to eat. Why haven’t I been in as much of a hurry to get the Invisalign back in recently? It is not because the Invisalign are painful or uncomfortable or anything like that. Surprisingly, the trays are not even painful or uncomfortable since I’ve been less compliant! I think my lack of compliance comes down to my love of eating slow, talking, sipping my tea, and brushing my teeth in privacy (instead of at a restaurant or park bathroom). I know these are poor excuses, really. And, yes, I do understand my lack of compliance is not good! Perhaps I need a picture of my finished product teeth to carry with me to keep me motivated. You would think the positive change I can already see in the mirror would be enough! I thought it might motivate me if I did some research regarding what happens when one is not compliant with wearing Invisalign 22 hours a day. From what I read on dental information pages and Invisalign blogs, non-compliance may cause the outcome to not be ideal. The lack of compliance may also set treatment back (meaning I will have to wear the Invisalign even longer). I definitely do not want those things to happen! Just to make sure it really isn’t ok to just wear the Invisalign for 10-15 hours a day, I did re-read the information on the Invisalign website (www.invisalign.com). It states “For best results and a timely outcome, you should wear your aligners for 20 to 22 hours per day, throughout your entire treatment.” Darn. I will be discussing my recent poor compliance with my dentist (and wonderful brother-in-law..who will not be too mad at me, I hope!), Dr. Shock. So, I am committed to a return to being diligent about the 20-22 hours a day compliance. So, if you see me and I’m not wearing my Invisalign, you have my permission to lecture me…severely! Again, feel free to schedule an appointment with Dr. Shock at Hamilton Town Dentistry to discuss Invisalign or any dental needs. We look forward to hearing from you!
Audra
