Aligners : 

Your aligners are given to you in a pouch with a sticker indicating its contents:

The letter "U" indicates the upper aligner and the letter "L" indicates the lower aligner. The number written next to the "U" or "L" indicates the number of your aligner. 

 

If you look closely at your aligner you can also read its number engraved near the back molar.

 

Ex: U 04   (4th upper aligner)

 

Boxes: 

During your first appointment, a starter kit is provided to you. This includes two boxes of different colors for transporting and storing your aligners.

​

Choose one box to store your aligners when you need to take them out for eating or drinking, and the other to store aligners from the previous series.

​

Ex: You are currently wearing aligners # 4. The # 3s will be stored in the other box that you keep safe at home. 

 

How to wear ?    

Unless your dentist tells you otherwise, each series of aligners is worn for a period of 14 days and you must always wear your aligners for a minimum of 22 hours per day in order to maximize the efficiency of your orthodontic treatment.

​

Take the aligner between your thumb and forefinger, place it on the teeth and apply finger pressure to the right and left of the aligner to seat it properly on the teeth.

​

To remove the aligners, slide your thumbs under the aligner and lift from left to right. Store the aligners in the box reserved for this purpose.

Aligners should be worn all the time except when eating, brushing, and flossing. 

​

Hygiene: 

You should always remove your aligners before having a drink or eating. Drinking water is permitted with the aligners. You should always brush your teeth and aligners before putting your aligners back on your teeth. You should maintain good dental hygiene by brushing your teeth regularly and flossing daily.

​

Make an appointment with your dentist every 6 months for an examination and cleaning of your teeth in order to maintain good dental health during your orthodontic treatment.

​

It is not recommended to smoke, this damages your aligners in addition to being harmful to your general health

 

Broken or lost aligner 

If an aligner is broken, lost or defective, you must put the previous aligner (the one you kept in the box left at home) to maintain the position of the teeth. Then contact your dentist immediately.

​

In certain situations, you may be charged for replacing the aligner.

 

Discomfort

Most people experience minor, temporary discomfort for a few days when starting treatment. This is normal and is typically described as pressure. This is a sign that the aligners are working.

 

Speech and salivation 

Like all orthodontic treatments, aligners can temporarily affect speech, and you may have hypersalivation for a day or two. However, as your tongue becomes accustomed to the aligners the discomfort in speaking should go away.

 

Dietary restrictions

Unlike traditional orthodontic treatments, you can eat whatever you want during the treatment since you remove the aligners to eat and drink. It is important that you brush your teeth before putting your aligners back on.

​

Maintenance

You can brush your aligners with soapy water. Avoid using toothpaste. You can also use a denture cleaning solution (polident, novadent and equivalent). Never use hot water.

 

Appointments Frequency

Usually you need to see us once every six weeks. This is the only way to make sure the treatment is progressing as planned.