What Happens After Invisalign Treatment Is Completed?

When it’s time for your children to have their teeth straightened, there are several options to consider. One of the most popular of which is Invisalign clear aligners. This treatment is a technologically-advanced form of teeth straightening that allows your child to wear a series plastic aligners as opposed to metal brackets, making for a much more appealing look.

You might wonder about what comes after wearing these clear aligners, as there are several guidelines they’ll need to follow in order to keep their teeth straight once their Invisalign treatment is completed.

What Happens When Invisalign treatment is Over?

Some patients believe that they can save money or time wearing the Invisalign aligners by not continuing to use them once their teeth are no longer visibly misaligned or crooked. It’s important, however, to only stop wearing your aligners once you’ve been given the approval to do so by your orthodontic specialist. This is because some misalignments aren’t automatically noticeable unless viewed by an orthodontist. This means that your teeth won’t be in their proper position, potentially causing the development of future problems.

When using Invisalign, the movements occur rapidly, so you’re going to want to check with your orthodontist on a regular basis to identify whether or not you can stop wearing the aligners.

Apposed to metal brackets, Invisalign wearers benefit from the fact that there’s no need for a separate procedure to remove the braces. Invisalign consists entirely of removable trays. Once your orthodontist has given you the go-ahead that you can stop wearing your aligners. You can simply remove them and move on to the next phase of treatment, such as wearing a retainer. However, some people who use Invisalign will have been provided with a small amount of resin that’s designed to keep the aligners attached more securely. If this is the case for your child, this resin will need to be removed. This simple procedure only takes a few minutes to complete.

What Your Teeth Should Look Like After Invisalign Treatment is Completed

Once you’ve progressed through all the Invisalign treatment and are no longer wearing your aligners, your teeth should appear completely straight without any crowding or noticeable gaps.

No matter what their teeth issue was at the beginning of Invisalign, such as crowding, misalignment, twisted teeth or crooked teeth, these issues shouldn’t be present now in any way. This will allow your child to smile assuredly with the knowledge that their teeth are straight.

How Long Should a Retainer Be Worn For?

Following the end of your child’s Invisalign treatment, they will most likely be required to wear a retainer. This is to stop their teeth from drifting back to their previous misaligned positions. Although most patients don’t enjoy the thought of wearing a metal retainer, it’s necessary to do so after treatment. This is because the bones in your jaw have yet to harden after the movements. Meaning that the teeth can move back to their old positions.

As they wear a retainer, the bones will harden, expediting the time in which they will be required to wear the appliance. Another added benefit of Invisalign is that you have the option of wearing a metal retainer or clear retainer tray after the initial treatment has been completed.

It’s recommended that your child wear a retainer for at least 22-23 hours every day though you can remove it and when necessary for brushing, flossing and eating. This is typically necessary for the first six months following treatment. After this time, they usually only need to wear the retainer every night as opposed to during the day. Which is another phase of treatment that tends to last anywhere from 6-9 months.

Once the retainer has been worn for a little over a year, they can switch to doing so for just a few times each week during the night. This should be continued for the rest of your life in order to keep your smile perfectly aligned and straightened.

Are Any Additional Teeth Straightening Procedures Necessary?

When your child has finished wearing aligners, the only care that is necessary is for them to continue practicing good oral hygiene on a daily basis. It’s important that they brush and floss at least twice a day. Make sure that the toothpaste you use is comprised of fluoride for better whitening. Staining is common among Invisalign wearers who don’t immediately go back to practicing good oral hygiene, which might require you to schedule a tooth whitening appointment with your orthodontist.

When to Visit the Orthodontist Following Treatment?

Everyone who wears braces or Invisalign looks forward to the day when they no longer need to visit their orthodontist on a regular basis. While the frequency of these visits lessens, you’ll still need to visit your orthodontist from time to time. The most important visits should occur a few weeks following treatment and around 6-9 months later. This is to check your progress in order to ascertain whether or not the treatment was completed successfully.

Find the Best Orthodontist Near You to Schedule Your First Orthodontic Appointment

A board certified orthodontist provides expert orthodontic care for adults, teenagers and children in the comfort of their practice.

Patients can be fitted with customized orthodontic devices that include:

• Invisalign aligners – clear plastic devices
• Braces – color-matching ceramic or metal devices
• Retainers – worn at night when your braces are removed
• Palatal expanders – worn before your orthodontic treatment begins

You can schedule an appointment with an orthodontist near you to learn about the best type of orthodontic treatment for you or your children to improve your smile and correct your dental bite.

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What Happens After Invisalign Treatment Is Completed?

Perry Stevens

Perry heads up a dynamic marketing team that has help the leading orthodontic practices in the USA 10X their business for over a decade. He’s a tea connoisseur, avid reader, traveling and grower of exotic fruits in his permaculture food forest.