What Happens After Your Invisalign® Treatment

The period after Invisalign is just as important as the initial treatment period in terms of maintaining your straight new smile for the long term. Here at Whole Body Dental, our dedicated team of specialists offers orthodontics with Invisalign in our Bellevue, Washington, office. 

We’re committed to taking you through the entire process of straightening your teeth, from your first consultation to your post-Invisalign care. For our July blog, we’re covering what you can expect after your Invisalign treatment. 

Creating your new retainers

Retainers are crucial after completing Invisalign treatment. The American Association of Orthodontists tells patients that their teeth won’t stay in place without wearing retainers. 

You might think of an uncomfortable metal contraption when you hear the word “retainer”, but that’s not your only option these days. Just as Invisalign takes the place of metal braces, you can opt for clear retainers instead of metal ones.  

The makers of Invisalign offer Vivera™ clear retainers that fit over your teeth, much in the same way that Invisalign aligners did. After you complete your aligner treatment course (usually 12-18 months), we do 3D digital scans of your mouth to determine the right dimensions for your new retainers. 

After the lab creates your new custom retainers, we trim them to your gum line to ensure your comfort. You get two sets of retainers so you have a backup pair.

Wearing your new retainers

We recommend wearing your new retainers for about the same amount of daily hours you wore your aligners to start (20-22 hours a day). Only remove the retainers for meals and brushing your teeth. Just as with Invisalign, sticking to a strict schedule for wearing your new retainers is vitally important in getting the results you want in the long term. 

Consistent wear is especially important with retainers because your teeth are the most vulnerable to shifting in the months immediately following your Invisalign treatment. Retainers prevent that and help your teeth get set into their new positions permanently. 

Monitoring your progress

We give you a personalized schedule to monitor your teeth and check the condition of your retainers. You may need to come in less often than you did while wearing your Invisalign aligners. 

At each visit, we check to make sure your teeth are stable, and we may adjust your retainer wear schedule. For example, after 3-6 months of continuous wear, we may recommend scaling back to wearing them only at night or some other type of gradual reduction in wear.

After Invisalign is the ideal time to set your results with retainers. Our Whole Body Dental team is glad to lead you through this process and help you maintain the beautiful smile you dream of.  

Call our office at 425-842-0435 or reach out online to book your consultation with our knowledgeable team now.