When you choose Invisalign aligners for your orthodontic treatment, there are a lot of advantages and one is your comfort. Braces pain is usually a bigger issue. The smooth plastic aligners are a lot more comfortable to wear, but as with all things you might still feel a little discomfort as you adjust to wearing your new aligners every day.
Because your face, jaw and teeth are all connected, sometime the pressure applied to your teeth as they shift can also cause headaches. Other side effects include jaw popping or grinding, jaw pain, neck pain and earaches.
We have discussed some ways to relieve Invisalign pain like orthodontic wax, Orajel and Invisalign chewies here. But now we are going to discuss 6 more ways to relieve Invisalign pain.
1. Treat with Cold Compresses
Another way you can relieve some of the soreness is to apply cold compresses to your jaw. Hold it there for 10 minutes at a time, two to three times a day until the pain abates.
2. Put New Trays in Close to Bedtime
Replacing an old aligner with a new one is probably the time you will feel the most discomfort because everything in your mouth is tight. If you switch them an hour or two before bed though, you will be asleep in those first few hours of adjustment so you won’t really feel anything.
3. Watch What You Eat at First
This may seem confusing when you chose Invisalign in the first place because you didn’t want food restrictions, but this is just in the beginning as your teeth and gums adjust to the aligners. While your mouth is still tender, try to stick to soft foods and avoid anything hard, crunchy or really chewy.
4. Don’t Keep Removing Your Aligners
In order for your Invisalign treatment to be effective, you need to be wearing them for 22 hours every day so technically unless you are eating or drinking or brushing and flossing you should be wearing them. This will help with the pain because when you leave them out too long, they will feel tighter going back on. Try to wear them consistently every day to give your mouth a chance to adjust to the aligners.
You may be asking, what if I get sick during Invisalign treatment? Dental experts agree that if you are sick and can’t wear your aligners the required amount of time for a few days, that it will not completely wreck your treatment plan. Just try to wear them as much as possible and if you notice that your aligners don’t fit correctly anymore, you may need to go back to an earlier set of aligners. In addition, if you are not wearing your aligners the prescribed amount of time, then don’t move up to the next set of aligners either. Keep your orthodontist informed on what is happening so he or she can adjust your treatment plan accordingly.
5. Treat Mouth Sores Right Away
Sometimes as your mouth gets adjusted to the feel of the aligners, your tongue and cheeks may get irritated and even develop mouth sores. You can use dental wax to protect some of the cuts and sores, but if that isn’t helping enough, ask your orthodontist to smooth out any rough edges with a nail file. You should also keep on hand a peroxide-based mouthwash to help with the healing process and to prevent any infections.
6. Work through the Pain
The bottom line is some discomfort is worth to get a healthy and beautiful smile, right? It just like with exercise. Your muscles will be sore as they adjust to more intense workouts, but the end results are always worth it. Same here.
A little known fact is that just like a deep tissue massage can help relieve soreness after a workout, you can also relieve mouth pain the same way. You are probably asking yourself, how is that possible? Talk to your orthodontist about biting or chewing exercises you can do every day which will feel like a massage to your mouth.
If you are having any severe pain or tenderness, get evaluated by your orthodontist to make sure there isn’t something else going on in your mouth. Ultimately, for best results at the end of your treatment, you need to follow all the instructions of your orthodontist, making sure you wear your aligners every day for the prescribed amount of time. Also, like with any type of orthodontic treatment, you will need to wear retainers after your Invisalign treatment. This will help keep your teeth in their teeth permanently. Do all this and you will be able to enjoy your beautiful smile for the rest of your life.
For more information about Invisalign Philadelphia and how to relieve Invisalign pain relief, give us a call at Orthodontics Limited. We work with Invisalign every day and can help you get the most out of your treatment.
