When Sick Do You Change Invisalign Aligners?

I’m in the middle of my Invisalign treatment. I’m loving it but everyone in my family currently has a nasty virus. It’s only a matter of time before I get it too. If that happens, do I have to get a new aligner, like when you throw away your toothbrush? That seems like an expensive proposition.

Amy L.

Dear Amy,

A woman placing in her Invisalign aligners

I’m glad you’re enjoying your Invisalign. It does have a high patient satisfaction rate. On the other hand, I’m sorry your family has been sick. That’s never fun, especially for the mother who always seems to take care of everyone even when she’s sick.

If you happen to get the virus, you won’t have to toss the aligners and get new ones. Once you have the virus, you won’t catch it again from wearing them. Just be certain to clean them (as you normally would).

The only time you’d need to get rid of a pair of aligners is if they’re damaged or if you’ve completed your two weeks with them.

If they’re damaged, how do you know whether or not to go back to your old ones or move on to the next pair?

If You Damage Your Invisalign Aligners

A lot of which aligners you switch to has to do with how long you wore the damaged pair. If you’re still within the first week of wearing them then just go back to your old aligners. If you’re further in, you can skip onto the next pair of aligners.

You don’t want to do that too often. While your teeth move into their new position within the first few days, you need the remainder of the two weeks in order to allow the bone to reform around the roots of your teeth. Without that, your teeth won’t actually have the support they need. They will end up becoming loose and if you continue switching early will lead to you losing teeth.

A Little Known Benefit of Invisalign

Because Invisalign aligners are custom designed for your bite, they also do very well as teeth whitening trays. This can allow you to not only knock out two procedures at once but save money doing it. Talk to your dentist about providing you with some professional teeth whitening gel. You can wear that for a minimum of twenty minutes a day until your teeth are as white as you want.

This blog is brought to you by Dr. Mike Malone.