At Adult & Pediatric Orthodontics, Dr. Yu and the team can get you that beautiful smile without traditional metal braces. We offer Invisalign clear aligner trays. They are near-invisible, removable, and gradually set your teeth straight—solving spaced or misaligned teeth. As you begin your treatment with us, you might ask, “How do you monitor progress while using clear aligner trays?” Read on to find out!
Why Monitor Your Aligner Progress?
Following your orthodontist’s tips and recommendations, you can achieve your dream smile much faster. However, this is easier said than done. Some advantages of clear aligners, such as being near-invisible or easily removable, can also make the journey more challenging. Monitoring your progress helps you stay on top of your treatment and ensures that our offices in Portland or Windham can easily provide help whenever you need us to.
Monitoring Progress with Clear Aligner Trays
Monitoring your progress makes it easy to follow your orthodontist’s advice and tips. At our Portland and Windham clinics, Dr. Joanna Yu recommends wearing your clear aligner trays for at least 22 hours a day so they can work on guiding your teeth. You can remove them when you’re eating, or with Invisalign, remove them for special occasions.
The most common method to monitor progress for your clear aligner trays is tracking your wear time. You can create a journal specifically for tracking your progress, take notes on your phone, or use specialized apps like TrayMinder. Your orthodontist creates a custom treatment plan, especially for you and your smile. This includes the sets that you’ll be wearing over time. Making sure that you wear your aligners for the suggested number of hours each day will help keep you on track.
Aside from recording your daily wear time, you can add visual documentation by taking photos of your smile. Sure, comparing two photos might not look much, but you will see the gradual improvement over time.
Tracking with Invisalign
Even among clear aligner trays, Invisalign has become a very popular option for many of our patients. These trays are also discrete and more customizable. More importantly, these trays use smooth plastic that makes them more comfortable to wear.
You can also use the monitoring method mentioned above—whether by pen and paper or through an app.
Good tracking means your Invisalign trays fit well: not too tight and not too loose. You can check this on your own, too! Simply put your trays on, and feel whether your top and bottom trays are fixed securely. They shouldn’t be moving at all.
Conversely, if you’re having a hard time putting them on or you experience severe tightness and pain, schedule an appointment with our team so that we can get you fitted for a new set of aligners
Fixing Issues with Clear Aligner Trays
While most tracking problems come from failing to follow the instructions provided by your orthodontist, there are other factors that come into play as your teeth move and adjust. Regardless of the cause, here are a few tips you can follow to get your clear aligner trays back on track.
- Use Chewies
Chewies are small and soft devices, often tube-shaped, that are issued together with your aligners. You gently bite on them to help your trays fit snugly on your teeth, removing gaps and spaces.
Aside from getting used to your new Invisalign or other aligner trays, chewies can also be used after each meal or before bedtime—just make sure to clean and rinse them regularly.
- Follow The Recommended Wear Time
Some tracking problems are minor enough that sticking to the prescribed wear time can get your trays back in alignment. Aside from the daily wear time required, it’s also important to remember that you shouldn’t keep your aligners in for longer than intended.
- Consult for a Treatment Revision
If your new and existing aligners no longer fit properly, it’s time to set another appointment with our team in Windham and Portland to reassess the situation. In some cases, the teeth shift at a different rate than originally intended.
There’s no need to worry, though. We’ll simply conduct a check-up and make the necessary adjustments to your treatment plan. You’ll get new aligner trays that better fit your smile.
Start Your Journey to a Straighter Smile
Now that you’re up to speed with monitoring your progress make sure you have the best clear aligner trays available with Adult & Pediatric Orthodontics. Dr. Yu and the rest of the team are ready to provide you with a customized treatment plan that works for you and your lifestyle.
Start achieving your dream smile by scheduling your free consultation today or by visiting our locations in Portland or Windham.