How many hours a day should I wear my clear aligners?

BY Dr. Rooz

Clear aligners are removable orthodontic appliances that won’t fix on your teeth like metal braces. Invisalign aligners are one type of clear aligners that orthodontists use for straightening your teeth. The success in orthodontic treatment with clear aligners or Invisalign aligners is primarily depends on how long you wear your aligner trays.  A great treatment plan won’t be delivered with lack of patient’s compliance. Traditional braces are a better choice for patients that don’t want to wear their clear aligner invisalign trays. 

What is the optimal clear aligner Invisalign wear time? 

22 hours a day is the optimal time to wear your aligners. Benefits of invisalign or clear aligners in general is the fact that one can remove them during certain activities through the day. Lisps is one of the reasons that patients don’t wear their aligners especially in adults. 

What is clear aligner therapy aka invisalign treatment?

Clear aligners are series of trays that cover your teeth and incrementally move them to straighten your teeth. You need to change these aligners between 5-14 days depending on the recommendation of your dentist or orthodontist. You wear invisalign or aligners most of the day and remove them when eating food, brushing or flossing. New set of aligners take the tooth movements and carry the rest of the treatment. With traditional metal braces you visit your orthodontist for adjusting the wires every 4-10 weeks. You need a retainer after the treatment no matter how your teeth were moved – braces or invisalign . 

You can learn more about orthodontic services with various appliances including clear aligners at https://porth.io/ . Check our aligner manual video series to get more information on how to live with your clear aligners or Invisalign.