Wear the aligners full-time for a minimum of 22 hour per day.
Wear each aligner for a minimum of two weeks, or as directed by the doctor. It is very important that you never go to the next aligner in less than the directed time. Even though it may seem that the current aligner is loose and no longer for the roots to catch up with the crown of the tooth.
If you miss some days for any reason, pick up the day you left off and wear the aligners for a full 14 days minimum.
Switch to the next aligner at night before bedtime. Before putting in a new set of aligners make sure to rinse them. Changing aligners at night allows easier removal in the morning and minimizes any discomfort that you may have.
Take aligners out only to brush, floss, eat and drink.
Eating : there is no food restrictions with aligners. However, aligners must always be removed while eating. Do not chew gum while wearing aligners.
Drinking : except for cold or room temperature water, always remove aligners while drinking anything. Any fluid will get inside the aligner and be held against your teeth possibly for hours and can cause staining or damage to the teeth and aligners.
Smoking : it is advised not to smoke while wearing the aligners. It will stain the aligners and teeth.
Cleaning aligners : brush aligners daily with mild soap. Soak weekly or more often in denture cleaner.
Always place the aligners in the aligner box provided. Never place aligners in napkins or any other case. Never place it in a pocket that can be sat on.
Initially there will be difficulty in speech. Practice speaking, reading, or singing aloud to get used to wearing aligners.
It may be necessary to temporarily affix attachments (small bumps of composite material) to your teeth to teeth to assist with tooth movements.
Always clean and dry your aligners before storing them in the aligner box and while placing.
If you lose the aligner you are wearing, then start wearing the next aligner even if you are not due to switch to the next aligner. If you don’t have the next aligner or if it is not fitting then go back to the previous aligner and inform the doctor.
Do not throw any of your aligners away. Bring at least your last 3 sets with you to every appointment. If you finish the last aligner that was given to you before you have your next appointment, continue to wear the last aligner until your next appointment.
PLACEMENT
Select your tray : To help avoid confusion, each aligner is engraved with tray number.
Align your upper tray with your front teeth.
To seat trays, start pushing the upper tray on from the canine area with both thumbs. Inch your way back towards your molar with both thumbs pushing towards the teeth. At this point your tray should be on your teeth.
Repeat for the lower.
Use chewies for proper seating.
Do not bite your aligners into place.
Make sure each aligner is down and fully seated. You should not see any space between the edge of the tooth and the aligner. If the aligner is not fully in place, the teeth will not move properly and the next aligner will be even further off. This can waste many weeks of treatment.
New aligners fit tightly so you may feel some pressure, sometimes mild pain which is part of tooth movement, will be comfortable after 2 or 3 days.
Occasionally you may have a sharp edge on an aligner. You may use nail filler or fine sandpaper to smooth it.
REMOVAL
Don’t pull from one side ripping trays out of the mouth as this can cause tears in aligner trays.
Don’t pull from the front part of the aligners because it can cause the tray distortion.
First, loosen or pop trays out from molar(back tooth) areas Always start remove aligners from the tongue(inner) side.
You can use a retriever for the same(with mild force) Do not use sharp objects to remove your aligners.
Once the back is loose on the both sides, remove the tray with both hands from the outer side of the canine area.
