How long without Invisalign until the teeth relapse?

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#1 Post by **leevshan** » Sun Feb 28, 2010 2:17 pm

Last time I took it off for about 1 hour and I could feel the aligner felt tighter. I wonder if it's that fast for the teeth to relapse?

#2 Post by **Bellalalala** » Sun Feb 28, 2010 2:48 pm

Yep.

Although, it's more that your teeth are somewhat loose (even if you can't tell), so they can move about a bit very quickly, especially if you are eating, which applies an insane amount of pressure on your teeth in all sorts of directions.

It's not a bad thing, it's just part of the process.

I have metal braces on my top teeth and when I have my wire taken off, I can feel my teeth move immediately. It feels extremely strange and not...secure.

#3 Post by **Phantom Muse** » Sun Feb 28, 2010 3:16 pm

I especially feel the movement when I take off an aligner during the first few days of a new tray (so I try to keep them in as much as possible).

Maybe this quick relapse movement is also why one's teeth can look really straight and look ready to be "released' from braces long before the ortho allows it...

#4 Post by **leevshan** » Mon Mar 01, 2010 12:25 pm

I heard you have to take more protein, so that the teeth can move and set better or something.

#5 Post by **Phantom Muse** » Mon Mar 01, 2010 8:13 pm

I haven't heard about the protein bit. Hmm...

I do know that right around Day 10 of an aligner, everything seems to settle. Last night (Day 9) I had the trays out for just a bit over one hour and when I put them in, they were still rather tight. Today, however, they are EASY to slip in and out, with no pressure really even after leaving them out for meals. This has been the case with each set of aligners so far.

#6 Post by **kezzakattami** » Tue Mar 02, 2010 3:00 pm

Im 5 months into wearing my Essix retainers and my teeth still replase after about 5-6 hours. My bite starts to change and the trays are tight when I put them back in. I think it will take months before I replace my trays in the evening and they dont feel a tight fit...but then my teeth were 30 years in their previous position!!!

#7 Post by **Phantom Muse** » Tue Mar 02, 2010 10:57 pm

Do you ever feel like you are still waiting for the "pay-off" of having had braces? I really don't want to wear retainers 24/7 (or close to it) for months on end after spending months on end in Invisalign! I'll do what needs to be done to avid relapse, but...

Also, do you think that you require a longer 24/7 retainer wear because Invisalign treatment was so short for you? Aside from bite issues, so many people with regular braces have them on for many, many months after the teeth themselves are straight. Maybe that helps them to heal and stabilize so there is less movement after the braces are removed. Or maybe it's just wishful thinking on my part!

#8 Post by **kezzakattami** » Wed Mar 03, 2010 2:10 am

Hi, yes I must admit that all I saw during Invisalign was the 'last tray' and then I would be home and dry......not so!! Im down to about 15 hours wear time now, I started at 20 hours or so. I could go down to less hours but I think my teeth would be shifting too much every day which is a bad idea.

I wonder if my need for wearing them is due to the short period of time I wore Invisalign? Good point. I would tend to agree to a certain point, however some recommendations on retention state you should wear them full time for a year etc etc.

Maybe someone else in the retention stage could add thoughts?!!

#9 Post by **kezzakattami** » Wed Mar 03, 2010 2:13 am

I read a suggestion from Dr Tam on a post that you could reduce your wear time by an hour each month - this is what I have tried to stick to and seems to be working so far so will keep you posted!

Removable retainers are starting to become high maintenance though and I am considering fixed ret's in the next 6 months or so :/

#10 Post by **leevshan** » Wed Mar 03, 2010 10:34 am

I read somewhere about this person after finishing Invisalign, he was told by his ortho to wear the retainers only at night for a lifetime.
Actually, I don't mind wearing them only at night for a lifetime, I'll be sleeping anyway

But maybe it depends on your ortho's advice?

#11 Post by **Phantom Muse** » Wed Mar 03, 2010 9:04 pm

My ortho suggested that I go straight to 8 hour retainer wear on my lowers while I wait for my uppers to finish. When both arches are complete, he suggested nighttime only for a year, then every other night for another year until I am down to one night a week after about 4 years. My daughter's ortho, on the other hand, has her in a removable retainer 24/7 (except meals) for three full months, and then nighttime after that, unless he sees a reason why she should wear them longer - or shorter.

I can't imagine I'll feel even a bit comfortable going straight to 8 hours daily, so I will probably wear the retainer much more for a time. I guess everyone's teeth are different, but it is helpful to hear about those who are now wearing retainers.

#12 Post by **TinySmiley** » Thu Mar 04, 2010 9:26 am

I find that if i have my aligners out 1 hr or so, they are not tight when I put them back in, but anything more than one hour and a half, they are tight. Even if it is nearing the end of my two weeks, they are still tight if i have them out for a prolonged time.

#13 Post by **melandy** » Mon Mar 08, 2010 7:13 am

hi my dentist told me that after my invisilign treated has come to an end (not till around this time next year ! ) I will have to wear a similar device for 3 months - but with no attachments and then I will have to wear a night time retainer for my lifetime (which I havent a problem with at all ) seems our teeth move all the time and if we stopped wearing retainer altogether our teeth would eventually move back to original position and I am damn sure I have not gone through all this to have my teeth look the same I am in it to win it lol

#14 Post by **KUMonkeyMomma** » Mon Mar 08, 2010 8:05 am

I notice that if I have it out for more than an hour and half or so the tray is tighter than it was when I took it out, etc. On occasion I've left it out longer (out to dinner, at a party, etc) and it's been tight upon putting it back in 3 hours later.

I was told that once my treatment is done I would go to nighttime retainer wear for lifetime (or until I'm old and senile and don't care what my teeth look like LOL). There wasn't a mention of full time retainer wear for a period of time first.

He also said there are few diff retainer choices that we would discuss when the time comes. If I remember right the 3 types he mentioned were fixed/bonded but said that he doesn't like that as much because it makes flossing and overall dental hygiene harder to do. The hawley retainer which I'm ot sure what that is. Or trays similar to what we wear now just harder material basically. I'm wondering if the hawley is similar to the one I had after I had my traditional braces off as a teen - plastic pallate with a wire that goes around the teeth, but not sure how that would work for bottom unless they do a bonded bottom and hawley top. I think if given the choice would lean towards the tray type like I have now unless he can show reason that it wouldn't be sufficient.

#15 Post by **lt81** » Mon Mar 08, 2010 3:31 pm

funny how everyone seems to get different advice from their ortho. I finish my treatment (refinements aside - but doesn't look like I will need them unless I am fussy!) in 5 weeks and my ortho says I just move to night wear only.

At the moment, I have had a few recent occassions where I've had my aligners out for 6 hours at a time and my teeth start to ache after a few hours and the aligner is tight when I put it back in, so not sure how I would cope going straight to having them off all day