Let's be honest about how many hrs per day we wear aligners!

[kymccc]

OK I have a question for my fellow Invisalign wearers. I am doing well and on my fourth tray(23U and 23L). I manage to average about 21 hours consistently but continue to fall short of the 22 hrs recommended on most days. Now I have read all of the dangers of root issues and loose teeth but can anyone who has gone through treatment tell me they did so wearing aligners for 20-21 hrs and was ok? many days I hit the 22 but sometimes it just does not happen.
It does not help that In am phobic about having perfectly clean teeth with aligners in so I will leave them out until I can do a complete brushing. This extends the time off a bit in many cases.

Any feedback you could offer would be very helpful.

Kim

[Farrah]

I've read somewhere that they should be worn for 20-22 hours but 22 hours is optimal. I'm on tray 4 also and like you I rarely manage 22 hours. I don't calculate exactly but I know some meal times go for an hour and then there are other snack breaks as well. I also floss and brush every time so that adds extra minutes. My feeling is that I'll get a bit more efficient at this as time goes on and get closer to the 22 hours recommended.

[turbocycle]

My own personal opinion, I suspect that they inflate the number somewhat to allow for some "user error". They realize that we are human, and if they didn't allow for some cushion, there could be many unhappy customers when they run into problems.

I think of it like the speed limit -- yeah, you try to stay under it, but ....

That said, I actually hit the 22 hours on most days by limiting my eating to two meals per day, with absolutely no snacks.

The one area that I'm struggling with is the movie theatre....not eating popcorn during a movie is a tough one for me, but I know that would reduce the wear time significantly for that day.

[MIKE82]

If am not going out about 20-21 hours


Of a weekend if I go out I might wear them for 16 hours

[DrJasonKTam]

In our experience, when you start going under 20 hours, you are missing a small amount of movement per aligner, that will add up. Anything over 20 hours can usually work, depending on the types of movements required. The truth is, that those who are wearing their aligners less than 20 hours are setting themselves up for mid-course correction, refinement, or suboptimal results.

[Farrah]

Thanks Jason for explaining. You've given me the push I needed to get to the 22 hours and be more efficient at meal times.