wearing Invsalign at all times?

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#1 Post by **Vortexsny** » Mon Dec 12, 2005 10:25 am

How important wearing Invisalign at all times? meaning can I take the trays off for a few hours a day in the evening? Has anyone heard this cited as a cause of a failing invisa treatment?

#2 Post by **lesley** » Mon Dec 12, 2005 10:35 pm

Taking aligners off for a few hours a day is just fine - I have been doing it and am now on aligner 13 and they are fitting perfectly. I just take them out to eat or if I have a function (once took them out for a wedding for the entire night). I guess it depends on how easily your teeth move (ie. some people need to have them in for 3 weeks instead of 2), but I have yet to encounter any problems!

#3 Post by **beancounter** » Tue Jan 03, 2006 10:40 pm

I'm on my 15th set of aligners and I'm young and have found it tough to keep them in the recommended amount of time. Sometimes I'll go a whole day without them in! But if I do that, I just wear the set a day longer. It hasn't affected the movement at all and I can see the movement of my teeth and the new trays don't hurt. I think it depends on each person and how well they respond to the trays. But I'd say on average in a day I leave them out for about 5 or 6 hours!

#4 Post by **diehard** » Wed Jan 04, 2006 2:01 pm

holly crap 5 to 6 hours you may regret doing that in the long run i only have mine out 1.5 hours

#5 Post by **boaster** » Thu Jan 12, 2006 7:36 pm

My ortho told me that 20 hours a day is fine, or that each one should be worn for 280 hours. He said it's OK to skip a day every month if absolutely necessary but if I do to wear the aligner a day longer.

I don't think any of this is set in stone. I seem to find that when I first put in a new aligner I leave it in longer because it hurts too much to take it in and out, but towards the end of the second week I'll leave it out a bit longer.

#6 Post by **NSolano** » Tue Jan 24, 2006 6:57 pm

I take them out for about 40 mins or so whenever I eat. Thats three times a day. I try to keep them in as much as possible.
On new year's I went to a party and got wasted, when I was about to puke I removed them because of some horror gag story I read on this board, I passed out and put my aligners back in about 7 hours later. For some reason the aligner felt tight again for the next 6 hours, I guess my teeth moved back when the aligner was out.
I try to keep them on even when I drink at bars and parties, even though it does give me a dry mouth and bothers me at times, but you know it's better to go through this now than regret it later.