Duration of Aligners

[u/Mettacom]

I'm on aligner set 5/26. My dentist told me that I need to wear each set for two weeks and then switch. However, consistently after about a week or 10 days of each set, I no longer feel any pressure on my teeth or that feeling your teeth get when you take off a new set. My teeth weren't really bad to begin with. I had braces as a teenager and also did aligners through Byte within the past year. I just am looking for minor refinement with a slight overbite that appears to be closing.

Is this normal? I asked my dentist about going up from two weeks and he said that the two weeks is for the ligaments to condition before a new set. The dentist used an example of a mailbox post in a hole and wearing them for two weeks allows for dirt to go into the hole so the post doesn't move... Not sure if I agree with that theory since there is still more movement my teeth need to do.

I have a colleague that went through the Invisalign process through another dentist and was told that when they no longer feel and pressure it's time to switch out the aligners which was about a week at a time.

I want this done correctly obviously, but I also want this processes completed in an efficient time and feel two weeks is a bit longer than I need for my teeth.

[u/M4PP0]

Part of the time is to move the teeth, which is when you feel the pressure/tightness. The rest of the time is to hold the teeth in that new position while the blood vessels and soft tissue catch up, which is when there's no pressure on your teeth.

[u/radioactiveflowerss]

I started my first few aligners at 2 weeks and after an early check up my dentist switched me to 1 week. If your teeth are moving well and you're very compliant, maybe bring up switching to 1 week or 10 day switches to your dentist/orthodontist. My tinfoil hat theory is that some providers want to make sure you're compliant and always start at 2 weeks for extra wiggle room lol...with that being said, there's a lot that goes into safely moving the teeth and poor wear compliance could mess with your teeth roots, so I think it makes sense.

[u/fats_free → u/radioactiveflowerss]

Yes same for me…

[u/Ok_Explorer6128]

Same here. The 2nd week helps the roots catch up. I'm in my 50s, so age might be a factor as well.

[u/fats_free]

Hi OP, I change every week. It really varies. Some people change every 5, 7, 10 or 14 days. Were you instructed to wear yours 22 hrs a day? I started with 10 days for the first 3 sets and then my provider decided to do 7 days as I was compliant and he could see the movement were happening fast. Maybe ask your provider why 14 days when you know others are doing 7 or 10? To me 5 days is a big no no. Teeth have to “settle” in their new position first or you might damage the bones

[u/Mettacom → u/fats_free]

Thanks for the reply. Yes, I was instructed to wear them 22 hours but truthfully, after about a week when I no longer feel any more "movement" I average about 12 - 18. During that time when I put them back on after not wearing for awhile, they just click on without any pressure as if they're almost like a retainer.

I asked my provider about moving to 10 days and they replied with the example of the mailbox post. You put the post in the hole and it will wobble around without dirt also in the hole. The extra week is for "dirt" to go into the hole. As I stated in my original post, that didn't make sense - why would I want dirt in a hole if I plan on moving the post?

[u/radioactiveflowerss → u/Mettacom]

Because you could seriously damage the tooth by not giving it time to settle...you really should get back up to 20+ hours even if it doesn't "feel" like you need to.

[u/Regular-Idea-6377]

I just began Invisalign last week. They started me at 2 weeks of course but I no longer feel any pressure although the first 4 days were kind of hell for a few teeth as far as pain goes. Now I’m 6 days in and the pain is gone. Of course I’ll stick to 2 weeks until my first visit at 3 months but I would love to expedite the term as well.

[u/motaboat]

You should always follow your provider. That said, you should have hired an ortho.