Dr. Hall,
I’m just finishing my Invisalign treatment and then I moved away. Do I need to find a new Invisalign dentist, or can I just finish with my aligners and let it be at that?
– Supreet from Ontario
We thank our advertisers who help fund this site.
Supreet,
The need for supervision by a dentist during Invisalign treatment can vary. Sometimes the sides of the teeth need to be sanded down a little bit to make room. Sometimes there are little “buttons” that need to be bonded to the teeth to help the aligners grip them and rotate them, and then these “buttons” need to be removed at a later point. Sometimes little things can go wrong and they need to be corrected. But sometimes the dentist just needs to watch.
Especially if you are at the end of your treatment, there is probably no supervision needed at all. Still, there should be a minimal fee for a dentist in your new city to take over and finish your case. You can try calling around and asking what the fee would be for that. Your records would be transferred to the new dentist and your previous dentist could communicate if there is anything special that needs to be done to finish you.
Having said that, could you get by without having another dentist involved? Quite honestly, there’s a good chance you could. I would remember, however, that after completing any orthodontic treatment, a retainer may be needed to help stabilize the teeth and prevent relapse. A convenient thing with Invisalign is that you can just use your last set of aligners as retainers. Here’s a guide on how long to wear those aligners:
I would wear them all the time for a month, then start backing off. Wear them at night only for a month or two. Then try every other night and see if that works. Here’s how you tell if that will work. If your teeth move during the two days you have left your retainer out, you’ll be able to tell, because it will be a little harder to put the retainers (aligners) back in. If that happens, go back to wearing the retainers every night. But if your teeth haven’t moved, continue with the every other night for a couple of months longer and try backing off some more. If your teeth are stable, you can back off to wearing the retainers once a week or not wearing them altogether. But keep them around so you can check on whether or not your teeth have moved.
There are some sad stories of orthodontic patients who didn’t wear their retainers and relapsed, spoiling their lovely smile. Don’t let that happen to you.
– Dr. Hall
About David A. Hall
Dr. David Hall was one of the first 40 accredited cosmetic dentists in the world. He practiced cosmetic dentistry in Iowa, and in 1990 earned his accreditation with the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. He is now president of Infinity Dental Web, a company in Mesa, Arizona that does complete Internet marketing for dentists.
Should I continue to wear my retainer?
I had braces in my teens. I was told to wear a retainer for a month fulltime then only at night. I had a slight relapse in my upper front teeth. I talked with a new orthodontist who said new braces could fix the problem, or I could use my old retainer to move them as close to aligned as I could and a new retainer made to hold them in place. He said 6 months of fulltime wear and then night time wear should keep my teeth aligned. I’ve since worn my newly made retainer fulltime for almost three years. I notice after a few hours whenever I remove the retainer that the one tooth in particular seems to have shifted some, therefore I’ve not yet been brave enough to not go more than a few hours without it. Am I being paranoid about the movement of my teeth? If not, then will the movement stop or become less noticeable once I get the courage to wear it only at night? I mean if my teeth move slightly throughout the day and I have to force them back every night…is that normal? That can’t be good over time right?
– Ty in Indiana
Ty,
I don’t think you’re being paranoid about your tooth movement. If your teeth are starting to move within a few hours after you take your retainer out, then you need to continue to wear the retainer all the time.
If you don’t like the idea of wearing the retainer during the day, there are a couple of other options.
One is that you can get a teeth bleaching splint made. The clear bleaching trays help hold your teeth in position and aren’t as noticeable to others as a normal orthodontic retainer.
Another option is to have a permanent retainer bonded to the insides of your teeth, either upper or lower. This, however, does complicate cleaning your teeth – you have to use a floss threader to clean between them.
I don’t know why your teeth aren’t stable yet, but they aren’t. So get used to the retainer. It isn’t good for your teeth to be moved back and forth, so use the retainer to keep that from happening.
– Dr. Hall
Other links:
See our page on How long should I wear my retainer?
| We thank our advertisers who help fund this site. |
|
|
About David A. Hall
Dr. David Hall was one of the first 40 accredited cosmetic dentists in the world. He practiced cosmetic dentistry in Iowa, and in 1990 earned his accreditation with the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. He is now president of Infinity Dental Web, a company in Mesa, Arizona that does complete Internet marketing for dentists.