Invisalign in Menifee, Orange, and Temecula

Because each patient is different, treatment time with Invisalign varies. You could be in treatment for as little as 6 months or as long as 24 months – it all depends on the specific type of orthodontic problem you have and how compliant you are wearing your aligners and keeping your scheduled appointments.

Yes. In order for Invisalign to work as it’s designed, you must wear your aligners for up to 22 hours each day. You can remove them when eating and when brushing & flossing. You can also take them out temporarily for those special occasions such as interviews or school photos as long as you put them right back in afterward.

Aligners, such as Invisalign, don’t “hurt” but for the first couple days you may feel some slight discomfort. When there is soreness, Motrin or Advil (ibuprofen) can help ease the discomfort.

Invisalign aligners are designed to be removed when eating. One of the greatest benefits associated with Invisalign is the fact that there are no food restrictions whatsoever. You can continue enjoying all your favorite foods including hard-crusted breads, corn-on-the-cob, etc. as long as you take your aligners out before eating, but be sure to at least rinse, if not brush and rinse, before replacing your Invisalign trays.

Any foods with color or food coloring (coffee, tea, red sauce, curry, sodas) can be on your teeth and slowly stain your attachments and/or trays.

When you first start wearing Invisalign, you may notice that your speech is not as clear as it normally is. This is nothing to panic about, as you simply must get used to wearing the aligners. Just spend a bit of time speaking or singing out loud while wearing your aligners and before you know it, your speech will return to normal.

No, chewing gum is not a good idea because it will stick to your aligners and make a big mess.

Because cigarette smoke can discolor and stain your aligners, smoking is not a good idea while wearing Invisalign.

It is very easy to clean your aligners. Just brush them gently with a soft-bristled toothbrush and then rinse them off to keep them fresh & clean. To keep them extra fresh, we offer Invisalign Cleaning Crystals or Retainer Brite to freshen up the trays 1-2 times per week!

At the beginning of treatment, we may see you every 3-4 weeks. As treatment progresses, we can usually monitor your progress every 8-12 weeks. Each tray could be worn from 18 days in the beginning to 7 days towards the end of treatment, depending on cooperation and progress. Every patient’s needs are different, so that can vary from smile to smile.

Yes. The day you are finished wearing your aligners is when you begin the retention phase of your treatment. This is when you will wear a retainer as directed by us so your teeth do not shift back into their original positions.