Congratulations on your decision to pursue improved oral health and esthetics with
Clear Aligner Therapy! Please read this carefully and make sure to clarify any questions you may have regarding your Invisalign treatment with our team.

The Start of Treatment:

  • Records, x-rays, photos, and scans will be gathered for Dr. Carrie and Dr. Ami to properly diagnose your treatment and start the process of aligner fabrication. The majority of patients have a second set of records taken at the end of their first set of aligners in order to fabricate a second set of detailing trays. We call this a refinement. Therefore, your individual treatment time is an estimate based on what the doctors conclude at your treatment consultation, and is not based on the number of aligners you receive in your first set.
  • The process of the digital scan submission, communication, and finally aligner fabrication with the lab takes about 4-6 weeks. Your appointment will be scheduled approximately 6 weeks out after your initial records and scan. If the aligners come back sooner, we will let you know and try to move your appointment to an earlier time.
  • At your following appointment, tooth-colored attachments will be bonded to your teeth. Location placement varies on each specific case and the movements needed.

Treatment Progress:

  • The most important variable for the success of your Clear Aligner treatment is your compliance to wear the aligners as instructed.
  • Aligners need to be worn at a minimum of 20-22 hours per day.  If you are not able to wear your aligner for the designated number of hours, please make up for it the following day, meaning that you may need to delay your aligner change day.
  • Additionally, you should see no visible space seen between the edge of the teeth, and the aligner itself. The aligners should always fit tight over the teeth so no space is visible at the edge of the teeth. If you are not wearing your aligners for enough hours, a gap will start to form as the trays are not tracking properly. If a gap exists, aligner “chewies” should be used until the aligner fits properly.
  • DO NOT TRANSITION TO YOUR NEXT ALIGNER UNTIL ALL GAPS BETWEEN THE TEETH AND THE ALIGNER ARE RESOLVED. Feel free to contact our office with any questions on this. 
  • We will provide you with a chewie cotton roll. To use the chewie, bite down and hold in the area where the aligner needs to fit better for 5 seconds, then release. Repeat this process for 5 -10 minutes a day.
  • During treatment, micro millimeters of excess enamel may be removed in order to alleviate crowding. This process will not hurt you or your enamel and may be necessary in order to achieve detailed and optimal results.

Caring for your Clear Aligner Trays:

  • Never eat or drink anything but water with your aligners in place.
  • Use fluoride toothpaste. Brush for 2 minutes, spit, rinse, and then put your aligners back in.
  • When eating or drinking, remove your aligners and place them into the case provided for safekeeping. Do not place your aligners in your pocket or napkins as this will lead to accidental damage or discarding of the aligners.
  • Brush (or rinse if you are not at home) the inside of the aligners carefully after every meal.  Brush the inside of the aligners with toothpaste and COOL water, or with baking soda and water.
  • If you do not have a sulfa allergy, denture cleaner may also be used in addition to brushing the aligners to keep them extra clean. Place the aligners in cool water with a denture cleaning tablet to soak for 3 minutes (please make sure you get the 3-minute soak tabs). Remove the aligners when the time has passed and rinse out the aligners before placing them back into your mouth.

Other tips:

  • If you have a rough spot on your aligner, gently use an emery board to smooth out the area
  • If your aligner becomes lost, cracks, etc. after one week of wear, it may be OK to move into your next aligner. However, please call or text our office to confirm if this is okay.

Refinement Process

When you have finished your initial set of aligners, you will be given the option to continue with what we call a refinement process. This is to be expected and included in your original treatment fee. This will include another scan to track your progress and then fabrication of detailing aligners. Similar to the initial scan, the process of the digital scan submission, communication, and aligner fabrication with the lab takes about 4-5 weeks as well.

Congratulations! You are on your way to a more beautiful and healthy smile and we are excited to have you as part of the CHT Ortho Team!

Dr. Carrie, Dr. Ami, and the CHT Ortho Team