Clear aligners, also known as Invisible braces tend to streamline the crooked teeth and guarantee you a brand-new smile. The aligners, like normal metal braces, exert moderate and successive effort to push the teeth into their aligned position. Similarly, they are also effective in correcting bite dysfunctions and jaw misalignments.
Despite having ensured success rates, the Invisalign treatments do not work occasionally. Remember that this is a time-consuming operation that necessitates wearing clear plastic trays for 20 to 22 hours per day. Otherwise, the clear braces treatment will remain inactive.
Likewise, there are various things that prohibit the clear braces from moving the teeth as per the treatment plan. They are discussed here.
1) Your teeth might be colliding
Crowded teeth leave a small amount of space between them so colliding is unavoidable during teeth straightening treatments. Furthermore, the orthodontic braces including clear aligners also find it hard to do teeth movement because there is no space between the teeth. People with small lower jaw are highly susceptible to this problem as their upper and lower teeth overlap.
In such cases, Orthodontists perform a procedure called “Interproximal Reduction“. It entails reshaping or lowering the size of the teeth that are colliding with each other to generate space between them.
2) Individual differences
In general, our body has an individual response to therapeutic procedures. Teeth straightening is not an exception. For instance, the body’s ability to remodel bone defines the speed of teeth movement.
In simply, our body’s ability to rebuild bone determines the orthodontic treatment’s duration.
If orthodontists did not detect such individual variables, it would affect the treatment. Luckily, it can be fixed with custom-made aligners and (if necessary) additional appliances to apply extra force.
3) You might have cavity or gum infections
Remember that infections in teeth and gums can interfere the teeth straightening activities. Hence, before initiating treatment, orthodontists check to see if the patient has decayed teeth or gum disease. It is because the infected tooth’s integrity has been compromised, the force applied over it after the placement of braces will weaken it even more. In case of wearing Invisalign with infected gums, the continuous pressure applied will affect the teeth and has higher chances of gum inflammation.
In such cases, no orthodontic appliances will produce the desired benefits.
4) You are neglecting chewing exercises
To work efficiently, the clear braces should fit snugly over the teeth. There should be no air gaps or voids between your teeth and the brace.
Besides pushing the trays with fingers to wear the braces properly, chewing activities are mandatory to increase the effectiveness of clear aligners. However, you are not allowed to eat and chew while wearing clear aligners. Hence orthodontists prescribe an appliance called “Aligner Chewies“.
Keep a chewie between your upper and lower teeth after wearing the aligners. Then bite it repeatedly for a few minutes. This adjusts the fit of the aligners on your teeth. This chewing activity exerts steady pressure on teeth, which provides some alleviation from braces pain.
5) Improper Invisalign care
Keeping the braces clean is an important thing during treatment. Otherwise, the appliance will become dirty and emit a foul smell. Meanwhile, appropriate Invisalign care might help you avoid brace damage. Keep in mind that wearing broken Invisalign will not straighten your teeth.
Bottom line
Despite having guaranteed success rates, it is hard to treat severe overbite and crowding issues with aligner braces. Likewise, identifying whether the aligner is working as per the plan is also difficult without your dentist’s help. If the clear plastic trays fit well against your teeth and do not show any looseness or gaps, it indicates the appliance is tracking correctly.
However, it is better to get timely dental checkups during orthodontic treatment. We have listed the possible causes of poor Invisalign working. If you notice any of such problems, visit your dental doctor immediately to get the right fix.
