Clear aligners are being used by orthodontists more and more as patient demand for these esthetic, almost invisible tooth straighteners increases. At our office, we are adept at treating with braces and clear aligners for which we use the Invisalign brand. One of the main differences between braces and Invisalign is that Invisalign must be diligently worn by the patient 22 hours a day in order to ensure proper tooth movement.
What else can you do to ensure your Invisalign treatment goes according to plan? How can you potentially speed up your Invisalign treatment time? One solution is very simple, and surprisingly effective! We call them bite sticks. Bite sticks are plastic tubes that you chew on when the clear aligners are on your teeth. This helps seat the trays around your teeth and activates the prescription in the trays to move your teeth. The soft plastic of the bite sticks allows this to be done without warping the aligners which can occur when chewing directly on the aligners.
The recommended use for bite sticks is 5 to 15 minutes 2x times a day, especially when switching to a new aligner. Chew on that!
