5 normal things you will face while wearing aligners

The day is finally here. You have received your invisible aligners and it is time for you to pop them in. They fit you like a glove and you couldn’t be more excited to get a new smile. While the aligners are comfortable, it will take you some time to get used to it.

The first few days may be tricky as you may begin to adjust to the new aligners. Let us assure you, it is absolutely normal. Here, we will look at 5 ‘normal’ things that will happen during the first few days of wearing the aligners.

1. Your teeth will feel weird

The main objective of using aligners is to fix your gapped, crowded, or crooked teeth and give you the perfect smile. To achieve this, the aligners will put some pressure on the teeth and ‘move’ them into the right positions.

This will initially feel weird as your teeth will need some time to adjust to the aligners. Like any new thing you try out, it will feel funny in the beginning but eventually, you will get used to it.

2. Your mouth may feel sore

Imagine you have been a couch potato all your life and suddenly you decide to run 10 kilometers for charity. While you may feel awesome on completing the run, the next day you will definitely be sore.

The same thing applies to your teeth. The aligners will move the gums and mouth muscles which have been dormant until now. Due to this, your mouth will feel slightly sore but there is nothing to worry about. This is extremely normal and the discomfort would subside in a few days.

However, make sure you stick to wearing clear aligners through the soreness.

3. You may have a lisp

Before you get all worried, remember this will last for 2-3 days only and it doesn’t happen to everyone. Since your mouth is still adjusting to the aligners, your speech may be altered a bit. And yes, it is completely normal.

This happens because your tongue is no longer hitting the back of your teeth when you speak. Instead, it is making contact with the aligner. This may create unintended speech patterns but you will get used to it and you’ll start speaking normally.

4. Dry mouth

Dry mouth is a normal side effect when you start wearing aligners. It is caused due to a lack of saliva. When you first wear aligners, the saliva is unable to wash over your teeth like it normally would. Since the mouth would initially consider the aligners to be a foreign object, it would react accordingly and there will be a decrease in saliva production.

Since saliva helps in fighting tooth decay, its low production means that it becomes all the more important to brush and floss your teeth.

You can combat dry mouth by drinking plenty of water. You may have to drink more water than you are normally used to but that’ll help you immensely with the dry mouth.

5. The aligners feel loose

The initial fit of the aligners will be perfect but over time you may feel like they are getting loose.

This basically means that the aligners have done their job of moving the teeth into their new position. Once the aligners feel loose, you will have to move on to the next set of aligners.

If you experience any of these, don’t freak out. These things are common after you start wearing aligners. However, if you feel any discomfort during your smile makeover journey or feel the fit of the aligners isn’t right, get in touch with your orthodontist immediately.

Our team of expert orthodontists is always there to address your concerns. They are just a phone call away or a WhatsApp message away. All you need to do is ask our team whatever you have in your mind.

For more details, contact us on Facebook or Instagram.