8 Common Discomforts of Using Aligners for First Time

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 smile makeOver. While the aligners will be comfortable, you may have the question in your mind, do teeth aligners hurt?

To answer your question, the first few days may be tricky as you may begin to adjust to the teeth aligners pain which is going to be temporary. We assure you that it is normal to experience the common discomforts of clear aligners at the beginning of your treatment. Here, we will look at 8 ‘normal’ things that will happen during the first few days of wearing the aligners.

8 Discomforts Associated with Aligners

- Mild Discomfort During Tray Transfers

One of the mild discomforts of wearing aligners is getting adjusted with a new set of clear aligner trays every week or two. With clear aligners, you get a set of aligner trays made from high-grade plastic that you have to change every week or two. At the beginning of your treatment, you may feel mild discomfort every time you change your aligner tray as every new set of the tray will put more pressure on your teeth than before.

- Pressure During Transitions

Traditional braces put gradual pressure on your teeth with the use of brackets and archwire. Similarly, clear aligners will put gradual pressure on your teeth with each set of the tray as your treatment moves forward. When your teeth start gradually moving into the desired position, you may feel temporary pain from aligners.

- Brief Difficulty with Speech

One of the discomforts of clear aligners can be a slurry speech at the beginning of your treatment. Some people may take time in the initial stages to get adjusted to the clear aligner trays on their teeth. Once your tongue gets adjusted to the position of the clear aligners, you will be able to resume your speech as before.

- Occasional Eating Challenges

Although aligners offer you the freedom to eat a variety of food products, you have to remove the trays before eating and also make sure that food particles aren’t stuck in your teeth post your meal. Before wearing your aligners, you will have to make sure that your teeth are clean and ready for the tray to be put back.

- Minor Lifestyle Changes One of the few temporary discomforts of using aligners is the minor lifestyle changes that you will have to experience. You have to wear your clear aligners for more than 22 hours a day without fail.

• While travelling or stepping out of your house, you will have to carry your aligner essentials with you.
• You have to clean your teeth after every meal before putting your clear aligner back on your teeth.
• You have to make sure you follow your treatment plan with every set of aligner trays used as required.

- Soreness of Soft Tissues

Imagine you have been a couch potato all your life and suddenly you decide to run 10 kilometres 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 temporary aligners' pain would subside in a few days.

- Dryness of the Mouth and Teeth

A dry mouth is one of the minor discomforts of using aligners when you start your treatment. 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.

- You May Have a Lisp

Before you get all worried and think, do teeth aligners hurt till the end, 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 contacting the aligner. This may create unintended speech patterns, but you will get used to it and you will start speaking normally.

Conclusion

Getting perfectly used to your clear aligners is just a matter of time. The minor discomforts that your experience, in the beginning, will fade away by the end of the second week of your treatment. Continue with your treatment and follow your treatment plan as recommended and you will experience a smooth correction of your teeth in the end.