Can My Teeth Shift After My Invisalign® Treatment?

When Invisalign® first appeared, it expanded the possibilities for people who need alignment for the healthiest and best-looking smiles. While clear aligners seem remarkably different from conventional braces, each technique accomplishes the same thing: moving your teeth through the bones of your jaw to optimize their position. 

The team at RR Dentistry is proud to offer Invisalign to our patients — one of the most commonly requested orthodontic treatments — as well as a number of other smile-optimizing solutions. Regardless of the procedure you choose, we’re behind you all the way in your journey toward your optimal smile. 

Part of your satisfaction depends on education and expectation, understanding the processes that get you from the point you’re at today to the end of your treatments. You should know that your Invisalign procedure doesn’t end with the final tray in the series. 

Without dedicated care, teeth can shift back toward their starting point. Here’s what you need to know — and do — to maintain your results. 

How Invisalign works

Teeth and bone may seem like the most permanent structures in your body, solid and immovable. In fact, though, these are living and interactive tissues, and the way they work together makes treatments like Invisalign possible. 

As an aligner tray presses on your teeth to guide them in the direction of their final position, the bone of your jaw reacts to this pressure. The bone compresses in the direction of pressure while simultaneously thinning behind the tooth. 

Your body evens out this difference in bone density over time, and your tooth moves as expected toward the starting point for the next Invisalign tray in sequence. The mild ache you feel in the days after a tray change is a sign that this process is active. 

Can my teeth shift after my Invisalign treatment?

Your body naturally wants to move your teeth back to their original position when an aligner tray comes off. 

One reason why you wear your trays for 20 to 22 hours a day is to counter this retreating effect. When your wear time dips below 20 hours a day, you may lose valuable forward progress. This could add months to your treatment time. 

Even after your treatment ends, it takes some time for your jawbone to reach a point of stasis with your teeth in their final positions. Before reaching this stasis, your teeth may tend to shift back toward their original positions. 

How can I avoid backward movement of my teeth?

Backward shifting of teeth isn’t a problem that’s exclusive to Invisalign. It happens with every orthodontic method for moving teeth. 

No alignment procedure is complete without a retention process. In the case of Invisalign, they offer the Vivera™ retainer, a long-lasting and comfortable way to preserve the progress of your Invisalign treatment. 

Using the same proprietary material as the Invisalign trays, Vivera form fits to your teeth, holding them securely in the final position. Wearing a Vivera retainer keeps your teeth stationary while your jawbone settles after the alignment process. 

Find out more about Invisalign and Vivera by consulting with the experts at RR Dentistry in Georgetown, Texas. Book your appointment online or by phone today.