Orthodontic Treatment Only Works If You Wear Your Aligners (and Retainers!)
Clear aligners have revolutionised teeth straightening. They’re discreet, removable and convenient. Millions of people now choose them over traditional braces, but there’s one thing many patients underestimate when they begin treatment:
Orthodontic treatment only works if you follow your clinician’s instructions and wear your aligners.
Skipping hours, forgetting to wear them or not using retainers after your treatment can slow progress, affect results and even allow your teeth to move back again.
Here’s why compliance matters, and how Blakmint products can support simple habits that help you stay on track to that dream smile.
Aligners Only Work When They’re Worn
Clear aligner treatment is carefully planned using digital technology. Each aligner in your series is designed to apply gentle pressure to move your teeth step by step.
However, this movement only happens if the aligners are worn long enough each day. 20–22 hours per day is recommended, and you should only remove them for eating, drinking (anything other than water) and cleaning.
If you’re wearing your aligners for fewer hours than recommended, your teeth may not move as predicted and this can lead to:-
Longer treatment time
Additional aligners being needed
Less predictable results
Studies suggest that patients who average 16–18 hours of wear per day may experience treatment times that are 20–30% longer than those who follow the recommended schedule1. So being a bit slack at keeping your aligners in could potentially extend an 18 month treatment plan to taking two years! No one wants to wear aligners for longer than they absolutely have to, so wear your aligners to keep your straightening on track.
Compliance Isn’t Always Easy
Even with the best intentions, many patients struggle to fit aligner routines into their daily lives. Research into orthodontic compliance shows that only around 53.5% of patients follow their treatment plans fully 2, and many fall short, but making aligner care as easy and portable as possible makes great sense.
The Blakmint range includes everything you need to properly look after your aligners or retainer - whether at home or away. All our products have been designed with portable cleaning in mind. The dual headed brush comes in its own tube, the leakproof retainer case can be filled with our liquid cleaner and kept discreetly in your bag or pocket for when you need to remove your aligners for eating or drinking. We also offer a specially designed removal tool so you don’t need to use your fingers or nails, and we also have a special set of chewies to help you comfortably reseat your aligners when you reinsert them. All these items can easily be carried with you wherever you go and used quickly and easily throughout your day – whatever you’re doing. Blakmint products allow you to build wearing and caring for your aligners easily into your daily routine.
But Don’t Forget the Retainer Phase…
Many people think orthodontic treatment ends when the final aligner comes out, but using retainers long term is one of the most important parts of maintaining and protecting your new smile.
After your teeth have been moved into their new positions, the surrounding bone and tissue need time to stabilise. Without a retainer holding them in place, your teeth may naturally drift back towards their original positions. This is known as orthodontic relapse and research shows it occurs significantly more when patients do not wear their retainers as instructed. In one study, around 50% of non-compliant patients experienced relapse, compared with only about 15% of those who wore their retainers properly. 3
That’s why most dentists and orthodontists recommend wearing retainers nightly after your orthodontic treatment is complete.
Keeping Aligners and Retainers Clean Helps Compliance
One of the simplest ways to stay consistent with your treatment is to make sure your appliances are hygienically clean and comfortable to wear.
Because clear aligners fit closely over your teeth for many hours each day, they create the perfect environment for bacteria to accumulate if they aren’t cleaned properly. Over time, this build-up can contribute to bad breath, a nasty taste in your mouth and gum irritation, plus it can make the aligners themselves look cloudy.
If this happens, you are much more likely to not want to wear them or keep them in for as long.
Keeping your aligners or retainers clean and fresh makes them far more pleasant for you to wear your aligners - which will help you stick to your dentist or orthodontist’s instructions.
Blakmint’s Specialist cleaning tools and solutions are designed specifically for using with aligners and retainers and will remove debris and bacteria much more effectively than rinsing alone.
A Small Daily Habit That Protects Your Smile
Orthodontic treatment is an investment in your smile - both in cost and time. The best way to protect that investment is simple:
✔ Wear your aligners for the recommended hours
✔ Follow your clinician’s advice
✔ Continue wearing retainers after treatment
✔ Keep your appliances clean and hygienic
With consistent habits and proper care using the Blakmint range, your aligner treatment can deliver the straight, healthy smile it was designed to achieve - and help keep it that way for years to come.
REFERENCES
1 https://dentalpedia.co/clinical/why-aligner-wear-schedule-matters
2 https://completesmilesbv.com.au/patient-compliance-in-orthodontics-key-insights/
3 https://www.bioinformation.net/021/973206300212022.pdf
