Can Electric Pulses Speed Up Your Invisalign Treatment?
Before you begin your Invisalign treatment, you'll want to ask your dentist an important question—how long is it going to take? Your dentist might not know the exact timeframe, but they'll be able to give you an approximate answer. While you need to wear your aligner trays for anywhere from 20 to 22 hours each day, the entire process can take anywhere from six months to around two years, depending on the extent of your dental misalignment. This leads to another important question—is there anything you can do to speed up the treatment?
Electric Micropulses
Some dentists offer an electronic accessory that can help to reduce the overall required treatment time for some patients. The device is a small handset connected to a mouthpiece that resembles a mouthguard. When inserted into your mouth, the mouthpiece fits snugly over your Invisalign aligners. Once activated, it releases a succession of electric micropulses. These micropulses stimulate your teeth and underlying bones, which can encourage, and even accelerate, the gradual realignment of your teeth that has already begun.
Prescription Only
It's difficult to initially gauge just how much time this micropulse assistance can shave off your Invisalign treatment, as the results will not be immediately evident. In any event, these results can be more pronounced in patients whose initial misalignment was fairly minor. This is not to say that patients who would have had to undergo a full two years of treatment can't benefit from micropulse assistance. That being said, your dentist will only suggest this assistance if it's likely to have some effect in your specific case. These types of devices are prescription only, so you cannot obtain one without your dentist anyway.
Daily Use
As with any prescription device, you must follow the instructions carefully. These instructions aren't particularly complicated, and your dentist will simply advise you of the minimum time each day you need to use the device (which won't be long). Some patients might decide to use the device more often, and while this extra usage won't speed up your treatment time, it can have a beneficial remedial effect.
Oral Massage
Invisalign is designed to be as comfortable as possible, but some patients might experience some brief, minor discomfort when they begin to wear a new set of aligner trays. The micropulse device can be useful in this instance too, since the vibrations can act as a form of oral massage, minimizing any discomfort.
So when you ask your dentist roughly how long your Invisalign treatment is going to take, you might want to ask them if you're a suitable candidate for micropulse assistance.
If you have additional questions, contact a dentist in your area.
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