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James Karpac Orthodontics

5 Tips to Help You Get Through Your First Week of Line-M-Up™

It’s a wonderful experience to be able to set people up on their journeys to new smiles through our innovative invisible aligner technology called Line-M-Up™, and our invisible aligner tips are based on a simple philosophy: respect your mouth and maintain a consistent, healthy daily routine. 

 

Choosing to go the Line-M-Up™ treatment path is a great way to see results without showcasing it, but there’s no denying that invisible aligners are a significant commitment. After all, you’ll be wearing your Line-M-Up™ clear aligners for about 22 hours each day! 

 

Although Line-M-Up™ isn’t necessarily as painful as traditional braces and other invisible aligner brands, the first week is known to be somewhat uncomfortable as your teeth begin their initial shifts. Some pain is common in the first few days of the Line-M-Up™ process, but if you can establish a memorable daily routine right from the get-go you’ll be able to maximize your treatment and see faster results! 

 

So here are our 5 tips to help you get through the beginning stages of your Line-M-Up™ treatment:

 

 

  • Look after your tongue 

 

 

There’s a good chance that the edges around your plastic, clear aligners may irritate you at first, and sores are somewhat common in the early stages of this type of treatment. Your mouth will toughen up after a few days, but introducing your aligners into your mouth is something your body simply isn’t used to at first. 

 

One of our tips to help this toughening within the mouth happen faster is to cover the edges of the aligners with dental wax for the first few days. If dental wax isn’t doing the trick, always reach out to us so we can file the edges down for you.

 

Another good trick is to keep a peroxide-based mouthwash in your medicine cabinet, because these formulas are specifically designed to help heal any kind of minor irritations throughout orthodontic treatment. It will also give your gums and teeth some pain relief, and a refreshing effect that will certainly hit the spot! 

 

 

  • Treat any discomfort or pain 

 

 

Line-M-Up™ works by essentially forcing your teeth into optimal positions, and this quite frankly can hurt your teeth and jaw, especially in the first few days when you’re just beginning to adjust  to the treatment. One trick we have is to do chewing exercises a few times each day, and always when you insert your trays.

 

This will give your mouth the pain relief it needs in that tough first week, because simply chewing produces a massage-like effect for your gums and helps stimulate blood flow throughout your entire mouth. Blood flow is essentially a natural pain reliever, and chewing exercises with your aligners on will make them quickly fit more tightly, which leads to faster tooth movement!

 

 

  • Maintain records of your daily wear time 

 

 

There’s always going to be some difficulties when it comes to adjusting to life with Line-M-Up™ aligners, and you’ll need to be prepared to take them out at least a few times per day and properly clean them with every re-insertion. This is part of the reason why we recommend Line-M-Up™ to older teenagers and adults! 

 

The flexibility that goes with Line-M-Up™ can actually make your treatment take longer if you’re not wearing your aligners for about 22 hours per day, so we always recommend that you keep track of how long you’ve been wearing (and not wearing) your aligners each day. There are some cool apps that can help you with this, or you can establish your own recording system, but no matter what it’s important to keep track of your wear time! 

 

Another important tip is to always be prepared with the necessary equipment no matter where you go so you’re prepared to take your aligners out and properly clean them a few times a day. 

 

 

  • Always be safe and sanitary when removing your aligners 

 

 

It’s important to be as sanitary as possible when it comes to removing your Line-M-Up™ aligner trays, and although you may be ok with using your hands there are some tools that we can provide to help you with this too. 

 

But if you’re going to use your hands to remove your aligners, it’s important that you understand that as time goes along your aligners are going to be tighter and much more difficult to remove. You’ll always want to thoroughly rinse your hands before and after you remove your trays, and always rinse your trays out thoroughly after each removal and before every re-insertion. 

 

Keeping a retainer case on you at all times is crucial, and you’ll never want to just put your aligners on a napkin while you eat because bacteria and other particles can quickly accumulate when aligners are left out exposed. 

 

 

  • Maintain clean (and clear) trays 

 

 

There’s a good possibility that you may cut some short corners like a last sip of coffee when wearing your invisible aligners, and this is ok as long as it doesn’t become a habit. You’re also going to want to be mindful of your tray aligner schedule, because the earlier you are in your tray cycle the more likely you’ll have time to compound potential stains! 

 

There are some really great sanitizing sprays especially made for invisible aligners, and these are great when you notice your trays getting a little bit out of the norm. For more tips on maintaining clean aligners, check out our blog on taking care of your invisible aligners.

 

Establish your routine and maintain it! 

 

The most important tip we can provide when it comes to getting through the beginning stages of your Line-M-Up™ treatment is to create a personal routine that is easy for you to maintain on a daily basis. The habits and tips we talked about in this article are good starting points to help our patients better understand what a daily routine should entail, and compiling all of these tips together on a daily basis will help you achieve your optimal results in a much faster time period.

 

If you have any questions or worries, don’t hesitate to contact us or share your thoughts in the comments section below!