Living with Clear Aligners
For adults wearing clear aligners: what the first week brings, plus one page each for cleaning, eating and drinking, speech, comfort and a lost or broken aligner. If soreness is more than mild or does not ease, speech changes do not settle, or an aligner is lost or broken, tell the dental team treating you.
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Medical disclaimer: This page is for general information only. It does not replace an examination or treatment by a dentist.
What does living with aligners cover?
Living with clear aligners means the daily routine of treatment: wearing, removing, cleaning, eating and talking. The general guidance is 22 hours of wear a day, so every meal or drink taken with them out comes from the hours left. Treatment stages and suitability are covered elsewhere.
What is the first week with aligners like?
In the first week, mild pressure or soreness is normal for a new aligner's first few days, as general guidance. If it is more than mild or does not ease, tell the dental team treating you. Speech may change too: a 2023 systematic review, with low-level evidence to interpret with caution, found the likelihood of speech difficulties appears high but that they were temporary, most patients recovering in 7 to 14 days and a few needing 30 to 60 days. If your speech has not settled, tell the dental team treating you.
To ask about aligner treatment, book online or call 0114 288 2121.
Where is each daily topic covered?
Care of the aligners and your teeth, from rinsing to brushing and storage, is in our guide on how to clean aligners.
Aligners are taken out to eat and to drink anything but water, as general guidance. Meals, snacks and drinks across the day are covered under eating and drinking with clear aligners.
Talking with aligners in has its own page: how speech adjusts, how long that takes and when to tell the dental team treating you, at aligners and speech.
Comfort through each aligner change has its own page: what is usual, what may help and when to tell the dental team treating you, under aligner discomfort.
If an aligner is lost, cracked or broken, tell the dental team treating you; general guidance on what to do meanwhile is at a lost or broken aligner.
Which topics belong to other sections?
Treatment stages are set out when you browse the treatment process section. The commitment the daily hours ask of you is explained under wearing your aligners.
Professional gum care in general sits under hygiene appointments, and treatment as a whole is introduced under clear aligner therapy.
Does Deepcar Dental Care offer aligner treatment?
Yes, for adults only. Aligner treatment is provided by our dentists using Smartee clear aligners, which are the system used at the practice. The problems it treats include mild to moderate crowding and spacing; bite correction is offered too.
Frequently asked questions
Are aligners worn overnight as well as in the day?
Yes. British Orthodontic Society guidance is that aligners need wearing full-time, day and night, apart from meal times. As general guidance, the daily total is 22 hours, so the hours you sleep count towards it, and your treatment plan confirms the wear your teeth need.
Does each new aligner take getting used to?
Yes, for a few days each time, with mild pressure at first, as general guidance. Aligners typically change every 2 weeks, as your plan sets out; the British Orthodontic Society says each moves the teeth a small step towards their intended position. If pressure is more than mild or does not ease, tell the dental team treating you.
Does daily wear end with the last aligner?
Not entirely. The British Orthodontic Society says retainers will be required after any aligner treatment so the teeth hold their corrected positions. As general guidance, teeth can shift at any age, so retention is long term; most people end up wearing retainers at night, with the type and routine set when treatment ends.
Book a consultation.
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We look after patients from Deepcar, Stocksbridge and Oughtibridge, and from across north Sheffield, including Wadsley, Hillsborough and Fulwood. Many travel further, from Penistone, Barnsley and Rotherham. The practice is on the A6102 at 334 Manchester Road, and no referral is needed.
334 Manchester Road
Deepcar, Sheffield S36 2RH
0114 288 2121
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Opening hours
Open 8am to 8pm, seven days
Free parking at the door