Dr. Noah's Dentistry Blog

Questions About Dentistry Answered

Archives for November 2016

Invisalign and Football

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I need to make my mom and my football coach happy. My coach won’t let me play without a mouthguard, and my mom says she didn’t pay for Invisalign for it to sit in my gym bag. Is there a way to work this out? Can I use the Invisalign as a mouthguard?

Reginald B. – Kansas

Reginald,

It’s great to see you’re being so responsible and taking steps to get the information you need. Both your mom and your coach should be very proud of you.

Don’t use your Invisalign aligners as a mouthguard. It’s not designed to absorb shock the way a sports mouthguard does. You will have a damaged mouth…and fewer teeth. There is a way to make it work. First, let your dentist know what’s going on so he can adjust your treatment accordingly.

Next, make sure you keep your aligner’s case with you at all times, even at football practice and games. When you’re not practicing keep your aligners on. Games are a little trickier because they last for so long. You don’t want to leave them out the entire game. Keep the case with you. When you’re not playing, put them in. When you are playing, take them out.

Other than that, just be sure the only other time they’re out is to eat and to clean your teeth.

This blog is brought to you by Dr. Ryan Noah.

Are Retainers Even Necessary?

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I wore braces for three years.  I got them off six months ago.  I know I am supposed to wear my retainer but I just hate it.  Are they really going to move back if I don’t wear it?

Thanks, Angie

Dear Angie,

I know you probably hate it, but your teeth absolutely will move if you don’t wear it.  They may not move completely back to where they were when you first got your braces on but they WILL move.

More than likely, if you had severe crowding, your lower front teeth will start to overlap.  Teeth that were the most difficult to move, like turned teeth, will begin to turn again ever so slightly.  Before you know it you will not be able to wear your retainer because it will no longer fit.  Then you will be too embarrassed to go back to the orthodontist because you think he may say, “I told you so!”  Meanwhile, your teeth will continue to move.

In order to stop the movement, you will need to spend a couple of hundred dollars for a new retainer.  Don’t forget, you will also need to get new impressions and you know how much people love those!  So, wear the retainer….even if you only wear it at night.  It is a small price to pay to keep that beautiful smile.

This blog is brought to you by Dr. Ryan Noah.