A number of patients have had orthodontic treatment with braces in the past, often during their teenage years. Smilers® clear aligners can usually correct the movements that can occur after braces have been removed (called relapse) or a failed initial orthodontic treatment. Your practitioner can help you define the right orthodontic treatment for you, and the retainer needed following your treatment to preserve the results over time.

Thanks to their experience and the special training course provided, the Smilers® practitioner can use invisible dental aligners to straighten the teeth of most patients provided they have their permanent teeth, i.e. all of their second molars. For adolescent patients, contact a Smilers® practitioner to find out if the invisible aligner treatment is suitable for them. This person will be a dentist or orthodontist who will confirm that they are eligible for the Smilers® orthodontic treatment.

Most patients do not observe any effect on their speech. However, as with all conventional braces for adults and teenagers, an adjustment period is necessary during the first few days of wearing Smilers® invisible aligners.

Inserting the retainer:

• Make sure you have the correct retainer.
• Rinse the retainers with cold water and shake off any excess water.
• Insert your retainer while pressing it gently against your front teeth. Then apply an even pressure, using your fingertips, on the top of your left and right molars until the retainer is seated.

Removing the retainer:

• With your fingers, start on one side near your molars and work your way up the retainer on each side, while pulling gently on it.
• You can use special tear-off hooks for the retainers.
• Wash the retainer with water and a neutral toothbrush (i.e. one that has never come in contact with toothpaste) and household soap. Then store it in the protective case.
• Do not use excessive force to bend or twist the retainers.

You must preserve oral hygiene throughout your Smilers® orthodontic treatment. Smilers® clear aligners are removable, so that you can continue brushing your teeth as you normally would.

For cleaning your Smilers® dental aligners:

• Gently brush your aligner with a neutral toothbrush, i.e. one that has never come in contact with toothpaste, and Marseilles’s soap
• Rinse each retainer thoroughly with clean water after cleaning them. That’s all!

When Smilers® transparent aligners are used in treatment, the forces applied are gentle and constant. Some people may experience temporary minor discomfort for a few days when using their new Smilers® invisible retainers, at the start of each new step of orthodontic treatment. Patients generally describe a feeling of pressure which is quite normal. This indicates that the Smilers® orthodontic treatment is working properly and this feeling usually goes away after a few days. However, if the pain persists, contact your dentist or orthodontist.

Smoking with transparent aligners can alter their transparency and colour them.

Nevertheless, it is advisable to wear your aligners at least 22 hours a day, and to remove them only for eating and drinking very hot drinks, and brush your teeth so as not to reduce the effectiveness of the treatment.

You can drink tea or coffee with your Smilers® clear retainers. Only remove your Smilers® clear retainers when drinking piping hot drinks as they can slightly deform your invisible dental aligners.

You must wear your Smilers® clear aligners at all times throughout the orthodontic treatment, except when eating, drinking piping hot drinks or brushing your teeth.

So you must remove your Smilers® invisible aligners during your meals, rinse them and put them in their box. Once removed… you can eat whatever you want!

Contact your practitioner to check that the Smilers® orthodontic treatment is going as planned. Your dentist or orthodontist will give you all the details regarding the course of the treatment and the visits.

If the treatment is accelerated with photobiostimulation, the visits may be organised on a more frequent basis.