At various points during your Invisalign treatment, you may experience aligners that feel loose or notice gaps between your teeth and the trays. This indicates that your aligners aren't tracking properly, and is why orthodontists recommend using chewies for Invisalign to promote optimal fit and tooth movement.
When you use chewies for Invisalign, you bite down on them gently to "seat" your aligners so they track better with your teeth. Properly tracking aligners exert the orthodontic force necessary to move your teeth into their new positions, and biting on chewies for a few minutes each day is an important habit to add to your daily routine.
Let's find out more about Invisalign chewies and how they can help give you a flawless smile!
What are Chewies for Invisalign and What Do They Do?
Chewies are small foam tubes that you can place between your trays. Gently biting and chewing on them helps your aligners snap into place, eliminating any air bubbles and gaps. Using them every time you reinsert your trays will not only ensure proper Invisalign tracking, but can also ease pain and discomfort by stimulating beneficial blood flow to your teeth and gums.
By using chewies over time, your aligners will fit better and become much more comfortable. While some come in scented varieties, chewies are ultimately tasteless and become smelly and gross if you don’t clean them after each use.
Do I Still Need Chewies If My Trays Feel Tight Already?
Many patients will experience the opposite of improper tracking -- their aligners will feel so tight they hurt. But that doesn't necessarily mean that they fit perfectly on every part of your teeth. And, just because one set of trays feels tight doesn't mean future sets of trays will feel the same way.
That's why its good practice to use chewies regularly. Like we said, the benefits beyond tracking such as pain relief are worth the few extra seconds it takes to perform chewing exercises. And if you are not diligent about the fit, then your treatment won’t proceed according to plan and you may have to get Invisalign refinements to get back on track.
How To Properly Use Chewies for Invisalign
Using chewies for a few minutes each day, especially if you are noticing your Invisalign is not tracking, will help your aligners seat correctly and keep you on track with your plan. You should perform chewing exercises each time you reinsert your trays, and definitely at night before going to bed so your trays fit optimally overnight. Other important times to use your chewies are when you switch to a new set of aligners or you just aren't getting a snug fit on some areas of your teeth.
To use your chewies properly, follow these steps:
- Grab a chewie and place it between your teeth.
- Bite on the chewie for a few seconds to seat your aligner.
- Move the chewie around your mouth, biting down for a few seconds after moving the chewie.
- Move the chewie from the right to the left side of your mouth to make sure you have seated all areas of the aligner. Focus more attention on areas where gaps or spaces are visible between the teeth and the aligner.
- Use your chewie for a couple minutes until your aligners become more comfortable.
Will Using Chewies Straighten My Teeth Faster?
Though they may not make your treatment faster, chewies for Invisalign keep you on the right track
Many people wonder if Invisalign chewies will speed up your Invisalign treatment. The short answer is no, but they do prevent you from prolonging your treatment. If your aligners are not fitting properly and you can’t correct the problem with a chewie, your aligners may be less effective at moving your teeth. That means, of course, that you will end up wearing your invisible braces longer than intended, or require refinements like Invisalign attachments to get back on track.
So, while chewies won’t speed up your treatment, they will prevent you from prolonging your smile journey.
Can Chewies for Invisalign Prevent Aligner Discomfort?
Are There Any Alternatives to Chewies?
Since so many are choosing Invisalign as a discreet and effective option for orthodontic care, there are more options available for seating your aligners. We created Movemints® Clear Aligner Mints as an alternative to Invisalign chewies because our founder, an Orthodontist specializing in Invisalign, kept hearing from his patients how chewies made them gag.
Movemints perform the same function as chewies for Invisalign, but have additional benefits for clear aligner treatment. First and foremost, they are sugar-free and sweetened with a therapeutic dose of xylitol to fight Invisalign dry mouth and bad breath.
Movemints are easy to use, and have a patented groove that fits between your aligners. Simply place Movemints between your top and bottom teeth and bite gently for a few seconds to close any air gaps. They are hard enough to withstand the force needed to seat your trays and ensure a comfortable fit. Once you’ve completed the chewing exercises, you can enjoy the great taste and breath freshening power of our aligner-friendly mints anywhere your smile journey takes you!
If you have not considered using chewies before, now is the time to start! Invisalign Chewies can really improve the fit of your aligners and will cause less discomfort over time. And if you don’t want the hassle of cleaning your chewie or losing it somewhere, try Movemints, the only Mint That Fits® your clear aligners! Explore all of the different accessories Movemints has to offer in the Essential Aligner Accessories kit and discover all of the different ways you can improve your Invisalign experience.
