Planning aligner treatment before a wedding

Start with an examination, tell the clinician your wedding date, and plan around the treatment length they estimate for your teeth. The American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) says mild crowding or spacing can often be treated in eight to twelve months, while more complex bite problems may take a couple of years. If the estimate runs past the date, you can start anyway and wear aligners on the day, or wait until afterwards. Skipping wear time or changing trays early will not bring the finish forward.

Planning by time to the wedding

These bands are prompts for the consultation, not promises about when you will finish.

The AAO notes that aligners are made and shipped outside the office, which can take several weeks. Once you add the scans, attachments and getting used to the trays, aligner treatment can take as long as braces. Visits are usually every six to ten weeks. Why aligners are not automatically faster is covered in the fastest way to straighten teeth.

What to settle before you pay

• The date. Say it at the first appointment.
• What you want treatment to change. Aligning a few front teeth is shorter than correcting how the teeth meet.
• Refinements. If the teeth do not follow the first set of trays, extra trays add time. Ask whether they are in the price; see refinement aligners.
• Attachments. Ask whether your plan needs them, on which teeth, and whether they will still be on for the wedding.
• Any pause. If you want to stop for the photographs, ask before you start. The AAO says inconsistent wear can slow progress or compromise the result.
• Other plans. A move or a long trip after the wedding can make check-ups hard to keep.

Attachments and photographs

Attachments are small bumps of tooth-colored material bonded to some teeth to give the trays something to push on. Invisalign says some show more than others; those on front teeth are easier to see than those on back teeth. They usually stay on until the end of treatment, when the clinician removes them.

Taking the trays out for a photograph does not take the attachments with them. Ask the treating clinician whether anything about the plan should change around the date.

Whitening

If you want whiter teeth for the day, ask the dentist responsible for your aligner treatment when to whiten. The ADA says whitening can cause temporary sensitivity, and only natural teeth whiten; tooth-colored fillings and similar materials keep their color. Whether to whiten during treatment or after the attachments come off is the dentist's decision. Options and example prices are in whitening your teeth.

On the day

• Keep the case with you or with someone you trust. The AAO says not to put aligners in a napkin, a pocket or a purse.
• Take the trays out to eat and for any drink other than water.
• Pack a travel toothbrush, floss and a small mirror. Brush before the trays go back in; if you cannot, rinse with water.
• If you take the trays out for photographs, put them back in afterwards. Time out still counts against the hours you were told to wear them.
• Know who to call if a tray cracks or goes missing.

What to do if a tray is lost is in eating and drinking with clear aligners.

The honeymoon

• Ask the clinician for a tray-change schedule that covers the trip and what to do if something goes wrong while you are away.
• Pack the trays and cleaning kit in your carry-on, and ask the clinician whether to bring your previous and next sets as spares.
• Keep the trays in their case and away from heat, which can warp them, including at the beach or pool.
• Take the trays out to eat, and keep them in the case.
• Keep tray changes on your schedule across time zones, using phone reminders if that helps.
• If treatment has finished, pack the retainer.

The AAO says to contact your orthodontist straight away if you lose or damage an aligner.

After the wedding

After the last aligner, you still wear a retainer. The AAO says a retainer holds the result in place and works only if you wear it as directed. A result that looks right in the photographs can move if the retainer stays in a drawer. How that works is in care after aligner treatment.