Does Invisalign Help With Jaw Clenching? (5+ Additional Advantages)
By
Dr Shivam Jha
This blog post will address the topic,”invisalign jaw clenching” and cover topics like is invisalign helpful in correcting jaw clenching or teeth grinding, what is invisalign, types of dental issues that can be addressed by an invisalign, do invisalign braces help with jaw clenching, how do invisalign braces help with jaw clenching, considerations after invisalign braces, advantages and certain limitations of invisalign over traditional braces, can invisalign help reduce symptoms of temporo-mandibular joint, can invisalign be worn by you if you grind your teeth, teeth grinding, possible causes and signs and symptoms of teeth grinding.
Invisalign & Jaw Clenching
Jaw clenching or grinding teeth while wearing invisalign may cause invisalign to be damaged, resulting in thinning of the invisalign and holes in the clear plastic material of invisalign.
Is Invisalign Helpful In Correcting Jaw Clenching Or Teeth Grinding?
Yes, Invisalign is helpful to those who require their teeth to be aligned as well as protect their teeth from teeth grinding or jaw clenching.
Invisalign is known to align the teeth and jaw position and thus may also be helpful in correcting the jaw clenching or teeth grinding issue.
Wearing invisalign for 20 to 22 hours (except while eating), may provide optimum protection from jaw clenching.
What Is Invisalign?
Invisalign is a brand name for clear aligners or braces. It is considered to be more aesthetic and more comfortable in comparison to normal metal braces.
Invisalign are not completely invisible but may be less visible than other braces available.
What Are The Different Types Of Dental Issues That An Invisalign Can Address?
As per the claim of the brand, invisalign may be useful in addressing the following dental issues:
- Overbite and Underbite issues
- Crossbite issues
- Issues of Open Bite
- Gap between the teeth
- Overcrowding of the teeth
As per research studies, not much has been studied about the effectiveness of the invisalign and hence nothing much can be said on the brand claim due to lack of sufficient research data.
Do Invisalign Braces Help With Jaw Clenching?
Yes, braces do help with jaw clenching and teeth grinding if it occurs due to misaligned or crooked teeth.
Braces may help realign the teeth and correct the bite to give relief or completely eliminate the problem of jaw clenching or teeth grinding.
How Do Invisalign Braces Help With Jaw Clenching?
Invisalign Braces may help realign the teeth and correct the bite to give relief or completely eliminate the problem of jaw clenching or teeth grinding.
Invisalign Braces actually make your teeth straighter or more aligned by applying pressure on them in a particular desired direction.
The pressure allows teeth to become loose and reposition themselves according to the direction of force.
Your orthodontist may call you once in a month for follow-up and check if the invisalign braces are applying enough pressure for necessary orthodontic movement.
In some cases, headgears may be recommended to you for increased pressure along with invisalign braces.
Considerations After Invisalign Braces
Once the orthodontist feels that the desired result has been achieved and your teeth are now aligned as desired, braces will be taken off.
After taking out the braces, a thorough examination of the teeth and oral cavity is done to make sure all the bites are normal and you don’t feel any discomfort.
X-ray may also reveal any wisdom tooth erupting. If that is the case, your orthodontist may recommend extraction of the wisdom tooth before letting it erupt and disturb the new alignment.
Once everything is checked, your orthodontist will give you a new appliance to wear. This new appliance is called retainer and is very important to wear after braces are taken off.
Retainer helps to retain and maintain the new alignment until all the jaw bones, gums and mouth structures are adjusted to the new alignment.
The time duration of wearing such retainers may vary from person to person.
Advantages Of Invisalign Over Traditional Braces
According to a research paper published in the Australian Dental Journal, invisalign has certain advantages over traditional braces such as:
- Less Clinical Emergencies
- Better aesthetics than traditional braces
- Less pain and more comfort in the first week of treatment when compared with traditional braces
- Small size of invisalign makes them more superior functionally compared to traditional braces
- Better periodontal health
- Less chair time
Limitations Of Invisalign
Invisalign has certain limitations such as:
- Only effective in cases where repositioning of teeth requires simple tooth movements
- Long wearing time of almost 22 hours
- Has to be removed while eating or drinking otherwise results in dental cavities or staining
- Soreness of gums and therefore hard foods are avoided
Can Invisalign Help Reduce Symptoms Of Temporo-mandibular Joint?
Yes! Invisalign may help in reducing the symptoms of temporo-mandibular joint (TMJ) by correcting the misalignment of the teeth and jaw.
After applying invisalign, the pressure applied by it helps the teeth change their position slowly. As the teeth changes position and gets aligned, the jaw position also gets corrected.
Aligned teeth and jaw position with the help of invisalign help reduce symptoms of TMJ that includes:
- Pain and tenderness around the ear
- Pain and tenderness in the jaw
- Pain while chewing or swallowing
- Problem in opening or closing the mouth
- Popping or clicking sound on jaw movement
Can Invisalign Be Worn By You If You Grind Your Teeth?
Yes, invisalign can be worn by you even if you grind your teeth.
Invisalign protects teeth enamel from grinding forces without being much damaged as they are changed weekly.
Invisalign also corrects the misalignment and hence provides a dual advantage to teeth grinders.
Teeth Grinding And Its Possible Causes
Bruxism or teeth grinding is a dental condition in which an individual grinds or clenches their teeth either knowingly while awake or unknowingly while asleep.
Teeth grinding may occur due to an underlying physical, psychological or genetic cause:
- Anxiety and other mood disorder
- Stress
- Smoking
- Alcohol
- High intake of caffeine
- Side effects of medications like antidepressants (medicine to treat depression symptoms)
- Family history of teeth grinding
- Young age
- Underlying diseases such as Parkinson’s in older individuals, or epilepsy, or hyperactivity disorder in children.
- Underlying dental conditions like misalignment of teeth
Signs And Symptoms Of Teeth Grinding
There are certain signs and symptoms that may reveal your teeth grinding problem:
- Dull Headache in temple area and sore jaw upon waking up in the morning
- Loud teeth grinding sound may help your parents or partner know about your teeth grinding problem
- Chipped off or abraded teeth
- Tooth pain and sensitivity without any cavities visible
- Abraded enamel
Conclusion
This blog post addressed the topic,”invisalign jaw clenching”. We understood if invisalign is helpful in correcting jaw clenching or teeth grinding, what is invisalign, types of dental issues that can be addressed by an invisalign, do invisalign braces help with jaw clenching, how do invisalign braces help with jaw clenching, considerations after invisalign braces, advantages and certain limitations of invisalign over traditional braces, can invisalign help reduce symptoms of temporo-mandibular joint and can invisalign be worn by you if you grind your teeth. The article outlined teeth grinding and its possible causes and signs and symptoms.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs): Invisalign Jaw Clenching
How do I stop clenching my jaw with Invisalign?
To stop clenching your jaw with invisalign, wear them for almost 20-22 hours. Wearing them for a suggested time period helps in fastening the teeth alignment process and giving quick relief from jaw clenching.
Is the first Invisalign tray the worst?
Yes! Your first invisalign tray may be your worst as it will be the first time your teeth will experience a new external force and thus will cause discomfort.
You may also take time to adjust to a new thing in your mouth and hence, the first invisalign trays are always the worst.
What is the average number of Invisalign trays?
Average number of invisalign trays that a person goes through is 20 to 30 if the time period of orthodontic treatment is 1 year.
However, the number of invisalign trays depend mostly on the severity of misalignment and may be more than 30 if the adjustments required are more.
Can I drink alcohol with Invisalign?
Yes, you may drink alcohol with invisalign but make sure to take them out and wash to prevent staining of invisalign as well as teeth.
How many times can you remove Invisalign in a day?
It is recommended to wear invisalign for more than 20 hours and only remove it when eating or drinking.
References:
What to Know About Invisalign and Its Effectiveness.(2021)
Weir, T. (2017) Clear aligners in orthodontic treatment. Australian Dental Journal, 62: S1 58– 62. doi: 10.1111/adj.12480
Does Invisalign Help With Teeth Grinding? Complete Guide
Bruxism (teeth grinding) – Symptoms and causes – Mayo Clinic
Teeth Grinding (Bruxism): Causes and Treatments – WebMD
Dental Braces and Retainers – WebMD