Aligners Pain

If you are considering having teeth straightening treatments using clear aligners, then one question often asked is are they painful? Annoyingly, the answer is both yes and no.

Do aligners hurt when being fitted?

Having your aligners fitted for the first time is a process that involves:

• Having nubs of resin attached to your teeth. These help your aligners snap-fit onto your teeth and help hold them in place. This procedure does not hurt.
• Fitting your aligners for the first time means encasing your teeth in a plastic retainer that applies pressure to your teeth. This can initially feel a little strange as your teeth are not used to the sensation and your mouth unused to having something positioned between your teeth and inner lips. This sensation does not hurt, it just feels strange at first. After a few days you will not notice that your aligners are in.

Are aligners painful to remove?

Taking your aligners out can be fiddly at first as they are designed to be held in place and fit close to your teeth. You will feel unusual pressure but not pain when first removing your aligners. As you become more accustomed to taking them off and putting them back on this will become easier.

Will I feel pain when changing aligners?

For the first few days after wearing your new set of aligners you will feel pressure against your teeth. This is a strange sensation which some people interpret as pain. This pressure only lasts a few days as your teeth become used to the sensation and your teeth begin moving to the next step of your alignment journey.

My aligners are hurting my gums!

It is a rare situation, but sometimes aligners can cause gum pain. This is usually caused by an oral hygiene issue due to bacteria forming in the aligner or on the gum line. Make sure you brush your teeth and gums after meals and rinse your aligner under clear water before putting them back in.

Even rarer the aligners could be too long for your teeth, causing them to press against your gums.

In both cases, please speak to your dentist.

My jaw hurts from wearing aligners

Your aligners are moving your teeth. This can cause pain in your jaw due to how the shape of your face changes as your teeth become straighter.

Why do some aligners hurt more than others

As different teeth are moved and rotated throughout your aligner journey you may feel that some stages are more painful than others. This is natural and as with previous stages, will reduce over a few days.

How to treat aligner pain

If you are concerned about pain caused by aligners, please speak to your dentist. They can offer advice and support to help make you more comfortable.

Alternatively, you can temporarily take over the counter pain medications such as Paracetamol or Ibuprofen to treat any pain (check for allergies and other medical issues before use). And don’t forget to thoroughly clean your teeth, gums and aligners each time before you put them in.