Although rubber bands are most often associated with braces, these tiny appliances can be equally effective with Invisalign® treatment!
Whether you or your child requires elastics with Invisalign will depend on the case. Every case is unique because every patient is unique. When Dr. Dunn or Dr. Schreiber creates your treatment plan, it will be 100% personalized to you, your condition, and your goals with treatment.
After completing your complimentary exam, your orthodontist will discuss your condition with you and present your treatment options to you. If he or she finds that your treatment will be most effective with rubber bands, these will be included in your treatment plan!
Here’s what you need to know:
What are Invisalign rubber bands?
Invisalign rubber bands are the same as braces rubber bands. Also called “elastics”, these small (but mighty) appliances add some additional pressure to your treatment. These can help improve the efficiency of treatment by speeding up the jaw alignment process.
While some braces rubber bands are colorful, your Invisalign rubber bands will be transparent to match your clear aligners. (You can always choose colorful ones if you’d like!)
Rubber bands come in different sizes. Depending on your specific condition and the severity of your case, your orthodontist will determine which size is best for you.
How do Invisalign elastics work?
Invisalign elastics are connected to your top teeth and your bottom teeth. One elastic will be stretched from a hook on your top teeth to a hook on your bottom teeth.
Invisalign elastics can be hooked to a metal button bonded to the aligner, or a tooth-colored hook/attachment bonded to the aligner. An Invisalign hook is a transparent hook (similar to a braces hook) that holds the elastic in place.
Where your Invisalign hooks or buttons are located will depend on your personalized treatment plan created by Dr. Dunn or Dr. Schreiber!
These rubber bands create resistance between the top teeth and the bottom teeth. By wearing them consistently, this pressure can align the jaw bones to treat overbites, underbites, open bites or crossbites.
How to Put Rubber Bands on Invisalign
It’s really simple to put rubber bands on your Invisalign clear aligners! We’ll show you how to do this in our office, of course, but you can use this as a guide to reference at any time during your treatment.
- Place your aligners in your mouth.
- Hook the rubber band onto one of the hooks, either your top aligner or your bottom aligner.
- Using two fingers, stretch the rubber band down to the hook on the bottom, or up to the hook on the top.
That’s it! You can use a mirror to help guide you. You’ll get used to this process quickly, and before long, you’ll be placing your rubber bands on with muscle memory.
How often do I change out my Invisalign elastics?
In most cases, you’ll replace your rubber bands every 3 to 4 hours, depending on your orthodontist’s instructions. It’s important that you wear your elastics as long as your orthodontist instructs (typically at least 22 hours a day) for your treatment to be as effective as planned.
Replace your rubber bands every time you take your aligners out to eat. You want your rubber bands to be fresh with optimal strength! As you talk and open your mouth with your rubber bands in place, your rubber bands will start to lose resistance. We want them to be as resistant as possible for the utmost effectiveness.
Still have questions about Invisalign with rubber bands?
We have answers! We’ll tell you everything you need to know when you visit us for your complimentary exam and every check-in appointment after that.
Please feel free to reach out to us at any time with questions. We love to hear from you!
Ready to begin your journey? Get started by requesting your complimentary consultation.
