Wearing Invisalign for Less Than 24 Hours Per Day

Unfortunately, in order to move teeth within the supporting structures of gums and bone in a predictable and safe manner force needs to be constant on the teeth.  By only wearing aligners at night teeth will not track properly and health structures can be overloaded.

We recommend wearing aligners 22 hours per day (2 hours to compensate for eating times). 
If you shorten the amount of time worn per day, you'll have to wear the aligners for a longer period of time to obtain ideal movement and retention.  Teeth movement is pretty simple--it takes time and pressure to move teeth.  If we shorten the time worn per aligner, the total treatment time lengthens. 

If you cannot commit to wearing Invisalign 22-24 hours per day, you should consider traditional braces.  Invisalign will not provide the results you want without the required wear time. 

Thank you for your question. It sounds like you might be NOT a good candidate for Invisalign. Teeth have memory. If you do not wear aligners as prescribed, they will move to old position. In other words it will be a titor toter effect and you will not be happy with the final results. I would focus on what results you desire. Straigter teeth, better looking smile, easier to clean, etc... and make a decision how to get it. If not Invisalign, then braces. It is your choice.

Hi there,
thank you for the great question.
The design of the Invisalign trays is such that the patient has to have at least 20-22 hours of wear in order for the system to work.
Wearing them less than 20-22hours can compromise treatment results.
I would not recommend Invisalign treatment to my patients until they are committed to a dull time wear.
With this being said sometimes it can happen that on occasional days people don't have the full 20-22 hours and in this case I tell my patients to extend the trays interval by a couple of days.
For example if the patient had a day with only 15 hours of wear I ask them to add one more day to their usual schedule.
Also inform your treating dentist if there are any changes in the wear of the trays which can help with making important clinical decisions.
Best of luck to you,
Dr. Mina Levi