If you want to amend minor alignment issues in your smile, your dentist might give you Invisalign. These clear-colored plastic aligners are custom-made to fit over your teeth and gradually shift them into a straighter position. With a straighter smile, you can feel confident in the way that your teeth look and improve your oral health.
To get the most out of your Invisalign, you will need to care for your appliance. This ensures it both looks and feels its best for the duration of your treatment. Read on to find three tips from your Clearwater, FL dentist for keeping your Invisalign clean during your teeth straightening treatment.
Cleaning and Caring for Invisalign Aligners
Remove Aligners When Eating and Drinking
One of the advantages of Invisalign over other orthodontic treatments is that you can take the aligners out of your mouth when needed. You can then eat and drink without worrying about harming your appliances. In fact, dentists ask their patients to remove Invisalign when consuming substances.
The translucent aligners can easily absorb staining agents in foods and drinks, which could make them grow stained or yellow. You will not be able to remove these stains, and the discoloration can disrupt the look of your smile.
Because Invisalign is removable, you can easily take the aligners out of the mouth during meals so that you can avoid this threat to your appliances. Make sure you rinse the aligners before putting them back in your mouth.
Continue Proper Oral Hygiene
You may think that because your teeth are covered by the Invisalign for at least 22 hours each day that they might not gather plaque. This is not true: your teeth and gums can still be affected by plaque and tartar build-up while you wear Invisalign. For this reason, you will need to continue good oral hygiene practices.
Because you can remove Invisalign, you should take out your aligners when brushing and flossing your teeth. Then you can complete this regimen as you normally would without disruption from fixed appliances.
Make sure you brush your teeth at least twice each day and floss daily to get your smile effectively clean. Attend routine teeth cleanings from your dentist too to maximize your oral hygiene.
Practice Separate Cleaning Regimen for Invisalign
Your Invisalign aligners will collect plaque and other harmful residues too. So you will need to clean your Invisalign separately to make sure your smile and your appliances look and feel their best. Lingering plaque can cause dental problems that may harm your oral health and therefore your teeth straightening treatment.
Brush your Invisalign at least once a day using an abrasive-free paste or cleaning solution and a soft-bristled brush. These materials ensure that you do not scratch your Invisalign, hurting their appearance, as you clean them.
Rinse your aligners thoroughly before putting them back in your mouth. Do not use hot water, as this could melt and warp the plastic. If you damage your Invisalign, do not wear them. Instead, talk to your dentist about this problem.