Before wearing your aligners, remember to clean them. First, wash your hands and clean one clear aligner at a time using soap and water. Clean them inside and outside carefully and gently. Use a soft-bristled toothbrush to avoid damaging the aligners. Wearing unclean aligners can put you at risk of developing bad breath and tooth decay.
To ensure that your aligners look and smell fresh, you must soak them at least once daily. You can soak them in a denture cleaner or Invisalign cleaning crystals. After you have soaked them, get a toothbrush to brush off plaque and food particles from it. Use a different toothbrush from the one you use for your teeth. After brushing the Invisalign, rinse them off using warm water before placing them back into your mouth.
Whether you are taking them off to eat, drink or brush your teeth, rinse the aligners every time you take them off. This prevents plaque and dry saliva from building up.
Our dentist in Chino, CA recommends that your teeth and gums remain healthy during Invisalign treatment. Practicing regular oral hygiene by brushing and flossing your teeth will keep your teeth strong and healthy. Before putting your aligners back on, endure your gums and teeth are clean. If not, food particles can get trapped against your teeth inside the aligners and could lead to decay or gum infections.
Bacteria builds up on the Invisalign trays while sleeping. Developing a morning routine of removing and cleaning your trays is vital to your oral health.
Even after adequately caring for them, you may notice that your aligners are getting cloudy or discolored. Our dentist near you suggests not to use anything harsh or harmful when removing stains. You can eliminate the cloudiness by mixing equal measurements of warm water and hydrogen peroxide and soaking the aligners in the solution for a few hours.
Store them in a safe place when you are not using your aligners. Leaving them out in the open air exposes them to bacteria buildup. In addition, there is also the chance that they may get lost or damaged. Always carry your aligner case with you. If you forgot your case, soak the aligners before using them again.
While it’s okay to drink water while wearing your aligners, our Invisalign dentist near Chino Hills recommends removing them when eating and taking other beverages. This is because other drinks and food substances can stain the aligners. In addition, they are also not made to withstand the pressure of chewing or biting. This can damage the aligners or get food particles stuck on them.
Using a scented or colored soap to clean your aligners will leave them tasting unpleasant when wearing them. The colors used in soaps may also stain the aligners.
The majority of toothpaste contains abrasives like silica or baking soda. These abrasives are very helpful when removing stains from your teeth. However, when used on plastic aligners, they can rub away the plastic and cause grooves and scratches. This will make your aligners look cloudy.
While hot water might seem like the best way to kill germs and bacteria from your aligners, it can damage them. The heat can manipulate their shape and enable them not to straighten your teeth effectively. Use lukewarm water when cleaning your aligners.