Keeping Your Invisalign Aligners Well-Maintained

If you had crooked teeth all your life, but didn’t want the hassle and pain of braces when you were a child, you may have heard there is now a better alternative for straightening your smile: Invisalign. The process is shorter (usually 3-18 months vs. braces 2-3 years), there are no dietary restrictions (hard, tough, and sticky foods can cause problems with braces), and there are no metal wires or brackets to poke your mouth, just nearly invisible plastic trays or aligners that you change every few weeks.

How well you progress depends in large part on maintaining good habits in the way you handle the aligners and continue your dental hygiene.

You should always keep your aligners in their case if these oral trays are not in your mouth (they should be worn all day and night except when you are eating or it will take longer to achieve your goals).

When you wake up, take out your trays and brush them without toothpaste (which can scratch or discolor them), using a toothbrush separate from the one you use for your teeth. This will remove saliva and bacteria that have accumulated during the night. Then rinse them and put them back on until breakfast, when you put them in their case.

After the meal, as part of your cleaning routine, you should brush your teeth with toothpaste for two minutes, to avoid food particles remaining in your mouth and becoming stuck in the aligners, then put them back in your mouth.

At lunch, brush and rinse the trays before you put them in their case. After lunch, swish water around your mouth to keep it clean, then put the aligners back on.

After dinner, brush and floss your teeth. But before putting the aligners back in your mouth, soak them in the Invisalign cleaning crystal solution or a mild denture cleaner for 20 minutes.

 Also, if you drink a lot of coffee, tea, red wine, dark juices or foods and your trays start to become discolored, soak them in the Invisalign solution or a 50/50 mixture of warm water (not hot) and vinegar for 15 minutes.

Yes, this is a lot to ask, but consider the alternatives: tooth decay and periodontal disease because of contamination or having to wear braces and suffer years of discomfort and dietary restrictions.

Set an appointment today with Dr. Razi to have an exam to see what your best options are to achieve your perfect smile.