When you receive your Invisalign aligners from Richmond Virginia Orthodontics, you begin your journey to a more beautiful smile. For these orthodontic aids to straighten your teeth correctly, you need to keep them clean. Follow these dos and don’ts to get the job done right.
Do clean your trays and teeth when you get up in the morning and at night. In the morning, you’ll eliminate the bacteria and plaque that build up at night on your teeth and your aligners. You will also want to clean your aligners after meals to remove any food particles that may have been stuck to your teeth or trays. To clean your aligners, rinse them with warm water. While your aligners are removed, you can brush your teeth as usual.
Many kinds of toothpaste contain abrasives that can help remove stains from your teeth, but they can rub away the plastic on your Invisalign trays. Coarse toothbrushes have the same damaging effects. You can use toothpaste on aligners, but when you receive your final retainers, do not use toothpaste on them.
Soak your final retainers in cleaning crystals once a week for at least 15 minutes. This process will keep them looking clear by removing the bacteria and plaque, breaking them down over time.
Don’t leave your aligners exposed in the open. When you’re not wearing your trays, keep them in their carrying case, but be sure they are dry to prevent mold from forming. This protects them from accidents and prevents dirt and bacteria from collecting on them.
Do clean your aligner case. Because your trays will spend about two hours a day in your aligner case, the saliva and bacteria from your mouth can collect in the confines of the container. This bacteria can then transfer to your aligners when you store them in the case, making them smelly and discolored. Regular cleaning prevents this from happening. Don’t forget to dry the case thoroughly after cleaning, or mold may grow.
Don’t eat or drink with your aligners. Hard foods like nuts, popcorn kernels, and hard candy can crack or chip your aligners. Sticky foods like gum and caramel can loosen your aligners and cause them to fall out. The simple solution when eating or drinking is to remove your Invisalign trays beforehand. But the most important part is putting them back in and wearing them 18-20 hours, so when needed, just drink through a straw instead!
Do contact us if you have any problems or want more information. If your aligners just aren’t feeling right or if you have questions about cleaning them, please contact us at Richmond, Virginia Orthodontics.
