Invisalign comes with advantages and disadvantages. The advantages are clear (pun intended). Invisalign’s aligners are removable and transparent, meaning you can eat, brush, and floss normally and naturally. The stigma of traditional wire and metal braces is eliminated by wearing Invisalign’s thermoplastic aligners.
The downside? Bacteria, food particles, sugars, and other substances can be trapped between your aligners and your teeth for 22 hours a day. Any accumulation of those materials inside your aligners and against your teeth can prejudice the health of your teeth, your oral health generally, and even stain and deteriorate the aligners themselves.
The best way to manage that downside of wearing Invisalign’s clear and removable aligners is simple: keep those aligners clean. Keeping those aligners clean is so important that we want you to know the best practices for doing just that.
Five ways to clean your Invisalign aligners
You can soak your aligners in a combination of distilled water and vinegar — one part distilled water to three parts vinegar — before brushing and rinsing them. To eliminate the taste and smell of vinegar when you put them back in your mouth, be sure to rinse them completely.
Plain old fashioned soap will also help keep your Invisalign aligners clean. Combine lukewarm water and gentle scent-free soap into a sudsy solution. Simply soak your aligners in that sudsy solution for half an hour, then brush and rinse them before wearing them again.
You can also use a baking soda and water solution — a combination of ½ cup of water and one tablespoon of baking soda — to help keep your aligners clean. Submerge your aligners in that solution for approximately a half-hour, then brush the aligners thoroughly to remove any leftover baking soda before putting the aligners back in place.
Hydrogen peroxide is another common household agent that can be used to keep your aligners clean. Combine hydrogen peroxide and water in equal parts — ¼ cup of each, for example. Simply soak your aligners in that solution for half an hour before brushing and rinsing the aligners clean. Just as you could with the baking soda and soap solutions.
Retainer cleaners come in the form of tablets that you can purchase at many drugstores, albeit at a greater cost than the home remedies described above. Your dentist may also recommend appropriate products. Use those tablets as directed to remove bacteria and plaque that tends to accumulate on your aligners.
Here’s one tip that is important to keep in mind. When soaking and rinsing your aligners, use cold, cool, or lukewarm water — not hot water. Your aligners are sturdy and durable but sustained exposure to hot water can weaken or damage them.
One way to manage your day
The best way to achieve results with Invisalign in La Crête is to establish excellent routines that include wearing your aligners 22 hours daily, maintain your oral hygiene diligently, and clean your aligners carefully and consistently. One possible routine to support your teeth straightening goals could look like this:
Upon waking up, remove your aligners, brush your teeth, and clean your aligners. This will eliminate any bacteria that accumulated in your trays as you slept.
Whenever you remove your aligners from your mouth during the day — to eat, brush, or floss — rinse your aligners before returning them to your mouth. Doing so will prevent the accumulation of bacteria and other mouth-borne particles.
Before you return your aligners to your mouth after eating or drinking, brush and floss your teeth. The opportunity to do so naturally is one of the key advantages of Invisalign near you. Don’t waste that opportunity and advantage.
Soak your aligners daily. We’ve offered several suggestions for soaking solutions. To those options, you can also add cleaning crystals and denture cleaner. There are so many options for effectively cleaning your aligners that there’s really no excuse for failing to keep them clean and bacteria-free at all times.
We are determined that your Invisalign in La Crête is a successful and rewarding experience. Follow these tips to achieve the best results and simultaneously protect your dental health. If you have any questions about your treatment plan, including how to maintain your aligners, contact a dentist near you.