Many people worry about seeking teeth straightening treatment from their dentist because they do not want the metal brackets and wires of braces to disrupt their smiles. Patients can feel confident in the way that their teeth look as they align their smiles with Invisalign. These clear-colored plastic appliances will not impact your smile as you straighten crooked teeth.
You will need to take precautions to ensure your aligners do not stain or become murky looking during your treatment. Read on to find tips for keeping your Invisalign looking and feeling its best as you straighten your smile.
Remove Invisalign When Eating and Drinking
Your dentist will instruct you to wear your Invisalign aligners for at least 22 hours a day, including when you sleep. This ensures that your teeth will shift in the ideal amount of time into a straighter position.
However, you will need to remove your aligners from your mouth when eating or drinking anything other than water. Food particles can become trapped in the appliance and harm your teeth if they linger there.
Foods and drinks can also stain your Invisalign, especially if they contain tannins, as with coffee and tea. Therefore, make sure you do not leave your aligners in your mouth during meals or snacks.
Continue Good Oral Hygiene Habits
One of the benefits of straightening your teeth with Invisalign is that you can take the aligners out of your mouth when needed. This feature allows you to complete your oral hygiene without the interference of brackets and wires.
You should continue your oral hygiene routine to keep both your smile and your Invisalign clean. Plaque from your teeth can travel to Invisalign over time if you do not remove it promptly through oral hygiene. This can affect the structure and look of the aligners, making them appear cloudy or yellow.
A good oral hygiene routine will include brushing your teeth twice per day and flossing daily. You should also visit your dentist for routine teeth cleaning and oral health exams as a part of your proper preventative dental care.
Practice Separate Cleaning for Your Aligners
Though Invisalign is not subject to decay, it can still garner harmful plaque throughout the day. You should practice a separate cleaning regimen for your aligners as you do your oral hygiene routine.
This will involve brushing your aligners gently with either a specialized cleaning solution or clear-colored liquid soap. Avoid hard-bristled toothbrushes for this task so that you do not scratch the aligners.
Rinse your aligners thoroughly after you clean them to remove any traces of the cleaning solution. You should rinse Invisalign before each time you replace it in your mouth, including when removed during meals.
Do not wash Invisalign with hot water. The high temperature can cause the plastic material to warp out of shape, and you will need to contact your dentist for a replacement appliance.