Keeping your Invisalign Clean

Cleaning your Invisalign is just as important as cleaning your teeth because both can be subject to the build-up of plaque and bacteria. Because your Invisalign aligners have the potential to act as a host to a lot of bacteria close to your teeth, they provide a warm and wet environment for them to grow so it’s important you stay on top of cleaning them to ensure the best dental health. Here’s a guide on how to clean your Invisalign aligners.

The basics of cleaning your Invisalign

You should be soaking your Invisalign in a denture cleaner or Invisalign cleaning crystals. After this, scrub them with a soft bristled toothbrush that you have set aside for your aligners – if you haven’t done so yet, it’s heavily advised that you purchase a soft-bristled toothbrush as soon as possible! Do both of these steps once a day to remove dry saliva, food debris, and any plaque deposits that may be developing. If you don’t, you could notice discolouration and a bad smell coming from your aligners. Your highest priority should be set to the mornings, and it might be a good idea to soak them while you’re having your breakfast.

Morning care

More in regard to your morning routine, we cannot stress enough that it must be your highest priority! You should be wearing your aligners for around 22 hours a day to maintain your treatment progression, which means wearing them at night while you sleep. Take them out in the morning, clean them and soak them as mentioned above, and make sure you don’t forget to brush your teeth. Your Invisalign will not protect you from bacteria if you forget to brush your teeth as the bacteria will be encouraged to feast due to the Invisalign holding all the food debris together.

Always remove your Invisalign to eat

One of the most attractive aspects of Invisalign is being able to remove them to eat and for special occasions, so make sure you do this for meals and snacks. Your trays are not designed to withstand the pressures of chewing and biting, so they could crack or break with repeated impact. Also, the foods that can stain your teeth will readily stain your Invisalign, so even drinking the likes of tea or coffee with your aligners risks them becoming stained. You can drink water whilst wearing them, but for everything else you eat or drink you should remove them.

Rinse them regularly

Every time you remove your Invisalign, you need to remember to rinse them with clean and cold water before storing them away or putting them back in. This will help the prevention of saliva and food debris from drying and sticking to the plastic. If left unrinsed, this could cause cracking, breakages, and visible deposits building up.

To ensure your Invisalign journey is a peaceful one with no added complications, taking the time to ensure these practices are done daily will provide you with a fast Invisalign journey. If you’d like to find out more about Invisalign in Stourbridge or more aftercare advice, feel free to get in touch with the Lion Dental team today.