The Essential Guide to Cleaning Invisalign Trays
For decades, children and adults with crooked or crowded teeth suffered through years of wearing traditional braces to straighten them. These days, you can opt for Invisalign trays. These teeth aligners consist of two transparent, removable trays that sit along the upper and lower rows of teeth.
Invisalign trays are easier to fabricate, align teeth more accurately, and most of all, they are much more comfortable to wear. Perhaps the best thing about Invisalign is that you can take them off whenever you eat, drink, and brush your teeth. Thanks to this, you don’t have to go through phases of strictly eating soft foods after your braces have been tightened.
Although they’re a monumental innovation in dental technology, Invisalign trays still need care, maintenance, and consistent cleaning. Read on for some cleaning recommendations.
Step-by-Step Guide for Cleaning Invisalign Trays
Step 1: Remove your trays and use a soft toothbrush to clean each one’s inner and outer surfaces. You can apply toothpaste to ensure the thorough removal of any lingering bacteria. Be as gentle as you can so that you don’t scratch the trays.
Step 2: Run the cold tap and rinse the Invisalign trays under a steady stream of water. Make sure all traces of toothpaste and other debris are washed away.
Step 3: Brush and floss your teeth thoroughly and use an antimicrobial mouthwash. Finally, you can put your clean Invisalign trays on top of your clean teeth.
Best Practices for Invisalign Trays
1. Clean your Invisalign trays every time you brush your teeth. (Reminder: You should brush your teeth after every meal.)
2. If your dentist advises you to use a cleaning solution to soak your Invisalign, you should do this at least once a day.
3. Food particles can remain in your mouth for hours, and they can damage or even stain your aligners. This is why you should take out your Invisalign trays whenever you eat.
4. Don’t use hot water when cleaning your Invisalign trays. It will almost certainly damage the trays beyond repair.
5. When cleaning your Invisalign trays, don’t use scented soaps or toothpaste with added dyes (red, blue, green, etc.). These can leave a bitter aftertaste and stain your aligners.
6. Your Invisalign trays may stain if you drink a lot of coffee or wine. If the stains cannot be removed by regular brushing, you can soak your trays in a 50% hydrogen peroxide solution and then brush baking soda on the stained spots. Then, soak the trays in a 50% vinegar solution for 30 minutes to an hour.
7. Patients are usually given one pair of Invisalign trays to wear for a few weeks, and then they are changed out as you progress through your straightening treatment. The specific timeline depends on how much correction is needed, but the average time between aligners is two weeks.
8. If your aligners are damaged or broken, call your dentist immediately. They may ask you to come in for new trays or advise you to use the previous set until it’s time to fit you for new ones.
Conclusion
Invisalign is a comfortable, easy, cost-effective way to help you achieve perfectly straight teeth. These aligners are molded and fabricated to fit right on top of your teeth, so they are subject to damage whenever you eat or drink while wearing them. It’s important to keep them clean to prevent staining and other types of damage to your teeth.
At Cosmetic Dentistry of Murfreesboro, we offer an initial consultation to talk about your teeth problems and how we can fix these issues. Our family-friendly, patient-focused approach delivers quality results that keep your teeth and gums healthy. If you’re looking for an Invisalign dentist in Murfreesboro, book an appointment with us today!