Maintaining Your Invisalign: Best Practices and Care Tips
If you want straight and beautiful teeth, the best thing to get is an Invisalign set. Invisalign is very popular these days and people are getting them for their dental appearance. It is a very common and easy orthodontic treatment that dentists recommend. You can replace your traditional braces with Invisalign, and they will still get the job done. However, you have to wear Invisalign for a long time, so knowing Invisalign tips and best practices is necessary. In this article, we will talk about the tips and points to keep in mind to care for your Invisalign teeth straighteners.
Why Opt for Invisalign Over Traditional Braces?
Invisalign is so called because of its invisible nature as compared with the traditional braces. If you are embarrassed to wear traditional dental braces but want great results, you should switch to Invisalign for a better appearance. Over 16 million people have opted for Invisalign clear aligners. However, while you can take the Invisalign braces out of your mouth, you need to wear them for long hours.
Sometimes, patients are advised to wear their Invisalign trays for 20 hours a day. Since the Invisalign Aligners will stay on your teeth for a long time, it is important to maintain their original condition. Your dentist will be able to advise you about the care you need to take of these clear aligners. Keep in mind that the Invisalign treatment will become unhygienic for your mouth and your teeth if proper care and cleanliness are not maintained.
Invisalign Care and Tips to Consider for Your Teeth
There are many Invisalign maintenance tips that can help you maintain teeth hygiene and aligner conditions. Let us know about them in detail. Start caring for Invisalign with the help of these Invisalign tips.
Clean Your Aligners Every Day
Remember when you were taught to clean your teeth and mouth every day? This also applies to the Invisalign aligners. You should brush and floss your teeth every day and also clean the Invisalign aligners. The Invisalign aligners’ hygiene can reduce the chances of bacterial buildup and infection in your teeth and trays. Brushing the teeth and cleaning the aligners before wearing them would be the best way to maintain oral health. There are cleaning tablets for Invisalign braces. Using the cleaning tablets and soaking the invisible braces in the solution is one of the tips for Invisalign hygiene.
Remove the Invisalign When You Are Eating or Drinking
It is true that you have to wear the Invisalign braces for a long time. However, as Invisalign tips, you are expected to remove the Invisalign braces before eating or drinking anything. When you are drinking normal water, you can keep the Invisalign braces on. However, if you are drinking some other drinks or eating any food, you should remove the aligners. This will protect the aligners from any kind of sticky food residue or sugar action that can lead to bacteria build up and degradation. Even when you are drinking something hot, you should remove the clear aligners to protect them from the heat.
Rinse Your Clear Aligners
One simple step to keep your top aligners safe and clean is to rinse out the clear aligners every time you take them out of your mouth. Thorough cleaning and rinsing of the clear aligners protect the aligners from any kind of microbes and dirt. The buildup of microbes and dirt can lead to unhygienic conditions inside the mouth and then more dental problems.
When your Invisalign dentist in San Antonio reminds you about how the Invisalign aligners work, he also tells you that the cleanliness of the braces is absolutely necessary. The daily and periodic rinsing of the Invisalign braces removes any kind of debris and stale saliva from the trays. So, each time that you put them inside your mouth, you have completely safe and clean trays.
When storing the invisible aligners, too, make sure that you keep them away from others and from children. Keep the trays inside a clean case and in a clean, organized environment. You should keep the case of your Invisalign aligners clean, too. Do not use any kind of tissue or material to cover the clear aligners when storing them. If you carefully store the Invisalign inside the case, it will protect the braces from damage and breakage.
Do Not Use Toothpaste to Clean Your Invisalign
The Invisalign trays need to be cleaned every day. However, you should not use toothpaste to clean these delicate plastic aligners. The clear aligners only need clean, cold water for rinsing and cleaning. After that, you can use a mild detergent without any abrasive agent. Avoid using toothpaste and strong cleaning agents on the clear plastic aligners. The frequent use of toothpaste to clean the Invisalign will only wear the plastic out and make it very dull.
Do Not Put the Invisalign in Hot Water
Another one of Invisalign tips for maintenance is to avoid braces exposure to hot water. If you put the Invisalign in hot water, the plastic might be affected. The clear braces will lose shape and their function, too. Keep the Invisalign from sources of heat and clean them with cold water.
Wear Your Retainers
Along with the Invisalign care tips, you also need to have your retainers with you. These retainers will be able to support your dental bone while they are straightening out. Right after the Invisalign care and treatment is complete, you need to switch to a retainer so that the recently shaped teeth are well protected. Follow every instruction that your dentist gives you and protect your teeth while it is straightening out.
Conclusion
A good dentist will walk you through the invisalign treatment process and advise you on how to care for Invisalign. If you go to Evans Family Dentistry for consultation before Invisalign treatment, you can rest assured about the results. Even if you face any doubts about the process, the orthodontists there will resolve your doubts easily. If you are busy on weekdays, you can also arrange for dental appointments at the weekends with available dentists at the multispecialty dental clinic. Knowing how Invisalign works and what you need to do for good results is a good start to the process.