If you want to straighten crooked teeth, your dentist can help you achieve your smile goals with Invisalign. These clear, plastic aligners are custom-made to fit your unique smile and gradually shift teeth into a straighter position.
As you enhance the look of your teeth with this treatment, you will want to make sure your smile continues to look its best while wearing your aligners. This means you will need to keep them clean so that they will look their best. Read on to find three tips from your Bountiful, UT dentist that will help you care for your Invisalign aligners.
How to Keep Your Invisalign Looking Pristine
Remove Aligners When Eating or Drinking
One of the appeals of teeth straightening treatment with Invisalign is the ability to take the aligners out of your mouth when needed. Traditional braces are fixed to your teeth, and your orthodontist will ask you to avoid certain foods to prevent breaking brackets and wires.
With Invisalign, you can remove the aligners when you intend to eat or drink. Then you will not have to adjust your diet or worry about damaging oral appliances. In fact, dentists recommend taking out Invisalign when consuming substances.
This way, food will not become trapped in your aligners and hinder their appearance. You should take them out when drinking dark-colored beverages too because they can leave stains on the plastic.
Continue Good Oral Hygiene Habits
In order to care for your Invisalign aligners properly, you should take good care of the rest of your mouth. This means continuing your proper oral hygiene routine. Because you can remove your aligners, you will not experience any disruption to your usual teeth brushing and flossing regimen.
Brush your teeth twice per day and floss every day to remove plaque and other harmful residues from your smile. If not, you could put your oral health in danger.
The residues can also transfer to your Invisalign, which may cause discoloration or other aesthetic issues in the aligners. Visit your dentist for routine teeth cleanings too for optimal preventative dental care.
Complete Separate Cleaning for Your Invisalign
Your Invisalign aligners will require a separate cleaning regimen from your teeth and gums to continue looking pristine. You can brush your aligners with a specialized cleaning solution at the same time as you complete your usual oral hygiene routine. Use a soft-bristled toothbrush so that you do not scratch the plastic.
Make sure you rinse your Invisalign well before placing the aligners back in your mouth. You should also rinse them after any time you remove them and intend to wear them again to get rid of germs. Avoid using hot water to do this. The high temperature could warp the plastic so that they no longer fit properly.
If you do sustain damage to your Invisalign, do not wear them any longer. Let your dentist know as soon as you can so that you can obtain a replacement.