Tips To Take Proper Care Of Your Invisalign®

With 2023 already here, you might choose getting a smile makeover as one of your new year’s resolutions. However, troublesome metal braces might be stopping you from achieving that goal. If you still want to align your teeth, dentists recommend Invisalign® to shape your smile into a picture-perfect grin. Here’re some habits you should learn about proper care for Invisalign in Boynton Beach for your treatment to be effective.

Dos and Don’ts of Invisalign Care

Rinse Them

Your new tray is invisible, but it will only stay that way for a short time if you don’t rinse it when you get it out. During the 20 to 22 hours your Invisalign remains inside your mouth, it gets exposed to bacteria and remains in your saliva, teeth, and gums. 

Over time, your clear aligners can turn yellow and make your smile look uncared-for and dirty. Remember to rinse your Invisalign with water after you wake up and when you take them out to eat. Never use hot water or abrasive liquids since they can warp and change the shape of your trays.

Brush Your Teeth Properly

A rinsed Invisalign won’t look good over damaged and opaque teeth, so you should learn the proper brushing technique before starting your treatment. Get a soft-bristle toothbrush, as these are less aggressive on your tooth enamel and don’t scratch your teeth. 

Brush for two minutes by tilting your toothbrush at a 45-degree angle, and repeat every time you have to put your Invisalign back inside your mouth. Floss to remove plaque and remains between your teeth, and finish your oral care routine with mouthwash to get a minty breath.

Don’t Use Them While You Eat

Although you should wear your Invisalign almost 24 hours a day, leaving them on while you snack or have a meal can interfere with how well your treatment progresses. Even soft foods like yogurt or cheese can get between your aligners and teeth, damaging your trays and increasing your chances of decay and gum disease. On the other hand, hard or sticky foods can scratch your trays and force your dentist to get you new ones.

Take your Invisalign off before breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and store it inside its case to keep it safe.

Don’t Clean Them with Abrasive Substances

Your aligner should be pristine to keep the plastic invisible and your teeth healthy, but you will get the opposite effect if you clean them with harsh substances. Fluoride toothpaste and hard-bristle toothbrushes can scrape and dull your trays and remove their invisible quality, so stick to water or a dentist-approved cleaning solution until your treatment is over.

Don’t Smoke with Them On

By now, very few people aren’t aware of the detrimental effects tobacco has on your health, and it’s no wonder cigarettes don’t match your Invisalign trays. Even if you take out your aligners when you smoke, your teeth absorb tar and nicotine, which stick to your Invisalign when you put them back on. Not only does this situation affect how your tray looks, it also brings about an array of dental issues, such as gum recession and bleeding. If quitting is too hard, remove your aligners when you smoke or chew tobacco and brush afterward.

Want to Straighten Your Smile with Invisalign in Boynton Beach?

Invisalign can fix any crooked smile, but you must do your part at home by taking proper care of these aligners. Our team offers personalized dental care to give your teeth your desired shape. Contact us today to book an appointment.

*Invisalign®, the Invisalign logo, and iTero®, among others, are trademarks and/ or service marks of Align Technology, Inc. or one of its subsidiaries or affiliated companies and may be registered in the U.S. and/or other countries.