In recent years, clear aligners have become one of the most in-demand orthodontic treatments. They’re capable of correcting mild to moderate misalignment faster, more comfortably, and much more subtly than traditional braces. They’re also removable, meaning that you can take them out before meals to avoid dietary restrictions.
However, that same removability means that taking care of your aligners will be a little different than caring for braces. Here are a few things you can do to keep your clear aligners in the best shape possible.
Clean Up After Meals
As was mentioned earlier, the fact that Invisalign aligners are removable means that you eat essentially whatever you want during meals, so long as you take out your aligners beforehand. However, if you just slip your aligners back on before cleaning your teeth, that sort of defeats the purpose—everything you just ate will still be transferred to the trays.
For that reason, it’s recommended that you brush your teeth thoroughly after meals and before putting your aligner back on. That will prevent food particles and bacteria from getting trapped against your teeth, where they can cause problems.
Watch What You Drink
In the same vein, you should be cautious about what you drink with your aligners in. Excessively hot or cold drinks can potentially warp the plastic on your trays, meaning that they won’t fit you in the way that they’re supposed to.
Drinking colored liquids can also leave stains on your trays, and sugary drinks can feed bacteria. With all this being the case, it’s recommended that you stick to drinking plain water while wearing your trays, and that you take them out to drink your morning coffee.
Keep the Plastic Clean & Clear
Finally, you should be sure to clean your trays as well to prevent bacteria from building up on them. It’s recommended that you brush your trays at least twice a day with a toothbrush, or rinse them in retainer cleaning solutions. You should also refrain from using toothpaste on your aligners, as that can potentially damage them.
All this will take some getting used to, but before long you’ll be an expert in keeping your trays in peak condition. Keep these tips in mind, and you will be through with your orthodontic treatment before you know it!
About Our Practice
At Beverly Farms Dental we have been serving our community for well over 30 years, and we feel immensely proud that many patients who we started seeing all those years ago still come by to this day! That’s because we provide a level of dental care to our patients that is hard to find anywhere else. We offer both Invisalign and ClearCorrect, so no matter what you want, we’ll be able to get you the care you need!
If you have any questions about clear aligners, we can be reached at our website or by phone at (978) 927-3515.