One of the biggest concerns that braces-wearers have is how they’re going to keep their teeth clean while wearing brackets and wires on their teeth. How do you get the floss in there? Do you need special tools? Is that piece of lettuce ever going to come out from under that front bracket? When you wear Invisalign, maintaining good oral hygiene is easy.
Braces-wearers definitely face a challenge when it comes to cleaning their teeth properly and thoroughly. Getting in between each bracket and wire and making sure the tooth enamel is properly scrubbed and tended to every day can be exhausting. And, there’s a big temptation to just skip thorough brushing because it’s too much of a pain to deal with it every time.
But skipping daily maintenance of your teeth is a big mistake. If you’re straightening your teeth, you clearly want them to look good – but they aren’t going to stay healthy if you aren’t cleaning them properly.
Enter: Invisalign. All you have to do to clean your teeth is remove your Invisalign aligners and brush and floss as normal every day before popping your aligners back in – it’s really that simple.
Cleaning Your Invisalign Aligners
Of course, your Invisalign aligners aren’t self-cleaning. And if you want them to maintain their clear and nearly invisible appearance and be free of odor, discoloration, or a buildup of bacteria, it’s important to clean them properly as well.
Here are some important tips to keep in mind:
- Rinse your aligners every time you remove them and before you put them back in your mouth. This washes away any dried saliva or plaque.
- Soak your Invisalign aligners regularly as instructed by your dentist, who will also recommend a cleaning solution for sanitation.
- Brush your aligners, but do so gently to avoid scratching the trays. You may want to keep a separate toothbrush particularly for this purpose.
- Never use toothpaste to clean your aligners. Toothpaste is right for your teeth, but not for the nearly invisible trays. Whitening toothpastes are especially abrasive and could damage Invisalign aligners.
- Only drink water while you’re wearing Invisalign. All other food and drink should be consumed once you’ve removed Invisalign from your mouth so you can avoid any unnecessary stains.
- Brush and floss your teeth as often as possible when you’ve removed the aligners and before you replace them in your mouth. This helps maintain good oral hygiene and ward off cavities. Remember, Invisalign is fitted to your teeth and bacteria can get trapped between your enamel and the aligners if you don’t keep up with proper cleaning.
The goal of orthodontics is to align your smile. But one of the great benefits of a super-straight smile is that it’s easier to clean your teeth. It’s difficult to properly clean misaligned teeth or crooked teeth. And, believe it or not, when alignment is out of whack you are actually more prone to chipping or cracking your teeth. There are a lot of oral health problems that can be eliminated by simply straightening your smile. The meticulous cleaning that must be completed by traditional metal braces-wearers is eliminated when you wear Invisalign. So don’t let concerns about maintenance scare you away from getting the straight smile you want. Contact Red Bank Dentistry to schedule your free initial consultation with Dr. Carole Sherrod Jewell and find out whether you’re a candidate for Invisalign.
