While your Invisalign® clear aligners provide a convenient way to straighten your teeth, they do require some special care to stay clean and fresh in your mouth. Today, Dr. Sophie offers some tips on how to care for your Invisalign clear aligners, in Surrey and Langley.
Caring for Surrey Invisalign Clear Aligners
Our patients find Invisalign clear aligners easy to care for. It’s also vital to the success of your Invisalign treatment to make sure your aligners stay looking and feeling fresh.
Without proper care and cleaning, along with great discipline in your regular oral hygiene habits, bacteria can become trapped between your teeth and the aligners. This causes plaque to build up on your teeth, bad breath, discolouration - and damage to both your teeth and aligners. Yuck.
To avoid that, here are some best practices for ensuring your aligners stay clear and fresh.
Clean Your Langley Invisalign Aligners
There are 4 simple steps to cleaning your aligners:
Rinse.
When you remove your aligners, make sure to use running water to rinse them before putting them back on your teeth.
Brush.
At least twice a day, use warm water and clear, antibacterial soft soap to gently brush your aligners. Never use toothpaste, as it’s too abrasive and will harm them.
Soak.
Once a week, put your aligners in Invisalign’s specialized cleaning crystals to soak. The crystals dissolve in water, creating the special solution.
Repeat.
Repeating these steps for the duration of your treatment will help keep your aligners bacteria-free, clean and fresh. It will also keep plaque, germs and bacteria under control.
Store Your Aligners
When they’re not in your mouth, you’ll need a place to store your aligners so they don’t get damaged. You will receive a portable case with your aligners - perfect for keeping them safe from bacteria and physical damage.
Change Your Aligners
Every two weeks, most patients change to the next set of aligners in their series. Your dentist can tell you how often to change yours, based on your treatment plan.