How to Care For Your Clear Aligners

The new dental technologies of Invisalign and ClearCorrect are quickly becoming the better way to straighten teeth for its convenience and invisibility that they both offer. However, if the clear plastic aligners are not taken care of, they can quickly become stained and lose their value of being able to provide invisible service. This post is meant to inform you on 5 different watts that you can take care of and clean your aligners to ensure you are always seen with a beautiful smile. Just because you have braces, does not mean that you should lack dental hygiene. 

1. Rinsing Clear Aligners After Removing

Your aligners should be worn for 22 hours of the day, but when they are removed for eating or brushing your teeth, they should be rinsed with warm water. Your mouth is full of bacteria and saliva that can accumulate in your mouth during the day. This can stain the aligner if it is left in the aligner and then dried. Avoid stains by simply rinsing your aligners after removing them.

2. Use Warm Water With Clear Aligners

Taking the time to get warm water when rinsing your aligners could make a huge difference in avoiding stains. Warm water can help kill bacteria, but it will also help your aligners to stay the shape and size they are. When dental plastic is exposed to extreme hot or cold temperatures, it can mold the plastic into a new shape or stretch it out. Warm water will help you get the best results. 

3. Practice Good Oral Hygiene

Your aligners are going to go in and out of your mouth very frequently, especially before and after eating. If you do not take the time to practice good oral hygiene, bits of food get stuck in your teeth and then trapped inside the aligner. Even without aligners, bacteria build up in your mouth is quick, so do what you can to limit it with good oral hygiene. 

4. Don’t Use Toothpaste

While toothpaste may seem like a quick and logical way to clean your aligners, it really isn’t. Toothpaste can scratch the surface of the plastic and wear down the ridges of your custom aligners making them less effective. Talk to your dentist to learn about what you can use to clean your aligners. There are special mouthwashes and even dentures cleaners that will work better than toothpaste. 

5. Avoid Artificial Colors

The different beverages that we drink contain artificial coloring that can badly stain your teeth. While it is not required to remove your aligners when drinking, especially water, drinking many different beverages with artificial colors frequently will not help keep your teeth clean. This is true for all who are looking to maintain a white smile, but especially those doing Invisalign or ClearCorrect. 

 

At Beacon Dental Group, we want all patients to feel confident in their smile, no matter the dental treatment they are receiving. These tips to help keep your aligners clean can make the difference in the way that you feel about your smile. If you have any further questions about aligners or Invisalign in general, please feel free to reach out to us.