Wish you could straighten teeth without braces? Like the name suggests, Invisalign® are nearly invisible aligners that gradually move teeth into a beautiful, healthy smile.
is a great alternative to traditional braces, especially if you think you would feel self-conscious with metal on your teeth. However, you will have to care for your clear aligners differently than you would care for metal braces.
Here are a few steps you’ll have to take to ensure your clear aligners protect your oral health while they also straighten your teeth.
Brush and Floss After Meals
Unlike traditional braces, you can remove Invisalign aligners before you eat. While this helps prevent food particles from getting stuck in your aligners while you eat, you’ll still need to brush and floss your teeth after meals.
Brushing and flossing your teeth after eating helps you avoid staining your clear aligners. Also, food particles left behind in your aligners will give you bad breath. Although it may be an inconvenience to brush and floss after every meal, it’s better than allowing your aligners to get yellow and smelly.
Avoid Staining Drinks
Certain drinks like coffee and red wine will clear aligners, not to mention your teeth.
If you can’t survive without your morning cup of coffee, we recommend removing your aligners before drinking. Once you’re done drinking coffee, brush your teeth to avoid staining your aligners. While this may seem extreme, it’s important that you keep your aligners clean and free of bacteria.
Many of our patients appreciate that Invisalign is subtle enough to go unnoticed by family members, friends, and coworkers. However, there’s no point in wearing Invisalign if you let them get yellow over time. Our orthodontists can give you more tips for how to adopt a healthy oral hygiene routine during Invisalign treatment.
Store Clear Aligners in Their Case
When your aligners aren’t in your mouth, they should be resting in the case our orthodontists gave you. When you take out your teeth aligners to eat, make sure that you place the aligners in their special case and not in a napkin.
Too many patients have accidentally thrown out their aligners because they were wrapped in napkins or sitting on lunch trays. Don’t let this be you! No one wants to dig through a public trash can because they threw out their Invisalign braces.
Clear aligners are custom-made to fit the contours of your teeth and gums. However, you could risk crushing or behind your aligners out of shape if you store them in your pocket, purse, or anywhere else other than their case.
Wear Your Aligners
One of the safest places for your aligners is in your mouth. In order for Invisalign to work, you need to wear your clear aligners 20 to 22 hours per day.
You should only remove your clear aligners when you need to eat or brush your teeth. Otherwise, your teeth won’t move according to schedule.
When you get a new set of aligners from our orthodontists, you’ll feel pressure on your teeth for the first few days. This pressure is a sign that the aligners are moving your teeth into optimal alignment. If you need pain relief, we recommend taking over-the-counter pain relievers.
Straighten Your Smile with Clear Aligners
Our Grand Rapids, MI, orthodontists are dedicated to helping you achieve your best smile with Invisalign clear aligners. Call Armbrecht & Wierenga Orthodontics today at (616) 455-4800, or contact us online for a free consultation.
This blog post has been updated.