1. Remove them to eat. You should not wear aligners while eating since food will accumulate in the trays. The food particles make your trays unappealing. More importantly, the acidic food particles and bacteria can quickly demineralize your teeth and cause many issues such as cavities, stains and hyperflourosis.
2. Except for with water, remove them to drink. Drinking carbonated or sugary drinks with the aligners in place can lead to the demineralization of teeth, which can cause cavities and bad breath.
3. Brush your aligners daily. To maintain the crystal clear invisible look that Invisalign are known for, the aligners need to be brushed daily. Dr. Phan recommends brushing aligners three times a daily, every time you insert them back in the mouth after a meal, with soap and water.
You can also brush with toothpaste and water. You can use aligner cleaning tablets or a sonic cleaner machine to clean aligners. The ultimate goal is remove stains and build-up around aligners in order to keep them looking nice - clean, clear and free of yellow stains.
4. Keep your aligners away from heat. Your aligners are made out of a special type of proprietary shape-memory plastic material. However, as with any type of plastic material, if you leave them out on your car dashboard or near the window where the sun gets too hot, the plastic can get distorted and your tray may not fit properly. If you soak your aligners in hot water, they will shrink and will not fit properly.
5. Keep your aligners in the case when not in use. From time to time, Dr. Phan finds some patients lost the trays or they threw them out in the trash by accident because they forgot to carry the case. Occasionally, someone may step on them while they are out of the case or on the floor, and now the trays no longer fit. Remember, your trays are your medical correction device.
If you had a ventilation machine, you would not throw it, kick it or step on it and expect it to work properly. The same goes with your orthodontic correctional devices; they are custom-made to fit the shape of your teeth and are programmed to move your teeth, so you need to handle them with care.
6. Remove the aligners to chew gum. Chewing gum while wearing Invisalign damages the material and the retention of the trays, thus affecting the fit and the programmed movements.
7. Do not soak the aligners in mouthwash. Many mouthwashes have color pigments and they can stain the trays.
If you have any questions regarding tips and advice to achieve a successful Invisalign experience, contact our orthodontic office, www.CareOrthodontics.com.
