How to Clean & Sanitize Your Invisalign Aligners

A large number of bacteria live permanently in the mouth. In addition, food is a perfect vehicle for entering more bacteria. Some food gets trapped between the teeth, tongue, and gums when chewing and drinking.

Bacteria ingest food particles, which after assimilating the food, evacuate acidic waste. These acids gradually erode the tooth, producing what is known as dental caries.  

If you do not take care of the hygiene of your mouth, the bacteria will multiply in several colonies. The more the colonies create and grow, the faster the tooth will dissolve, causing tooth decay.

The treatment is more superficial when the caries are only in the enamel. But if the bacteria get past the thin enamel layer and penetrate deeply, the following tissues that are much softer than the enamel will be quickly destroyed by the acids.

As the tooth has no way to protect itself, bacteria will be able to enter a thin layer called the pulp, producing an actual infection. 

This article deals with the advantages of oral hygiene provided by invisible orthodontic treatments compared to conventional ones since they help reduce the accumulation of food residues and allow better oral hygiene. Here are more details.

How to Clean & Sanitize Your Invisalign Aligners

Congratulations, If you have just started your Everett orthodontic treatment with Invisalign, your teeth will be perfectly aligned n a few months of using the aligners. 

Next, we will tell you those little tricks that will make your transparent orthodontic aligners look like the first day you started your orthodontic treatment. 

From then on, you will show off a beautiful smile and notice improvements in chewing and how your teeth fit in both dental arches.

In addition, your Everett orthodontic treatment with Invisalign will be much more comfortable than a fixed device such as braces. Also, transparent orthodontic aligners do not cause rubbing sores or bother when talking or chewing.

Throughout your Everett orthodontics treatment with Invisalign, you must maintain good oral hygiene and clean your aligners. One of the most common mistakes is putting on the trays after brushing your teeth without cleaning them first.

If so, bacteria from the appliances will pass into your mouth. For this reason, you must always sanitize the trays before placing them back in your mouth.

To sanitize your appliances after each meal, you just have to brush them with a soft bristle brush, using cold water or soap, reaching all the nooks and crannies.

At night, we recommend you carry out a deeper cleaning that includes the mechanical removal of residues with the toothbrush and a chemical cleaning. 

Here are some products you can use to clean your splints during your last dental hygiene routine at night and before bed.

How to Disinfect Invisalign Retainer After Strep Throat

Steraligner

Steraligner is an Invisalign proprietary product that combines disinfecting properties with essential oil extracts. Also, Steraligner aims to eliminate tartar and plaque from your trays. 

Retainer Brite

Retainer Brite comes with a retainer cup. You just have to add enough water to it, place your appliances and insert a Retainer Brite tablet. Wait until the tablet dissolves entirely, and you are ready to go. Your aligners will be cleaned and disinfected.

DIY Cleaning Products

Hydrogen Peroxide

This product is a formidable bacteria killer. You just have to add a cup of water and a cup of Hydrogen Peroxide to a container and soak your trays for 15 minutes.

Vinegar

Like hydrogen peroxide, vinegar is highly effective in removing molesting bacteria. However, vinegar has a strong smell and might leave your appliances with an unpleasant taste, so remember to rinse your appliances thoroughly.

After following these pieces of advice, your aligners will look just as new as on the first day. In any case, you should only use one set of aligners for approximately 7 to 15 days. Therefore, you should not worry if minor damage is perceived in any of them since you will soon replace them with the next set of appliances.

Additional Benefits of Having Clean Invisalign

Treatment Duration

Initially, clear aligners can show results much faster than braces. This happens because Invisalign includes a digital design that assists orthodontists in planning the ideal forces to achieve the fastest results.

On the contrary, with conventional brackets, the orthodontist often has to make back-and-forth forces that can delay the orthodontic treatment a bit.

However, for every rule, there is an exception. For example, it may be that at the end of an Invisalign treatment, the teeth are not so perfect, and your orthodontist offers you a second series of aligners. This can extend treatment times.

Physical Stress Control

Today, due to the technology behind aligners, it is much more recommended to have invisible orthodontics. Force control is much more precise and smoother with invisible aligners.

On the contrary, the control of forces with brackets is more rigid than what the bone can stand on certain occasions. In such circumstances, root resorption might occur, or some other problem in the gums or the bone might occur. So, we recommend orthodontics with invisible aligners because it allows better control of movements.

Imagine, for example, one day, you cannot go to your check-ups or you cannot leave the house, as happened during COVID-19 confinement. In that case, you can keep the last retainer, and you will not stop the treatment. You can even arrange with your Everett orthodontist to send your invisible aligners home.

There Are No Emergencies

With braces, patients can have Everett emergencies. For example, if a bracket comes off or a wire breaks, you must take urgent measures to prevent your cheeks from injury. 

On the contrary, with Invisalign, the only potential emergency in Everett that can happen is that you lose your invisible aligners. In that case, you must call your Everett orthodontist to schedule a replacement aligner shipment, and you can use the last set of aligners in the meantime.

Improves Dental Hygiene

Maintaining correct dental hygiene with braces is complicated. Food gets embedded in the brackets, between the wires and the teeth, and even in the ligatures. With Invisalign, none of this happens, and you can practice your regular dental hygiene without problems. 

Increasing Number Of Candidates

Today 99% of patients are candidates for invisible orthodontics. This is because invisible aligners have achieved the ideal biomechanical forces to correct any type of dental problem.

What are the 1% of patients who cannot get treatment with Invisalign? Patients with severe malocclusions require brackets or other orthopedic and orthodontic treatments. 

Also, invisible aligner braces are available for growing children. Invisalign kids consider there must be a transverse development to the sides and anteroposterior horizontal so as not to interfere with their growth and to be able to align the teeth. 

Improved Aesthetics

Put simply, with Invisalign, people will not notice that you are using a treatment to align your teeth. In addition, with Invisalign Everett, you are freed from wearing metal braces and wires on your teeth.

Another critical point, for example, is if you have an extraordinary moment like your wedding, you can use and even remove the aligners, and no one will know that you are using orthodontic treatment. 

For example, some brides are getting married and want to look spectacular in pre-wedding photos. Therefore, they may wear their aligners, and no one will know they are getting their teeth straightened.

Increased Comfort There

We can discuss several points regarding improvements in comfort. For example, you will not have accidents when a wire breaks, brackets will not come off, you will feel less pressure, and there will be no metal friction against the cheeks.  

What To Eat Or Drink With Invisalign?

The best thing about this treatment is that you will not have any restrictions on your diet. Invisalign is a removable method, which means you can eat whatever you want throughout the treatment without any restrictions.  

Just remember to detach your appliances before eating or drinking. Avoid drinking colored beverages like coffee, tea, sweetened drinks, or artificially colored drinks while wearing your brackets.

We love to see you wearing your Invisalign appliances, and we also encourage you to maintain excellent oral hygiene. Also, We’re so proud of Dr. Katz for being named Seattle Met’s Top Dentist for 2021 and 2022! Along with being an Invisalign top 1% Diamond provider. This recognition confirms what we’ve known all along – Dr. Katz is the best of the best.

Talk to Your Everett Orthodontist

Set an appointment, or visit Silver Lake Orthodontics. Our kind staff will gladly guide you through the path to a beautiful and healthy smile.