So, we helped you save $2000-$5000 on straightening teeth with Invisalign. Great! But what’s next? Do you know how to take good care of your teeth, Invisalign braces cleaning, and maintain your dental health when wearing Invisalign braces? If you don’t, here are some tips on how to make the best of your Invisalign from River Dentistry.
Brushing
You need to brush your teeth after every meal or snack and before re-inserting Invisalign aligners into your mouth. Also, remember to brush your aligners also every night before you go to bed and every morning when you wake up. If not brushed, aligners can cause odor in your mouth and lead in infections. Use an antimicrobial mouthwash for clean breath. You can also fill your retainer case with mouthwash or hydrogen peroxide and soak your aligners while you brush your teeth.
Invisalign Braces Cleaning
While you may drink water with aligners on, you should not have colored drinks, coffee, soda, wine, etc. while Invisalign braces are on and always brush or at least rinse the Invisalign braces before putting them back on. You may also use a toothbrush to clean the aligners with water. There are cleaning tablets you can purchase from your pharmacy and cleaning crystal especially designed for Invisalign braces cleaning. Overall, since aligners are changed every two weeks, you should not be overly concerned with stains or discoloration.
Not Wearing Your Braces
Not wearing your aligners as directed – usually for 22 hours a day – puts you treatment time and stability at risk. Talk to your dentist and commit to the program. If you do not wear your aligners continuously, relapse is very likely and success will be even slower. Bone is a living tissue and the teeth need to be given guidance.
Wearing Retainers After Invisalign
Invisalign system was initially created to retreat relapsed orthodontic cases. After completing your Invisalign treatment you will still need to wear retainers in order to keep your teeth straight. Usually, you will need to wear retainers for as long as you want straight teeth. The teeth that most commonly move after treatment are the lower front teeth. You can choose between clear retainers that look much like the Invisalign retainers, Hawley retainer, or fixed wire retainer. The fixed wire does a pretty good job keeping the lower front teeth straight but will not prevent potential relapse on back teeth. It also creates a potential hygiene problem in that you have to brush and floss around a permanent wire. This type of retainer also is not ideal for preventing teeth from rotating out of alignment. A Hawley retainer is an acrylic and wire retainer and probably the most common type. It is durable (will last longer than clear retainers) and will retain both front and back teeth.
At any case, if you have questions, please make sure to call or email us for more information about effective dental care when wearing Invisalign.
