Many of our patients in Round Rock, Texas are pleased to be using the Invisalign® clear aligner system to straighten their smiles. Dr. John F. Lann has found great success with this alignment system for our patients who want straighter teeth who don’t want to wear braces with brackets and wires on their teeth.
If you are currently wearing aligners for 22 hours a day, you will want to take the best care of them that you are able. In today’s blog, we would like to review the ways to care for your clear aligners to make sure they stay clean and clear as you wear them.
— When you take out your aligners, the first thing you will want to do is rinse them with cold water. You want to remove bacteria and saliva to keep them clean.
— Never use hot water! You never want to clean them with hot water as the temperature can warp your aligners. This also means that no matter how tempted you are to run them through the dishwasher, please don’t.
— After you have removed your aligners to eat, no matter if it is to snack or eat a meal, please brush and floss your teeth thoroughly to remove trapped food particles which could lead to bacterial growth and tooth decay.
— Clean your aligners with antibacterial soap and rinse them thoroughly afterward to remove the residue. You want to avoid cleaning with toothpaste as it can scratch your aligners and make them more visible when you put them back in.
— If you are tempted to sanitize your aligners with mouthwash. However, mouthwashes with green or blue coloring can tint your aligners, altering their clear color. A good substitute for soap is to soak them in a denture cleaner or retainer cleaner that is clear-colored. This will prevent discoloration.
If you have any questions about caring for your clear aligners in Round Rock, Texas, you can always call our John F. Lann, DDS - Round Rock TX Dentist team at 512-255-1025. Dr. John F. Lann and our team look forward to helping you straighten your smile with Invisalign as smoothly as possible!