You may just think it’s as easy as cleaning your teeth and dipping them in water, but that just isn’t the case when it comes to taking care of your aligners. These carefully crafted pieces of smooth plastic are performing a big job on your smile, so they need regular care and attention to optimise their strength and appearance. Now, let’s go over the many mistakes people make when caring for their Invisalign and what you should be doing instead.

Using very hot water to clean

When we clean our hands, we use hot water and soap to get rid of bacteria, but you shouldn’t do this for your Invisalign aligners. Using hot water on your aligners can weaken the structure, potentially affecting the overall performance of the aligner. Also, using soap or toothpaste can affect the transparent look of the aligner and turn them dull and cloudy. You should use a denture or retainer solution to clean your Invisalign aligners and rinse them under cool water before and after eating and drinking.

Leaving your aligners out to dry

Once it’s time to eat and you’ve taken your aligners out, do not leave them out on the side. Leaving your aligners out can cause the bacteria from the air and exiting bacteria from your mouth to sit. By rising them off and leaving them in their given case, not only will you protect them from collecting bacteria, but this will also reduce the chances of you misplacing them. As they are clear, they can be easily misplaced or mistaken for a bit of plastic waste.

Leaving them in when eating and drinking

This has to be the worst thing to do for your aligners. They are not crafted to be used when eating and drinking. This means that they can become easily damaged, cracked or snapped, unfortunately affecting the duration of the straightening process or disrupting the process altogether. Invisalign braces are made to sit on the teeth, so at mealtimes, you should remove them and put them back when you are done. The only exception is drinking water, as this liquid has no staining properties unlike fizzy drinks, wine, coffee etc.

Book today!

If you are looking for some tips on how to care for your aligners or you’re currently contemplating Invisalign, then feel free to get in contact with us here at Harwood Dental Care. Pop into your local Bolton branch today to begin your journey.