11 Tips for New Invisalign Users
After you’ve made the decision to straighten your teeth and create your perfect smile with Invisalign aligners, your journey has only just begun. You’ll be spending the next several months or longer wearing your aligners, and there are a few steps you can take to make your commitment last a lifetime.
Check out our helpful guide for Invisalign tips and tricks to help you get the most out of your Invisalign treatment:
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Wear Them Regularly
Straightening your teeth takes time, effort, and money – so don’t waste it by simply neglecting to wear your investment! You should wear your aligner trays almost 24 hours per day, only taking them out to eat, drink, or clean them. The longer you wear your Invisalign aligners, and the more you wear them, you might be tempted to take them out more often – this can lead to lack of progress, and you may have to extend the length of your treatment. Get in the habit early of keeping your aligners in.
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Change Your Trays
In order to achieve your new smile, you’ll need to change your trays on time. Every couple of weeks you’ll get new aligner trays to start wearing, gradually straightening your teeth more each time. In order to maintain this progress, your orthodontist will need to keep you on a steady schedule of wearing them. In order to keep up the pace and aim for your projected end date, you’ll need to regularly change your trays.
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Don’t Throw Away Your Old Trays
Some people toss their old aligners into the trash when they move on to the next ones. After two weeks of wearing the same aligners, everyone is ready for a fresh pair. But what if you lose your current aligners before receiving your next trays? You can’t keep up with your progress if you have none to wear. Keep your previous trays on hand, and you’ll have them to wear in case you lose or damage your current ones, and protect your progress in the meantime or as you wait for your orthodontist to replace your current pair.
Wearing aligners increases the chances of harmful bacteria building up in your mouth. However, it sounds scarier than it is – just practice good dental hygiene habits! Brushing and flossing regularly will go a long way in keeping your mouth healthy and clean. This will lead to cleaner aligners and less harmful bacteria.
Part of good dental hygiene while wearing Invisalign treatment is cleaning your aligners. Sometimes your clear aligners can be hard to keep fresh, and they can develop a bad smell or even discoloration over time. teeth. In order to combat this, you’ll need to clean them at least once a night. Take your aligners out and give them a good scrubbing with a soft-bristled toothbrush and a non-abrasive gel toothpaste. Be gentle but thorough, covering all surfaces of the aligner tray. When finished, rinse off the aligner with cold water and put in back in your mouth. There are proprietary Invisalign cleaning kits available if you want to invest in those. Generally, however, a simple toothbrush and toothpaste are all you need.
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Avoid Using Mouthwash to Clean Your Aligners
Mouthwash is a common item in many people’s bathrooms. It’s great for cleaning teeth, but you should avoid it when it’s time to clean your clear aligners. Mouthwash contains dyes and colorants that risk staining your aligners. This will change your Invisalign aligners from clear to purple, green, or blue. That’s the exact opposite effect you’re looking for when you choose clear aligners to straighten your teeth.
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Remove Your Aligners Before Eating and Drinking
Eating with your Invisalign is a bacterial buildup waiting to happen. It will lead to bad breath and food trapped in your aligners. Plus, it would just be an uncomfortable experience. Drinking water while wearing aligners is fine. In fact, it can help rinse your aligners, leading to a cleaner mouth. But drinking coffee, tea, soda and other dark beverages will stain your aligners over time. To keep your aligners looking great, take them out while drinking these types of things.
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Rinse Your Mouth Regularly
An easy task to practice as a new Invisalign user is to rinse your aligners throughout the day. If you find yourself at a sink, it will only take a moment to pop out your trays and give them a quick rinse. This will remove any lingering particles that could contribute to bad breath, discoloration and funk. Get in the habit of rinsing your aligners any time you take them out during the day to keep them fresh.
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Protect Your Invisalign Aligners When You’re Not Using Them
There are a few times throughout the day when you should take your aligners out. But you’ll have to be careful when you do so, because you’ll learn soon enough that it’s easy to misplace your trays once they leave your mouth. Putting your trays in a napkin when out of your mouth is a huge mistake. One wrong move or a single moment of forgetfulness could lead to them landing in the trash can. Then you’ll have to pay for replacement aligners while ruining your teeth-straightening progress in the meantime. Keep a hard case on hand to hold your aligners when you take them out. This will protect them from sustaining damage and being accidentally thrown away.
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Protect Your Mouth and Limit Pain from Your Aligners
Occasionally, clear aligners from Invisalign could have sharp edges or rough areas of plastic. Although it’s uncommon, it’s still distracting and can be painful to experience. If you’ve already experienced this, you may be wondering how to make Invisalign more comfortable. Applying a small amount of wax to the problem areas can protect the insides of your mouth for a while, but you may have to put more wax on throughout the day.
You may also experience tooth pain when wearing new trays. When you put new aligners in for the first time, try biting down several times to break them in. This will help your teeth adjust to the new trays. It can even reduce the pain from new aligner pressure by getting the blood flowing in your gums.
After you’ve finished your Invisalign treatment, you’ll need to wear retainers to keep your teeth in place, and you’ll need to wear them for the rest of your life. Otherwise, your teeth could shift back to their previous positions. Wearing your retainers will keep your teeth straight, your smile beautiful, and ensure a return on the investment you made on Invisalign treatment. If something happens to your retainers, you can use your final trays until you get replacements. Remember, after all your hard work, the last thing you want is for your teeth to shift back. Wear your retainers to keep your teeth looking great for years to come.
If you have questions regarding your Invisalign Treatment, or if you’re ready to take the next step toward a beautiful new smile, contact Shemen Dental Group in Amarillo, TX. As Invisalign Preferred Providers, Dr. Eddy Sauer, Jr. and Dr. Nathaniel Avirett are highly qualified to perform custom treatments, and can combine Invisalign with Propel Orthodontics for even faster results. We also provide Invisalign Teen, a special variation of this treatment designed especially for adolescents, and Invisalign Express, an expedited treatment option. Contact us today!
