How to Clean Clear Aligners?

Like brushing your teeth every day, learning how to clean your clear aligners like Invisalign is essential for your oral health. Food particles can get stuck in your clear aligners, causing bacterial growth and bad breath. Regular cleanings will ensure your mouth smells fresh and leave the teeth looking bright.

If your dentist has just prescribed Invisalign trays for you, you’ll want to know how to clean clear aligners properly. The good news, this will be so easy that you won’t even realize how quickly it becomes part of your daily oral hygiene.

Check out these tips.

Clean the trays daily

You’ll be wearing your aligners for at least 20 hours a day, so you’ll want to keep them sparkling clean. To ensure this, you should get used to cleaning them twice every day, preferably at the same time as brushing.

The good news, this is easy to clean. All you need is a toothbrush and some antibacterial liquid soap or a denture cleaner. You can also use a dishwashing detergent. It’s best to give aligners their own soft toothbrush and avoid cleaning it with toothpaste.

To clean the aligners, hold the aligner in your hand under lukewarm running water and make a lather with a little bit of soap and then scrub gently with the device thoroughly. Remember to rinse them with clean water before taking them back in your mouth.

Remove your trays when eating

You don’t want to damage your costly aligners. As such, remove them before you eat every time. Besides, food particles get stuck in your trays and could trap small particles over time. Eventually, they’ll transfer them to your gum and teeth and feed the bacteria that creates plaque. To avoid dealing with the hassle of plaque, it’s vital to remove your Invisalign trays before eating or drinking. Remember to clean your teeth and trays before putting them back in your mouth.

Soak them

Soaking your aligners in an antibacterial solution is a great way to disinfect them from E. Coli, Candida, Staph, and Strep. Soaking also prevents the buildup of debris, tough stains, plaque, and odor. Ensure you rinse it with clean water before putting them back.

Don’t leave the trays out in the open

Whenever your aligners are not in use, they can be properly stored away in a protective case. Leaving them in the open air encourages bacterial buildup that could spread to your teeth. To prevent this, carry your aligner case with you in case you need to remove them. Don’t forget to soak and rinse before putting them back.

Brush and floss your teeth before popping them back

Obviously, you want to keep your mouth clean. Otherwise, you will still deal with dental issues down the road. It’s necessary to brush and floss before putting clean trays back. Food particles could be trapped on your teeth, leading to dental problems.

Avoid these things:

• Hot water – can expand the size and shape of the device, damaging it.
• Toothpaste – can scratch the plastic, leaving small space for bacteria to hide.
• Bleach – contains harsh substances that can degrade the plastic

Bottom Line

While there are benefits of using Invisalign aligners, you must take care of them to ensure you get the perfect smile. If you have more queries on this, be sure to  ask during the next appointment with your dentist.