Gone are the days when getting teeth aligners used to be an extremely unpleasant experience. However, these days the Invisalign aligners have changed the way people see teeth aligners. Invisalign has emerged as a nearly undetectable set of retainers that gives the same effective dentistry outcomes. Invisalign not only helps you look good even with teeth aligners, but these are comparatively simpler to clean than the conventional metal aligners.

Moreover, the foremost reason why people are more drawn towards Invisalign these days is the fact that - nobody can guess that you're using an Invisalign until you let them know this. Invisalign is one of the most widely used teeth-straightening procedures because of its subtlety as well as the comfort and confidence it offers. However, this quality is invalidated if you do not clean your Invisalign from time to time and they are stained. In addition, microbial build-up is another reason you should learn to clean your trays. Bacteria can accumulate on dirty aligners and can lead to oral disease. However, the best part is you can easily avoid this by understanding a few important cleaning tips, as mentioned in this post.

Why Washing Your Invisalign Important?

Knowing how to clean your Invisalign aligners daily is crucial for your dental hygiene, just like cleaning your teeth every night. You can easily manage to keep your aligners crystal clear if you wash them regularly, and this subtlety of clear aligners over braces is one of their key advantages. Nevertheless, not cleaning Invisalign retainers can result in them getting dirty.

On the flip side, good dental hygiene habits can help your clear aligners remain invisible. Also, cleaning your Invisalign is essential since it aids in the prevention of foul breath.

Additionally, understanding how to clean your Invisalign properly can prevent tooth cavities. Whenever you leave food crumbs in your teeth or just on your clear aligners, decay happens. This can eventually lead to the spread of infections. Furthermore, in such cases, you have a higher chance of getting cavities, dental rot, or perhaps even some serious inflammation as a consequence.

5 Simple Ways To Keep Your Invisalign Clean

1. Follow Strict Hygiene Routine
2. Form a pattern of cleaning your Invisalign daily. Along with your daily routine of brushing your teeth, don't forget to clean your Invisalign. By skipping a cleaning, bacteria may have a chance to collect on your teeth.
3. Additionally, you must use your aligners during the night so that you can get the desired results. While you sleep soundly, bacteria are working hard to accumulate on your teeth as well as retainers. Hence, by adopting a daily cleansing regimen, you can practice maintaining good hygiene and get rid of such dangerous microorganisms.
4. After you wake up, remove your Invisalign and thoroughly clean your teeth and aligners. Make sure to carry out this procedure every night before going to bed as well.
5. Rinse Your Trays Whenever You Take Them Out
6. You must carefully clean your trays after every time you take them out. Just rinsing and drenching them in water won't stop microorganisms from multiplying. You may need to use a clear cleanser that won't stain your aligners as an alternative. Also, dental cleansers for cleaning aligners are readily available. These choices can aid in preventing unpleasant germs from adhering to your Invisalign.
7. Moreover, don't sterilize your aligner plates with hot water after washing them. Your Invisalign may stretch in hot water since they are constructed of thermoplastics. Whereas cold water may make your Invisalign shrink. Hence you should use water at room temperature to clean your aligners.
8. Immerse Your Aligners In Water & An Antibacterial Substance
9. Clean-up and washing vary significantly when it comes to Invisalign. Studies show that the mouth is indeed the most filthy region of the body and contains more bacteria than one might anticipate. Just washing can make Invisalign appear a little bit cleaner, but doing it on its own without using any kind of antimicrobial product may lead to bacterial accumulation since oral bacteria that can't be visible to the human eye aren't effectively eliminated.
10. To prevent this, you could either immerse your Invisalign for around 25 to 40 minutes in a vessel having lukewarm water with just a little antimicrobial soap or for about 25 minutes in little white vinegar, which comprises 5% formic anhydride, a substance that can remove debris and filth. In case you have enough time to clean your aligners. You might also use bicarbonate of soda, a mildly alkaline, non-toxic washing ingredient, by immersing it in water for about 50 minutes. Using these techniques, you can keep your Invisalign hygienic and avoid bacterial growth and other harmful microorganisms.
11. Take Your Aligners Out While You Eat or Drink
12. The first thing to remember is always to take out your aligners before you eat. If not, then the food and drinks you are going to have may harm and ruin your retainers.
13. Food particles get trapped in your aligners as quickly as they get stuck in your teeth, and these granules will keep sticking to your Invisalign and then move to your gums and teeth. And eventually, the food particles supply the germs needed to produce plaque.
14. Use The Tray Case To Keep Your Aligners Safely
15. Ensure that you always keep your Invisalign in a case rather than a handkerchief when you aren't using them. If not, you will not only risk your retainer’s accidental discarding but also make them prone to many airborne bacteria. You can easily shield your aligners from bacteria and any damage by a case.
16. Just try not to expose your clear aligners to the air in any way. If you leave them on a tabletop when you eat, bacteria will develop on them, and you'll probably damage them. Also, when you purchase aligners, you'll have to spend a little money on their accessories. Among these, the most important one is an aligner case. When not being worn, always keep them in a case.

How frequently should Invisalign be cleaned?

It is mostly advised to clean your aligners every single day. You must clean your aligners, typically during the same time that you wash or floss your mouth. This aids in clearing away any deposited food particles, trash, and bacteria you unavoidably gather throughout the day.

If you accidentally consumed anything which is colored while wearing the Aligners or in case you placed them too soon after eating, or even if they seem noticeably dirty in any other way, you should wash them.

You must wash your Invisalign every time you remove them to use more specific cleaning techniques. If in case you replace your aligners after every 15 days, they still require thorough cleaning.

Conclusion

People often use aligners to correct their teeth alignment and for your retainers to work properly, they must be cleaned frequently.

Your Invisalign can remain transparent and unnoticeable if you take some care of them. However, ensure you are not following an intense clean-up process as they are designed to be thrown away after a few days; they frequently can't withstand aggressive cleaning techniques such as boiling water or harsh brushing.

Speak with your orthodontist if you're having trouble keeping your Invisalign clean. You may maintain your teeth as well as Invisalign hygiene with the help of various strategies they can suggest that are tailored to your oral requirements.