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How to Take Care for Invisalign® During Treatment

Jun 01, 2021

Do you long to have your smile transformed by an orthodontic near you? Perhaps the best treatment option is one that involves Invisalign®. However, how you care for them will impact how effective your treatment will be.

What Is Invisalign?

It is a type of teeth aligner used in orthodontics to straighten misaligned teeth. These types of aligners are different from other types of braces, right from how they are made.

They feature a plastic-like material that is molded after the impressions of your mouth. Your dentist in 97214 first examines your mouth to one up with a treatment plan that would work in straightening your teeth.

How Does the Treatment Work?

Once you get the clear teeth aligners, your treatment is monitored over several months to come. The first set of aligners exerts controlled pressure on your teeth. This means that, even though the aligners are removable, it is important to keep them on for several hours each day, so that the needed pressure can be available to move your teeth. Dentistry in Portland, OR advocates for up to 22 hours of wearing the aligners every day.

After a few weeks, the aligners will have moved and rotated your teeth as determined by your dentist. This means that the aligners will feel a little loose, and you need an adjustment session with your dentist. This session will Entail replacing your current aligners with new ones that will continue the shifting process. The step will be repeated multiple times in the course of your treatment, to achieve the alignment you need for a smile makeover.

Tips for Caring for Your Aligners

Part of the success of your orthodontic treatment lies in how well you care for your teeth aligners when you get them. The task of replacing them and adjusting them is fully on your attending orthodontist. However, how you use and care for the invisible aligners at home affects how well your treatment goes. Some of the care instructions that should help you along are:

  1. Clean your aligners regularly – oral hygiene is paramount if you want to sustain your teeth as healthy while undergoing treatment. The last thing you want is you need an emergency dentist near you to treat a severe dental decay while going through orthodontic treatment. When you brush your teeth in the morning and evening, ensure you clean your aligners as well.
  2. Remove them when you eat – the reasons why Invisalign aligners are removable is so that you have freedom when you eat. Eating with them will not only stand to stain them but also, may damage them. Whether taking soft or hard foods, ensure you remove the aligners every time you eat.
  3. Clean your mouth before wearing them – after eating, do not wear your aligners without cleaning your mouth. The loose food debris in your mouth may stain and dirty your Invisalign aligners. Instead, brush your teeth before wearing them. If not, ensure you swish water in your mouth to rid it of any kind of bacteria and food residues that could damage the aligners.
  4. Soak your Invisalign aligners daily – it is perhaps one of the most crucial factors to maintaining your aligners as hygienic and transparent as you first got them. The orthodontist should give you Invisalign cleaning crystals to help maintain the aligners. Drop the crystals in lukewarm water, then soak your braces for between 10 and 15 minutes.
  5. Store them in their case – Invisalign aligners come in a case. The case helps protect them from damage every time you remove them. In that case, whether you remove them for a few seconds or several minutes make a habit of storing them in their case. This will protect them from any possible damage and spare you the risk of losing them.

Can You Use Mouthwash After Invisalign?

Even though mouthwash works great for cleaning your teeth and leaving your mouth fresh, it is not the best for Invisalign cleaning. Mouthwash can be very abrasive for the plastic material used to make the clear aligners, therefore, damaging them. The abrasiveness of mouthwash may leave your aligners looking dull, and less transparent than should be. If you are unsure about how to clean them properly, be sure to talk to your orthodontist about how to care for your clear aligners at home.

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