Many patients, especially adults, who want to straighten their teeth prefer Invisalign or Clear Active Aligner treatment. At Smiles Hollywood Orthodontics, we have many adults and teenagers who are doing Invisalign or Clear Active Aligner treatment, and their results are amazing! One big question that we often get is How Can I take care of my teeth while wearing Invisalign (Clear Active Aligners)? That is a fantastic question. It is so important to keep your teeth clean while doing Invisalign or Clear Active Aligners. Invisalign is where your teeth are straightened through a series of clear active aligners or trays. These trays are changed out each month. At Smiles Hollywood Orthodontics, we have our very own certified Lab Technician who makes all of our clear or invisible aligners in-house! This actually saves the patient money because we do not have to ship the mold out and pay shipping to here and there. We pass those savings along to our patients. Each month you will be monitored by one of our wonderful and knowledgeable orthodontists. Everyone’s teeth move at different speeds, so our orthodontists will keep a close eye on your treatment progress monthly.
There are many benefits of using Invisalign or Clear Active Aligners. When asking How Can I take care of my teeth while wearing Invisalign, a very important habit is brushing your teeth regularly. The patient needs to brush at least two times a day or more. You should not eat in the Clear Active Aligner trays. So, after you have eaten and are getting ready to put the trays back in, if you are not able to brush, try to rinse out the food in your mouth with water before putting your trays back in. Please make sure when you do brush your teeth, that you are brushing with a soft toothbrush in small circles. Patients sometimes feel that they have to really scrub their teeth in a saw-like motion, and you do not want to do this. The reason you do not want to do this is because this back-and-forth rubbing can cause your gums to go down on the tooth. This is called gum recession. So, when brushing, use small circles to brush each tooth. Also, we at Smiles Hollywood Orthodontics highly recommend an electric toothbrush. The beauty of the electric toothbrush is that you just guide the toothbrush over each tooth, but let the toothbrush do all of the work (not you)!
Another great thing about Invisalign or Clear Active Aligners is you can take out the aligners when brushing, cleaning or flossing your teeth. So, if you are wondering How Can I take care of my teeth while wearing Invisalign, it is so much easier to brush and floss with Invisalign/ Clear Active Aligners, than with braces. This is one of the great benefits of Invisalign or Clear Active Aligner treatment over braces.
It is important to try and keep your teeth as clean as possible when wearing the Clear Active Aligner trays. Be very careful if you drink sugary drinks because the liquid can get inside your Clear Active Aligner trays and your teeth can then be bathed with the sugary drink. This is not good. You do not want the sugar to sit on your teeth for hours and hours since this will definitely cause decalcification and decay. A good habit to get into is to swish your mouth out with water after drinking sugary drinks to decrease the sugar content in your mouth. The best practice is to not drink lots of sugary drinks while wearing Clear Active Aligners, unless you are able to brush often throughout the day.
Another thing to remember when asking yourself How can I Take Care of my teeth while wearing Invisalign, is it is very important to have your teeth professionally cleaned by your dentist at least every six months. Sometimes our orthodontists will recommend a patient do Invisalign or Clear Active Aligners over braces, if the patient has poor hygiene or has any periodontal or gum issues. Braces are typically harder on your gums than Invisalign, so there are times when our orthodontists at Smiles Hollywood Orthodontics will suggest that a patient wear Clear Active Aligners instead of braces. Also, if a patient is cavity prone, it may benefit the patient to wear active aligners over braces, since you can brush much better with Clear Active Aligners than braces. So, when asking yourself How Can I take Care of my teeth while wearing Invisalign, remember that flossing and brushing are also key to a successful smile result. It is imperative that the patient floss their teeth each day to get all food out from between the teeth.
It takes a very motivated patient to wear Invisalign or Clear Active Aligners, because they are easily able to be taken out of your mouth. Since you can remove them, you must have a patient who is willing to wear the trays diligently or they will not work. This is the biggest consideration when deciding if teenagers will be successful with Clear Active Aligners or Invisalign treatment.
Overall, when asking yourself How Can I take care of my teeth while wearing Invisalign, there are several things to remember. The patient needs to brush and floss their teeth often. It is also very important to get your regular six-month cleanings or possibly every four months, if the orthodontist tells you to get cleanings more often. The Clear Active Aligners need to be cleaned at least once a day before bedtime too. It is easy to clean them by first, putting toothpaste on a toothbrush. Then, brush the inside of the aligners and the outside of the aligners just like you would brush your teeth. Rinse them off with cold water and put them back into your mouth. The maintenance of the Clear Active Aligner trays is pretty easy, but it should be done every day. You can deep clean the aligners, if you prefer once or twice a week by putting cold water in a glass with some white vinegar and letting them soak twenty to thirty minutes in the solution. Then you just rinse them off and put them back in your mouth. You are good to go!
If you are interested in finding out if you are a good candidate for Clear Active Aligner treatment (Invisalign) treatment, please call our office at 972-529-9700, or click here to schedule your complimentary exam. We would love to have you as one of our star patients at Smiles Hollywood Orthodontics!