Choosing Invisalign clear aligners to straighten your teeth can be an ideal alternative to traditional metal brackets and wires; however, there is a certain level of responsibility you must agree to if treatment is to be successful. While there are many benefits to wearing these removable trays, including greater flexibility when eating, forgetting to wear your aligners can lead to delays. Keep reading to find out what your dentist recommends if you want to stay on track while wearing Invisalign.
What Should I Do While Wearing Invisalign?
The average timeframe for Invisalign completion is between 12 and 18 months; however, this timeline can vary from patient to patient. Milder corrections may only require you to wear your trays for 6 months, while more extreme misalignment may take 18 months or longer.
No matter how long your dentist predicts your treatment to take, make sure you’re following these guidelines if you want to avoid any delays:
- Clean Your Teeth: Before reinserting your aligners, make sure that you brush and floss your teeth like normal. This removes any food particles and bacteria so that they do not adhere to your aligners and begin to break down your tooth enamel throughout the day.
- Soak Your Aligners: Once every day, make sure that you soak your aligners in a denture-cleaning solution. This will not only prevent a foul odor from forming but also eliminate additional bacteria that can accumulate while wearing. After removing them from the solution, clean them with a soft-bristled toothbrush and give them a good rinse.
- Stay Away from Darkly Pigmented Beverages: Although you will need to remove your trays before drinking anything but water, consuming dark-colored beverages like coffee, tea, or soda can cause your aligners to become stained, especially if you don’t brush your teeth beforehand. Allowing your trays to become discolored makes it easier for others to notice that you’re wearing braces.
What Should I Avoid While Wearing Invisalign?
While it’s true that Invisalign does allow for greater flexibility and freedom while undergoing orthodontic treatment, there are some things you should make sure to avoid. Neglecting to do so will cause you to spend more time and money wearing aligners to straighten your crooked, gapped, or misaligned teeth.
Some of the don’ts associated with Invisalign include:
- Don’t Continue to Smoke or Use Tobacco Products: Not only is it harmful to your overall health, but smoking can cause your aligners to become discolored, exposing them to those around you. Also, you’ll notice a foul odor forming that is unpleasant for anyone in close range.
- Don’t Leave Your Trays Unprotected: When removing your aligners to eat or drink, make sure that you place them in a protective case. Failing to do so will increase your risk of losing or damaging them.
- Don’t Use Scented Soaps to Clean Your Trays: Scented or colorful soaps can stain your trays and leave an unpleasant taste in your mouth. Instead, opt for Invisalign Cleaning Crystals or nonabrasive toothpaste.
Invisalign treatment can often produce results much quicker than traditional braces, which can take 2-3 years to complete. If you want to avoid a setback, make sure you’re following your dentist’s instructions so that you can embrace straighter, healthier teeth in less time.
About the Practice
The dental team at Indy Dental Group is here to provide patients with crooked, gapped, and misaligned teeth an alternative to traditional braces. With Invisalign clear aligners, we can deliver a more discreet and flexible method of orthodontic treatment that is easy to use, more comfortable, and provides greater confidence while wearing. If you are considering Invisalign but want to know more, contact us at (317) 846-6125.