How to Clean Your Teeth Aligners With Ease

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Cleaning of clear aligners

Excitingly, using transparent aligners can help you get a straighter smile! However, keeping your aligners clear and clean is essential for good oral hygiene, the outcome of your treatment, and preventing the dreaded "aligner breath." This blog post provides you with simple ways to maintain spotless aligners during your treatment.

Recognizing the Significance of Clean Aligners

The secret to the effectiveness of clear aligners is their near-constant wear. Because of their proximity to your mouth, they gather saliva, food particles, and bacteria. Not cleaning them can result in:

  • Bad breath

    Unpleasant breath odor can be caused by bacteria that are trapped on the aligners and grow.

    experiencing bad breath
    A girl experiencing bad breath
  • Staining

    Aligners can get dull and discolored from coffee, tea, colorful meals, and even smoking.

  • Gum irritation

    Bacterial accumulation can irritate the gums, causing pain and swelling.

  • Increased risk of cavities

    Unchecked bacterial accumulation can raise the risk of tooth decay, particularly in the gum area.

Take a Free Assessment today to get the smile of your dreams with Clear Aligners.

Ways to Keep Your Aligners Clean

There are several approaches to aligner cleaning. You'll discover the most typical below:

1. Soak in Water and Antibacterial Soap

This is the simplest way to clean your aligners thoroughly. Just fill a bowl with somewhat warm water and add a tiny bit of mild antibacterial soap. Stir these ingredients until the soap dissolves and surface bubbles form.

Give them 20 to 30 minutes to soak in the mixture. Your aligners should now be completely cleaned by rinsing them with cold water once the majority of the germs has been removed.

2. Soak in water and white vinegar

Pour one spoonful of white vinegar into a cup of semi-warm water. After combining this, place your aligners in the mixture and let them sit in the water for 15 to 20 minutes. After removing your aligners, give them a good rinse in cold water. Before placing them back in your mouth, let them dry.

3. Soak in Water and Baking Soda

Baking soda's deodorizing properties make it an excellent at-home aligner cleaner. Simply dissolve a spoonful of baking soda in a cup of water, then immerse your aligners in the solution for half an hour to an hour. Before using them again, make sure to give them a thorough rinse and let them dry.

Clean the aligners
Clean the aligners by soaking in water and baking soda

4. Gently brush them with a non-abrasive toothpaste

To complete the task quickly, we advise using a toothbrush and non-abrasive toothpaste. To avoid scratching and damaging the plastic, you must brush your aligners lightly.

Easy steps to clear your aligners

Maintaining your aligners is simple and quick. You'll be an expert after practicing for a few days! These are the steps you should take to shield your trays from dirt and bacteria.

The following actions must be included in your cleaning procedure:

  • Use cool water to rinse your trays.
  • Take out the soft-bristled toothbrush that you use only to clean your aligners.
  • Put a tiny bit of odorless, transparent, and colorless soap on the toothbrush.
  • Brush your aligners gently.
  • Clean your trays.

Which other tools are you able to try to clean your clear aligners?

To clean your, you don't need any special equipment. On the other hand, various things can help with aligner cleaning (and make it more efficient).

Here are some more cleaning supplies to think about:

  • Whitener and aligner cleaner

    The greatest method to stay fresh and clean while on the go is to use our whitener/aligner cleaning. Every time you replace your aligners, just inject a dime-sized amount into both the top and bottom of them.

  • Cleaning solutions

    A mixture of 50% water and 50% baking soda is the next best thing you can do to clean your aligners. Let the aligners soak in the mixture for 20 to 30 minutes. Before putting them on again, give them a thorough rinsing.

Things Not to Do When Wiping Your Aligners

After demonstrating the proper method for cleaning your aligners, let's concentrate on the incorrect approach. The following is a list of items that are not recommended for use in cleaning invisible aligners:

Abrasive Toothpaste

You cannot use the same tooth cleaning products on your aligners since they are much more fragile than your real teeth. which implies that, regrettably, some certain types of toothpaste are not available.

This is because the majority of toothpastes have abrasive ingredients that might produce scratches on the plastic resin of your aligners. Your invisible aligners may become much more noticeable as a result of these scratches, negating their intended effect.

Abrasive toothpaste
Abrasive toothpaste

Bright Mouthwash

Colored mouthwash is another item of dental hygiene that you should not use on your aligners. As colored mouthwashes include artificial coloring chemicals, they have the potential to permanently stain your aligners. If you decide to use mouthwash, be sure to use one that is labeled "Clear."

Warm Water

In actuality, the plastic in your aligners may get damaged by hot water. The plastic may become warped by the heat from the water, changing its shape. Since aligners are custom-made to fit your teeth, any alterations to their form will render them ineffective at straightening your teeth or, in the worst situation, altogether unusable.

Dangerous Chemicals

Breach, alcohol, and other strong chemicals should not be used on your aligners since they might cause irreversible warping or discoloration. Always use the milder options that are mentioned in this exact post.

Advice on Taking Care of Your Aligners Every Day

After demonstrating the correct and incorrect ways to clean your aligners, let's concentrate on daily maintenance tips for your trays.

Keep Your Aligners in a Dry, Cool Environment

Make sure to store your aligners in their case and in a dry, cold place when it comes to storage. They may develop more bacteria and become more smelly if they are left in warm, moist environments.

Brush and Floss before putting on your aligners

An easy way to keep your aligners clean is to brush and floss your teeth before putting them on. By doing this, you may be sure that fewer food particles, bacteria, and plaque will get caught in the spaces between your teeth, gums, and aligners.

Take off the aligners before you eat or drink

Not only are aligners incredibly uncomfortable, but if you eat or drink while wearing them, it can harm them. Food particles, for example, have the potential to graze the plastic surfaces and get trapped between the trays and your teeth.

Foods that have additional coloring added to them as well as dark beverages like coffee, red wine, whiskey, and carbonated sugary drinks can also leave stains on plastic. Although you can use a straw to mitigate this, it is advisable to simply remove them rather than take the chance.

To gather more information regarding the cleaning of clear aligners contact us today at +64 78108947

In the end, we want to conclude that there is no better method to treat orthodontic problems without sacrificing your self-esteem or standard of living than with invisible aligners, which provide a dependable and efficient solution. For your aligners to remain invisible during your treatment, it is your responsibility as the patient to maintain them hygienically and cleanly. You can maintain your aligners as clear and unnoticeable as possible by taking good care of them.

FAQs

1. How should my clear aligners be cleaned?

You can soak them in a denture cleaning or a solution of baking soda and water.

2. How often should my aligners be cleaned?

Give them a daily cleaning, ideally in the morning and right before bed.

3. Is it possible to clean aligners with toothpaste?

Stick to soft cleaners instead of toothpaste, as it might be harsh.

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