Congratulations! You’ve just started Invisalign, and you’re on the way to a straight, healthier smile. At Shoreline Dental Studio, we want to help you enjoy the experience right from the start with these helpful Invisalign tips.
As a Diamond Invisalign Provider®, we’re experts at transforming smiles with this clear aligner treatment. We also understand that the first week can be a challenging transition. That’s why we’re sharing tips for Invisalign users to help you start your smile journey on the right foot. Not only will these tips help you now, but they’ll also kickstart excellent habits for your entire treatment. Here are five top tips and tricks from Dr. Ritzau.
Tip #1: When Eating With Invisalign, Take Them Out After to Rinse
One of the first questions our patients often ask us is what they do about eating with Invisalign. The Shoreline team recommends eating with your aligners on. This helps to ensure you wear your aligners for 22-24 hours a day — what you need for the best results.
However, this can trap food debris, sticky sugars, and plaque onto your teeth and the trays. So keep things clean by rinsing your aligners after you eat and brushing your teeth to avoid plaque buildup and tooth decay. You should also stay away from foods that can stain your aligners, such as turmeric and processed Mac & Cheese, which can turn retainers yellow.
Tip #2: Purchase a Removal Tool
Removing your aligners takes getting used to, especially during the first week. You’re most likely not used to putting your fingers in your mouth so often. Or you might have a manicure or longer nails you don’t want to damage. To help you, Invisalign has a special removal tool called “Pul” that makes light work of taking out your aligners. This is also one of the top tips for changing your Invisalign trays. Ask your Shoreline dentist about them, and keep one in your on-the-go oral health kit (covered in Tip #3).
Tip #3: Create an On-the-Go Oral Hygiene Kit
Teeth straightening with Invisalign requires extra care and diligence when it comes to looking after your appliances and your oral health. A special travel kit with the right oral hygiene supplies will help you keep your trays and teeth in tip-top shape wherever you go.
Supplies to include in your travel kit:
- Invisalign carrying case (to store your trays when you take them out)
- Removal tool
- Travel-size toothbrush and toothpaste
- Dental floss or dental picks
- “Chewies” or Movemints® to relieve discomfort and seat your trays properly
- Orthodontic wax
Tip #4: Soothe Discomfort With an Electric Toothbrush, Chewies, or Movemints®
While Invisalign is a gentle treatment, you will experience some discomfort or pain as your teeth shift and acclimatize to your new aligners. You might be tempted not to wear them as consistently as you should – but you should follow our Invisalign pain management tips instead.
If you weren’t already using an electric toothbrush, now’s a good time to start. An electric toothbrush is good for soothing pain in your first week and onward. Simply massage your gums and teeth with your electric toothbrush to relieve soreness or tightness.
Electric toothbrushes are also shown to clean teeth more thoroughly than manual toothbrushes. Wouldn’t it be great to have beautifully straight and healthy teeth at the end of your treatment?
You can also alleviate discomfort by chewing on “chewies” or Movemints®. Rest assured, this chewing action won’t damage your trays but does massage your gums, stimulating nutrient-rich blood flow to your mouth that acts as a natural pain reliever. As a bonus, chewing on chewies or Movemints® helps your aligners fit tightly for the most precise tooth movements possible.
Tip #5: Use Orthodontic Wax to Protect Your Gums & Tongue
For some patients, the edges of their aligners can cause sores on soft oral tissue when first starting the process. This can sometimes happen at the start of a new set of trays as well. If this is the case for you, don’t worry — your mouth will get used to how Invisalign feels and sits in your mouth.
However, you can still find relief and protect your gums and tongue at the start with dental wax. Take a bit of wax, roll it up into the shape you need, and stick it to the area that hurts. You can also place the wax where your tongue touches your Invisalign to protect your tongue.
Tip #6: Set Reminders to Deep Clean Your Invisalign Trays
Deep cleaning your aligners gets rid of plaque, odors, and bacteria. Remember this all-important step by setting up a twice-weekly reminder on your phone, calendar, or however you keep track of appointments. How to deep clean your Invisalign trays, you ask? We suggest two ways to keep them squeaky clean, and we offer these at our offices:
- Invisalign crystals: Soak your aligners in a solution of water and Invisalign cleaning crystals for about 15 minutes. Then rinse with warm (not hot) water and pop them back into your mouth.
- WhiteFoam: This product is even easier than a soak: take out your Invisalign, apply WhiteFoam, and pop the aligners back in. WhiteFoam cleans while your aligners are on your teeth, with the added perk of being formulated to whiten your teeth, too.
Another good tip for cleaning your aligners daily? Your Orange County dentist suggests brushing them with a soft toothbrush and warm water in the morning and evening, rinsing, and then putting them back onto freshly brushed teeth.
Free Invisalign Consultations With a Diamond Invisalign Provider
As one of the few Diamond Invisalign Providers in Orange County, Shoreline Dental Studio is the expert to trust for beautiful, straight teeth. We also offer Digital Smile Design, a process where you can see and feel how your smile will look before treatment even starts! With the support of our team of dentistry professionals – and some helpful Invisalign tips – we’ll help you achieve the perfect smile of your dreams in just a few months.
Contact us for a free consultation with an orthodontist at our San Clemente or Mission Viejo office to find out if Invisalign is right for you.
