So you’ve started your clear aligner journey: congratulations! Working your way toward the smile of your dreams is a very exciting process.
That said, an important part of guaranteeing safe, effective treatment is keeping your aligners as clean and hygienic as possible. In this guide, we’ll give you nine tips for keeping your aligners clean throughout treatment, and outline a few potential risks of poor aligner hygiene.
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9 Tips For Keeping Your Aligners Clean
Clear aligners are a convenient form of treatment, but that doesn’t mean they don’t require diligent upkeep. Here are some tips for maintaining clean aligners all throughout your treatment.
1. Remove Aligners To Consume Anything Besides Water
We know it’s hard for chronic snackers to accept, but it’s important to always remove your aligners when you eat or drink anything besides water. You’ll need to brush your teeth and rinse your aligners before putting your aligners back in after a meal or a cup of coffee, so it helps to be a little more thoughtful and organized about your meals.
Consider waiting until your breakfast is ready before starting in on your coffee, and maybe combine your afternoon cup of tea with your lunch. Making small tweaks to your habits can help you enjoy your favorite foods and drinks without having to brush your teeth an unwieldy amount of times each day.
2. Maintain Great Oral Hygiene
Great oral hygiene is always something we should strive for, but especially during clear aligner treatment. You’ll need to floss daily during treatment, and always brush your teeth before putting your aligners back in. This will help prevent plaque and bacteria from having free reign on your teeth during your aligner wear.
3. Listen to Your Provider
Each clean aligner provider makes their aligners differently. This means each provider will have slightly different recommendations about which products and solutions are best for cleaning your aligners. Be sure to ask for their recommendations and get the green light on any home recipes you want to use to clean your aligners. Oftentimes these homemade solutions work great, just get your provider’s approval first.
4. Soak Your Aligners
Soaking your aligners is a great way to eliminate bacteria accumulation on their surface. It also helps prevent your aligner surface from becoming cloudy from plaque or food particles. Talk with your provider about which soaking solution is the best match for your particular brand of aligners. Many providers offer their own soaking cleansers, but oftentimes a home recipe your provider approves will work just fine.
Depending on the solution, soaks can range from 15-60 minutes. Talk to your provider about how frequently you should be soaking your aligners. You should typically shoot for once a day, but we know that isn’t always realistic. Do not soak your aligners in mouthwash, since mouthwashes are generally too harsh for clear aligners, and their bright colors can dye the aligner plastic.
5. Brush Aligners With Water and Gentle Soap
Your aligners need to be brushed twice a day, everyday. Get a second soft bristled toothbrush to use exclusively with your aligners. Brush your aligners with a gentle soap instead of toothpaste, since toothpaste can be a little too abrasive for aligners. Make sure there are no dyes in the soap you’ve chosen, as this can discolor your aligners.
6. Give Them a Rinse
Each time you remove your aligners, give them a quick rinse with lukewarm or cold water before placing them in their case or back in your mouth. Be sure the water you’re using isn’t too hot, as hot water can warp the plastic.
7. Keep Them Dry
When your aligners are removed, it’s important that they stay dry. This may seem counterintuitive, since your aligners spend 22 hours a day living with the moisture in your mouth. But your mouth is a self cleaning ecosystem, so it isn’t as harmful to your aligners in that context. If moisture is on your aligners when they’re in their aligner case, this can be a perfect environment for bacteria growth.
To prevent excess moisture, always dry your aligners after rinsing them, and before placing them into their case.
8. Clean Your Case
Anytime your aligners are out of your mouth, they should be in their case. This case prevents airborne bacteria from landing on your aligners. Not to mention it makes it less likely you’ll lose or misplace your aligners. Since your aligners will spend a couple hours a day in this case, it’s important to keep it clean and dry. You can clean your aligner case with simple antibacterial soap and towel or air dry.
9. Stick to a Schedule
Building new habits can be challenging, and developing good clear aligner habits is no exception. In order to keep to a healthy aligner cleaning routine, it can help to abide by a schedule. If you’re planning on soaking your aligners once a day, consider choosing one specific time of day to do this, and stick to it. Keeping to a schedule can help you block off the necessary time for clear aligner cleanliness, instead of putting it off indefinitely.
What Could Happen If I Don’t Keep My Aligners Clean?
It may help us prioritize our clear aligner cleanliness if we remember what can happen if we get lax with our clear aligner hygiene. Here are some reminders about what can occur if clear aligners aren’t kept clean during treatment.
Stained Aligners
Many folks opt for clear aligner treatment because of its low profile. Clear aligners are a far more discreet treatment than options like braces, but only if you care for them properly.
It’s possible to stain or discolor your clear aligners, which would make your treatment much more visually apparent. This can happen by drinking coffee while wearing aligners, or by not brushing your teeth before putting your aligners in after consuming staining foods.
Staining can also happen from smoking with your aligners in, or using products with harsh dyes (like mouthwash). Your aligner company isn’t usually poised to replace an aligner on a moment’s notice, so oftentimes if your aligner becomes stained, you’ll need to keep wearing it until it’s time to switch to the next aligner.
Treatment Delays
If your aligners have been damaged or broken due to improper cleaning, this can potentially cause delays in your treatment. For example, if you improperly clean your aligners with hot water and the plastic warps, you’ll need to wait for additional aligners to be manufactured.
You’ll likely be advised to wear your most recent aligner set while you wait for your replacements to be made. Manufacturing aligners can take some time, potentially adding delays and expense to your overall treatment.
Bad Breath
Saliva helps keep your mouth clean by washing away food particles and bacteria, which helps us avoid bad breath. Clear aligner treatment complicates this natural process, since saliva can’t access your teeth during treatment. That’s why it’s so important to keep your clear aligners clean.
Let’s say you eat a meal, and don’t brush your teeth before putting your aligners back in. All of those food particles and bacteria will stay on your teeth, since your saliva won’t be able to reach your teeth to clean them. This can result in bad breath.
Tooth Decay
During clear aligner treatment you’ll be wearing your aligners for 22+ hours a day. If your aligners aren’t clean, plaque and bacteria will have free reign to attack your tooth’s enamel for those 22 hours a day. Enamel wear is the beginning of a process called tooth decay. If plaque is able to wear through your enamel without intervention, this is when cavities can form.
Cavities present challenges during clear aligner treatment. If you get a cavity during Invisalign treatment, it will need to be filled. However, your aligners are molded to fit the specific shape of your teeth, so if your filling alters your tooth shape in any way, new aligners may need to be manufactured, which can add delays and costs to your treatment.
However, if cavities aren’t filled, they can dig deeper into your tooth until they eventually reach the innermost layer, the pulp. Once in the pulp, a cavity can cause a bacterial infection and become a pus filled sac called an abscess, which can result in tooth loss. So it’s important to take immediate action when your dentist spots a cavity, and get it filled as soon as possible.
Gum Issues
Gingivitis is a common and early stage of gum disease that is caused by plaque and tartar sitting up at the gumline for a long period of time. Gingivitis can go by undetected, or show itself with inflamed, red gums that bleed during brushing and flossing. If gingivitis continues without intervention, it can progress into further stages of gum disease. This can include gum recession, and even eventual tooth loss.
Final Thoughts
Keeping your aligners sparkling clean may seem a little daunting at first, but with intention and adherence to the tips we’ve outlined in this piece, we’re confident you can build an excellent aligner cleaning routine into your schedule.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often will I switch to a new set of aligners?
With most treatments, patients switch to a new set of aligners every two weeks.
Can I get a cavity filled during clear aligner treatment?
It’s best to get cavities filled before starting clear aligner treatment. That being said, most cavities aren’t planned. If you do get a cavity during clear aligner treatment, it will need to be filled. However, this can pose problems with the fit of your clear aligners, since cavities can change the shape of your tooth. You may need to get new aligners made, which can add delays and costs to your treatment.
Should I continue with regular dental cleanings during clear aligner treatment?
Absolutely! Dental cleanings are always an important part of your oral health, but particularly during clean aligner treatment.
How does someone know if they have gingivitis?
Typically gingivitis makes itself known by inflaming your gums and causing your gums to bleed during routine brushing and flossing. However gingivitis isn’t always obvious, and sometimes goes undetected. The best defense against gingivitis is excellent oral hygiene. If you maintain regular dental cleanings and stay up on your brushing and flossing, you should be able to reverse your gingivitis in no time.
Where is the best place to store my aligners?
We know that most people store their toothbrushes and toiletries in the bathroom, but if it’s possible, it’s actually better to keep your aligners out of the bathroom, since that room typically has a lot of heat and humidity from the shower. Storing aligners in a dry place is best for the plastic.
Should I soak my aligners in mouthwash?
Mouthwash should not be used as a soak for clear aligners, due to dyes in the mouthwash that can stain or discolor your aligners. For this reason you should also avoid using mouthwash while wearing your aligners.
What happens if I stain my aligner?
If your aligner is stained, unfortunately you may just need to continue to wear it. Most aligner providers have you change into a new set of aligners every one to two weeks, so at worst you’ll need to wear your discolored aligners for 14 days. The best defense is to avoid staining in the first palace as much as possible.
Will I clean my aftercare retainers the same way I clean my aligners?
Most likely, yes. Talk to your provider about any particularities with your brand of retainers, but usually the same rules apply. Soft bristled toothbrush, gentle soap instead of toothpaste, and regular soaks to eliminate bacteria.
Can I clean my clear aligners in my dishwasher?
Please do not clean your clear aligners in the dishwasher. The heat of the dishwasher will melt and warp your aligners, and the soap is too abrasive for aligners anyway.
How often should I clean my Invisalign trays?
You should brush your aligner trays with a soft bristled toothbrush and gentle soap twice a day. You should also regularly soak your aligners to eliminate bacteria. Some providers recommend soaking aligners every day, but that isn’t always realistic for folks. Soak your aligners at least once a week.
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