Common Mistakes to Avoid When Caring for Invisalign Aligners

Invisalign is a teeth alignment system that has increasingly become popular over the last three decades. The convenience and benefits of Invisalign make it a popular choice among adults in America and globally. However, new users of the Invisalign system must be aware of the harmful Invisalign mistakes to avoid to ensure they achieve the best results.

Providers of the best Invisalign aligners in NYC and Manalapan, NJ, will provide information to ensure the safety of your Invisalign aligners. In addition, if you have recently started Invisalign treatment, we suggest you read about the most common mistakes to avoid when caring for Invisalign aligners.

Eating or Drinking with Your Invisalign Aligners

A common mistake with Invisalign users is to forget to remove the aligners from the teeth when eating or drinking, although Invisalign has a removable feature explicitly for the purpose. As a result, the aligners are prone to staining and food remaining trapped on them. In such cases, your mouth bacteria accumulates quickly on the trays, creating a film of dental plaque on your teeth and Invisalign. The dental plaque will be on your teeth and Invisalign regardless of your diet, making it essential to frequently clean your teeth and the aligners to prevent tooth decay and other oral problems. Therefore whenever you have foods and drinks without the aligners on your teeth, you must remember to clean them and the aligners before replacing them in your mouth.

Using Hot Water to Clean the Aligners

Invisalign aligners also need cleaning, like your teeth, daily. However, you can clean the trays using a toothbrush and mild soap to prevent bacteria from developing on them and to prevent staining. However, you must not consider using hot water for cleaning the trays because they can warp and become disfigured, making you need new aligners to continue your treatment. Therefore cleaning the aligners is a requirement you must remember by brushing the trays with mild soap when you clean your teeth with toothpaste. You can rinse the trays in cold water before replacing them on your teeth.

Not Wearing the Aligners As Suggested

Invisalign clear teeth aligners are not mounted on your teeth, similar to traditional braces. Their removable feature can encourage you to leave the aligners in the storage case instead of your teeth. Your lack of understanding of the stipulations of Invisalign can compromise Invisalign’s results and delay your treatment. Therefore if you qualify for Invisalign treatment, you must keep the aligners over your teeth for at least 22 hours daily. If you adhere to your dentist’s instructions, you will experience excellent results.

High Expectations

Orthodontic treatments are not similar to painkillers that help relieve pain soon after ingesting the medicines. Orthodontic therapies require time to deliver results, depending on the complexity of your situation. If you, as a new user of Invisalign clear aligners, expect overnight results, it helps if you put your expectations on the back burner because the treatment time depends on the dental problems and how diligently you follow your dentist’s instructions. It is best that you wait patiently to achieve the straight and beautiful smile you desire because the waiting will be worth the effort.

Smoking with Invisalign Aligners

Many patients think they can smoke with Invisalign aligners over their teeth because cigarette smoke merely passes over the trays. Unfortunately, smoking increases your chances of developing gum disease, among many other health problems. In addition, the contamination from cigarette smoke will stain the aligners, making them appear discolored. The stains from cigarette smoke are challenging to remove and will make your teeth look yellow and dirty.

Exposing Your Trays

When you start treatment with the Invisalign system, the dentist near you advises you to change the aligners every two weeks and replace them with a new set the manufacturers provide. As you will discard existing trays in about two weeks, you might become encouraged to leave them exposed after removing them from your teeth for eating and drinking. However, it helps if you store the aligners in the storage case provided by the manufacturers to ensure they don’t pick up bacteria and airborne contaminants that might cause trouble in your mouth if you replace them without cleaning.

Not Using a Retainer after Completing Invisalign Treatment

When you complete the Invisalign treatment, do not consider you can show off your beautiful smile to everyone around you, which you undoubtedly can. However, you receive a recommendation from the nearby dentist to wear Invisalign retainers to hold your teeth in their new positions and prevent them from reverting to their original positions. If you neglect to wear the retainers as recommended, you will find your investment in Invisalign treatment going down the drain because your teeth will not remain in the new positions and will leave you with the crooked and misaligned teeth you had earlier.

The end of Invisalign treatment to straighten teeth starts the journey of keeping your teeth in their new positions until they stabilize in about a year or two, making wearing retainers essential.

As a resident of Manalapan, NJ, if you want to get over the problem of crooked and misaligned teeth, Faktor DMD — Manalapan, NJ, provides treatment with the Invisalign system, a comfortable alternative to conventional orthodontics. Discuss your situation with them to start planning your treatment to straighten your teeth, and also remember to inquire about the mistakes you must avoid when undergoing the therapy.