A quick and discrete way to straighten your teeth and fix bite issues is with Invisalign aligners. They are removable, unlike traditional braces or other orthodontic treatments, which makes them the best and most practical option for your orthodontic issues.

How Often Should You Clean Your Aligners?

Every night, you should clean your aligners, typically after brushing and flossing your teeth. Any accumulated food, trash, and bacteria that you unavoidably collect throughout the day are removed as a result.

If you accidentally drank something opaque while wearing your Invisalign or if you put them on too soon after eating, or if they appear visibly dirty in any other way, you can clean them.

You should rinse your aligners every time you take them off in addition to using more thorough cleaning methods.

Even though you switch out your aligners every two weeks, they still merit careful cleaning.

Failure to do so could result in bad breath or the appearance of discolored aligners (which would make your teeth appear yellow). You also continuously expose your teeth to bacteria that have accumulated.

How to Care for Your Aligners?

You can keep your aligners clean and bacterial-free by adhering to some best practices for caring for them. Here are some examples:

• Whenever you eat, remove your aligners. If this doesn’t happen, food debris may accumulate inside the aligners or they may even become damaged and stop working altogether.
• While wearing your aligners, limit your fluid intake to water only. Otherwise, you run the risk of damaging or staining them.
• keeping the trays clean without using water that is too hot.
• In an airtight container, store your aligners whenever you aren’t using them. This lessens the possibility that you’ll misplace them and safeguards them from bacteria.

These habits can help you maintain the cleanliness of your aligners and the efficacy of your treatment.

What Are the Differences Between Cleaning VS. Rinsing Invisalign Aligners?

Keep in mind that cleaning and rinsing are two different things when it comes to Invisalign. Although rinsing your aligners might give the impression that they are cleaner, you haven’t taken any action to eliminate the bacteria that can accumulate underneath the surface.

The following is the basic cleansing process listed on the Invisalign website for nightly cleaning:

• Every night, rinse your aligners with water.
• Brush your aligners with a soft-bristled toothbrush (not the one you use to brush your teeth every day) and mild, clear liquid soap to get rid of any debris or food particles that have accumulated throughout the day.
• After brushing, thoroughly rinse.
• When not in use, keep them in a protective case.

What Are the Cleaning Accessories You Need?

For cleaning your Invisalign aligners, there are numerous cleaners available. Here are some of them you can soak your aligners in:

1. Soap and Water Add a small amount of liquid soap to warm the water. Steer clear of water that is too hot. Put your aligners in the solution for 20 to 30 minutes after mixing them to make suds. Once you’ve soaked them, rinse them.
2. Vinegar and Water Combine one part white vinegar with three parts lukewarm water. After soaking your aligners in the solution for 20 minutes, rinse them with cold water.
3. Baking Soda and Water Take one tablespoon of baking soda and half a cup of water. For 60 minutes, let your aligners soak in the solution. Prior to putting them back, rinse them.
4. Sterialigner Invisalign’s Sterialigner is an aligner cleaning solution that includes a tray. It has sodium bicarbonate, a natural antiseptic, and rubbing alcohol. Place your aligners in a tray and let them sit in the solution for three minutes. Use warm water to rinse it off.

Is There Any Research on Best Cleaning Practices?

Although it might not be the most thorough method, the basic cleaning technique mentioned above is frequently sufficient to keep your aligners clean at night.

A study published in the journal Clinical, Cosmetic, and Investigational DermatologyTrusted Source studied the pathogens on invisible aligners that were changed every 2 weeks for a 6-week period.

They studied three approaches:

1. rinsing with water
2. using effervescent tablets plus brushing
3. brushing the aligners alone with toothpaste and a toothbrush

Researchers came to the conclusion of their study that cleaning the aligners with a toothbrush and effervescent tablets worked best. Additionally, they found that using the tablets was slightly superior to brushing.

Any Cleansers to Avoid?

You shouldn’t use some cleaners on your Invisalign aligners because they are either too harsh or damaging. Examples of these include:

• denture cleaners
• mouthwashes, especially those that contain alcohol
• scented soaps, which can easily start to taste bitter
• toothpaste

Aside from that, you should avoid using cleaning soaps with dyes (like blue, red, or green soaps). These can quickly discolor your Invisalign, which can prolong the time you have to wear them by two weeks.

It may also be too harsh on your Invisalign to use a brush with hard bristles rather than a soft-bristle toothbrush.

What is the Best Way to Clean Invisalign Retainers?

The best way to keep Invisalign aligners and clear retainers clean on a budget is to brush them with a toothbrush and clear, liquid soap. White vinegar is safe, clean your aligners or retainers of bacteria, and deodorizes addition to doing these things.

Conclusion

For people who want to straighten their teeth, Invisalign is a popular option, but for the aligners to work, they must be cleaned frequently.

Your aligners can remain as transparent and undetectable as possible if you take some care of them. Because they are designed to be thrown away, they frequently can’t withstand abrasive cleaning techniques like using very hot water or abrasive brushes.