Living with Invisalign – Hillsboro, OR
Helpful Tips for Life with Clear Aligners
Choosing to move forward with Invisalign is exciting; it means you’re a big step closer to your dream smile! Although clear aligner treatment is relatively hassle-free, it can be helpful to learn as much as possible about life with braces before your first aligners arrive. That’s why we’ve dedicated this page to covering everything from eating with Invisalign to handling mishaps!
Wearing Your Clear Aligners
You may have heard that the average Invisalign treatment timeline is only 12-18 months. Although that’s true, it’s important to remember that it takes dedication to stay on-track with your plan. Specifically, dedication to wearing your aligners for 20-22 hours a day. After all, your trays don’t work unless you’re wearing them!
While on the topic of wearing your clear aligners, we also want to mention how important it is that you switch your trays on the right days. If you switch trays too soon or wear them for too long, then you can quickly fall off-track with your treatment plan, adding weeks or months onto the backend.
Eating and Drinking with Invisalign
When it comes to eating and drinking with Invisalign, there’s really only one rule: take your aligners out first! We recommend gently removing your trays, rinsing them off thoroughly with clean, cool water, and placing them in their designated case during mealtimes. This will help keep them clear and reduce your chances of accidentally losing them.
Important note: One of the most common reasons clear aligners begin to turn yellow is because patients keep them in while drinking coffee, soda, and other dark-colored beverages. So, don’t drink anything other than water with your aligners in!
Attending Your Invisalign Check-In Appointments
If you have your entire series of clear aligners, you might be wondering, “Why do I need to attend the follow-up appointments with my dentist?” Well, there are a few reasons! One of the most important ones is that our Hillsboro dental team uses these appointments to monitor the movement of your teeth. If they aren’t tracking properly, then we can make adjustments and recommendations to get you back on-track with little-to-no delays.
Cleaning Your Invisalign Aligners
There are really only two things you need to clean your trays on a daily basis: room-temperature water and a soft-bristled toothbrush. It’s important not to use hot water because the high temperature can cause your aligners to warp, negatively impacting your treatment in the process. Instead, rinse them with some room-temperature water, gently clean each surface with a soft-bristled toothbrush, and rinse again. If a deeper cleaning is needed, you can also use the cleaning crystals that came in your welcome kit!
Handling Mishaps
Accidents sometimes happen! One example would be misplacing one of your aligners while traveling. Another would be biting into something crunchy and having one of your attachments come off. If you find yourself in either of these situations (or struggling with any other orthodontic emergencies), contact us. Over the phone, we’ll ask you a few questions to learn more about what happened. From there, we will determine the next best steps, whether that’s coming in for a same-day appointment or moving onto your next set of trays a bit early.