Tips for Taking Care of Your Invisalign Trays

Once you've started using the Invisalign® system to invisibly straighten your teeth, taking care of your custom-fitted trays will become a priority. Follow these tips and tricks to keep your trays clean, clear, and working to reshape your smile. With the right care, Invisalign trays can change your smile in from nine to 18 months. At Arya Dental of Fullerton, California, our experienced care team, led by Saeed Mokhayeri, DDS, and Hengameh Safarcherati, DDS, provides patient support throughout the Invisalign process. We've helped many patients change the look of their teeth for good with Invisalign.

Keeping your trays – and mouth – clean and bacteria-free

Invisalign straightening trays, custom-fitted to your mouth, work to gradually transform your teeth. Made from medical-grade plastic, the trays are almost invisible when you put them on. You wear each set of aligners for two weeks, then move on to the next set in your progression. We'll give you three or four sets of aligners at a time during your treatment, so you can adjust your usage independently. Taking care of your trays will be key to keeping them looking great and preventing oral health issues from developing.

For best results, you should wear your Invisalign trays for most of the day, but you'll need to take them out to eat and drink. Food and beverages can cause unsightly stains on your Invisalign trays. For maximum cleanliness, brush and floss your teeth each time you take your alignment trays out and put them back in. If you can't brush, at least take a minute to rinse your mouth with clean water before reinserting your trays.

To prevent buildup of bacteria on your trays, it's important to clean them regularly. You should rinse your trays each time you take them out of your mouth, and use your toothbrush to clean them twice daily, perhaps at the same time you clean your teeth. Don't use toothpaste on your trays, as abrasion can leave visible scratches on their surface. You can clean your trays with antibacterial soap, but make sure it doesn't contain any dyes, as these can stain your trays. You should deep-clean them regularly, soaking in a denture cleaner or similar product.

Keeping track of your trays

You'll want to keep your Invisalign trays with you at all times. Keeping your trays on hand lets the system work consistently, providing the best results. It can be easy to lose or misplace small items like dental trays, so here are some tips to make sure you've always got your Invisalign equipment handy.

• Use an Invisalign case to hold your trays when you take them out to eat
• When you travel, pack extra sets of alignment trays (at least one older and one newer than the ones you expect to need)
• Pack extra cases as well.

If you're going to be traveling for longer than two weeks, let us know. We'll order replacement aligners and ship them to you directly, so you can continue seamlessly with your straightening treatment.

If you're ready to get started with the Invisalign straightening system, or if you need ongoing advice or support during your Invisalign journey, contact Arya Dental today. We can set you up with custom trays to noninvasively transform your smile, and help you maintain or replace your equipment once you've begun to use it. To make an appointment, call our office, or use the online booking tool.