Since 1998, Invisalign has made it its mission to provide patients with beautiful, functional smiles in a short amount of time. The company has quickly become a popular orthodontic treatment option thanks to its clear aligners’ discreet and effective design. Recently, Spark Clear Aligners have joined the orthodontic scene and, like Invisalign, they create stunning results. Since the removability of the trays gives the patient more responsibility to achieve their new smile, we at Balance Advanced Dentistry & Orthodontics have put together this list of 5 keys to creating beautiful smiles with aligners to help the process be less intimidating.
Upkeep Your Oral Hygiene!
Because clear aligners cover the entirety of your teeth, it may feel like they are protecting your teeth from germs and bacteria, but unfortunately, that is not the case. Becoming a clear aligner patient is not an excuse to skimp out on your oral hygiene!
Proper oral hygiene through brushing and flossing is essential to ensure a safe, quick, and pleasant orthodontic experience. Harmful bacteria and plaque on your teeth and gums can cause tooth decay, gum disease, bad breath, and other complications that can risk your teeth’s health. The problems can create pain, prolong your orthodontic experience, and cause cosmetic issues. Fortunately, a thorough cleaning only takes a few minutes twice a day. All you need to do is remove the trays and then brush and floss like normal.
Remember To Clean Your Trays!
Your trays also host bacteria and plaque and must be cleaned. Your mouth and aligners can even swap them back and forth—meaning, if you brush your teeth but don’t clean your trays, you will simply reintroduce the germs you just removed. Aligners not cleaned daily can also lose their transparency and develop a terrible taste and smell. Gross, discolored trays are more noticeable to onlookers and are not inviting to wear for the recommended twenty-two hours a day.
Luckily, one of the many benefits of clear aligner treatment is minimal disruption to your daily life. Cleaning your trays can easily be done when you perform your oral hygiene routine, and it does not take long. After you remove the trays from your mouth, clean them using Invisalign Cleaning Crystals! Make sure to follow the instructions closely, you don’t want to risk accidentally deforming your trays.
If you have any questions about clear aligner care, don’t hesitate to reach out to our Duluth, Lawrenceville, and Snellville offices.
Bonus Tip: To help preserve their clear aesthetic, rinse your mouth with water after meals before wearing the aligners to remove any leftover residue that can discolor your trays.
Follow Your Treatment Plan!
Your treatment plan is created just for you and executed using custom-made, clear aligners. To achieve the best possible results at the end of treatment, follow your personalized treatment plan designed by Dr. Hernandez.
Wear Your Trays.
Invisalign and Spark produce and utilize some of the best aligner technology, but they have yet to find a way to make the trays work from a distance. To see any results during treatment, you need to wear your trays for the prescribed amount of time. You should not wear them only for eating, drinking, and performing oral hygiene and tray maintenance.
Stick To Your Schedule.
We know you are excited to see your new smile as soon as possible—we are too!—but we strongly discourage DIY attempts to speed up the treatment process.
Clear aligner treatment is conducted with a series of trays, each worn for one to two weeks before advancing to the next one(s). Switching to the next tray too early or skipping over a tray can cause unnecessary pain and discomfort or alter your teeth’s progression path, and trying to force on a tray that does not fit can damage the tray. In every scenario, your overall treatment time will likely be extended, and you risk adverse effects on your smile.
Sticking to your carefully constructed schedule is the quickest and safest way to achieve your desired final look.
Protect Your Aligners!
Clear aligners are slim and transparent. On the one hand, this allows for a comfortable fit and practically invisible appearance. On the other hand, it makes the trays easy to lose and vulnerable to harm.
Think of all the places you might need to remove your aligners: in a restaurant, at home, a friend’s house, a family member’s house, in the car, at work, in a hotel, a movie theater, a festival, the park, public transport, concerts, sporting events, and more. There are many places for your aligners to get dirty, stepped on, chewed up by an animal, left behind, or lost!
To best protect your aligners, you should always store them in their protective carrying case when you are not wearing them. The case is a shield against physical damage and germy threats. Its size and color are also easier to keep track of versus lose aligners, making your trays harder to lose. Take your case everywhere you go, even if you don’t think you’ll need it. As the saying goes, it is better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it!
Don’t Throw Away Trays!
At Balance Advanced Dentistry and Orthodontics, we know that even people who care for their clear aligners could still lose or break them. We are always happy to provide replacement trays whenever necessary, but sometimes the replacement process can take a while. Though we always hope our patients will never need a replacement tray, we encourage them to take the following “just in case” step before a tray is lost or damaged. When you advance to the next aligners in the series, it can be tempting to throw the previous ones away, but you should hold on to them! If you ever need a replacement tray, you must wear the prior tray(s) to hold your teeth in place and minimize regression (teeth shifting back to their original locations). This simple step will help keep your treatment schedule on track!
Visit Balance Advanced Dentistry & Orthodontics To Find Out More!
We have helped many in Duluth, Lawrenceville, and Snellville obtain the smiles of their dreams through Invisalign and Spark clear aligners. We would love to use our expertise to do the same for you!
To discover if you or your children qualify for clear aligners, contact one of our three conveniently located offices to schedule a free consultation! You can also follow us on Instagram to learn more about us before your appointment. We look forward to meeting you and your family!