How The Dentist Wants You To Clean Your Invisalign Aligners

Cleaning Invisalign Aligners The Right Way

Seeing as you wear your aligners for a minimum of 22 hours per day, you’ll need to clean them, understandably, to maintain your oral health and prevent nasty conditions like gum disease from arising. Otherwise, you’ll end up with dirty (not invisible) and smelly aligners.

But don’t worry. When we give you your aligners, you’ll also get a kit that includes the cleaning crystals you can use to keep them clean, so you won’t have to order any additional products before receiving the treatment. However, you can buy extra if you need them.

The cleaning crystals run down:

Pack contains 1 cleaning tub and 50 packets of Invisalign Cleaning Crystals.
Keep aligners and retainers odour-free throughout your treatment.

How to clean Invisalign and how often you need to do it!

You should clean your aligners once a day, but twice is the perfect amount to prevent them from discolouring or developing an odour.

Treat your aligners like teeth and clean them just as often, and they’ll stay as good as new. For extra cleanliness, you should also brush the aligners or rinse them every time you take them out. Remember, bacteria lurk.

Brushing and flossing your teeth before wearing your trays and keeping your aligners clean it’s the best way to guarantee that you’re minimising plaque, bacteria and food particles from becoming trapped between your teeth, gums and aligner.

How to use Invisalign’s cleaning treatment:

Remove the aligners/retainers and rinse under a tap with lukewarm water.
Place the aligners/retainers into the special cleaning tub and fill them with enough warm water to immerse them fully.
Add one packet of cleaning crystals into the tub and gently shake/stir for 20 seconds for the crystals to dissolve and distribute.
Let the solution sit for 15 minutes (or more if you prefer) with the aligners inside.
Gently shake the solution for 20 seconds, rinse the aligners/retainers, and thoroughly clean thoroughly with warm water.
Put away and store the crystals in a cool and dry place.

Watch the video here.

What’s the best way to clean your Invisalign aligners?

The best way to keep your Invisalign aligners clean is to use the Invisalign cleaning crystals, which will come with your kit. Additionally, you can clean the aligners with a soft toothbrush, mild toothpaste and lukewarm water, but ensure you rinse and dry them before inserting them into your mouth.

What not to do – avoid discoloured, stained and yellow aligners

❌ You shouldn’t eat anything when wearing your aligners (at all) except drink water. This is because your aligners can stain – and you don’t want this to happen if you want to keep them invisible. Even mints and menthol sweets can stain your aligners or retainers, so you’ll want to avoid any food and beverages when wearing them.

❌ Do not use mouthwash (especially those that contain alcohol) on your aligners or scented soaps, which can make the aligners taste funny. Any cleansing soaps with added dyes can also stain your aligners, meaning it will take two long weeks to wear them if they’ve discoloured.

PRO Tip:

It’s not just your aligners you’ll have to clean regularly; it’s your teeth, too (preferably after every meal). That’s why many Invisalign patients complete their treatment with healthier, whiter smiles due to having the aligners.

More cleanliness tips:

Store your aligners in an airtight container when not in use.
Refrain from using very hot water to clean your trays.
Make sure only to drink water when wearing your aligners.
Always remove your aligners when you eat or drink beverages that aren’t water.
Do not use abrasive brushes to clean them.

What happens if you don’t clean your aligners

Not cleaning your aligners daily can be a huge mistake you don’t want to make. By not cleaning them properly, bacteria can grow in both the aligners and your mouth. This build-up of bacteria can damage not only the aligners but also your teeth, causing you more dental issues down the road, like dental decay and gum disease.

So, if you’ve committed to Invisalign, you must prepare yourself and get into the habit of cleaning your Invisalign trays daily to avoid any problems.

Remember, you want perfect teeth after your treatment, so make every effort to make that happen in ways you can’t yet imagine.