7 sim­ple tips to help you main­tain your Invisalign clear aligners

That said, if you struggle to care for your aligners, they can pick up unsightly stains and discolouration that make them far more obvious to those around you. This means you might not enjoy the discreet treatment you had hoped for.

But all is not lost. With a few simple steps, you can improve the appearance of your retainers and stop them from picking up nasty stains. In this guide, we’re sharing our top Invisalign aligner maintenance tips, which will not only improve the appearance but also ensure they remain effective.

Always remove to eat and drink

The first simple tip is that you should always remove your aligners to eat and drink, and this includes any drink other than water. Hot drinks could warp your aligners and fizzy drinks like coke could stain them. So any time you’re having a snack or a drink, always remove your aligners to retain their shape and also prevent staining.

Develop a cleaning routine

The first week with your aligners might feel like a lot of work, but once you develop a simple cleaning routine, you’ll soon be able to care for your Invisalign aligners with ease. We recommend cleaning them in the morning and the evening while you brush your teeth. You should also rinse them and rinse your mouth every time you remove and replace your aligners throughout the day.

Use the right products

Cleaning tablets will make light work of keeping your aligners hygienically clean and also free from stains. Using a daily soak will help to streamline your cleaning routine and ensure that all stains and discolouration are addressed every single day. This is also a great way to make sure your aligners don’t develop a bad smell or taste.

Never scrub with anything abrasive

You might see some people online recommending that you use toothpaste to brush your aligners and keep them clean, but you need to be careful about which toothpaste you use. If your toothpaste contains any abrasive ingredients, like baking soda, this could cause micro scratches in your aligners that make them look discoloured. These small scratches will also attract stains.

Keep them away from hot drinks

Caring for your aligners is not just about keeping them clean so that they don’t smell bad or look discoloured. You also need to care for them so that they remain effective. This is why hot drinks need to be avoided at all times when wearing your aligners. Hot drinks will warp the material and make it less effective. It can also cause the edges to curve, which will then scratch your cheeks and lips.

Rinse every time they are removed

Perhaps one of the simplest habits you could develop to care for your teeth would be to rinse your aligners in fresh running water before you replace them throughout the day. You can also rinse your mouth at the same time. This helps to remove any bacteria that has built up on your aligners throughout the day. Sometimes, replacing an aligner that has been sitting out for the duration of a meal can be very unpleasant if it has developed a smell.

Hold on to your previous retainer

This is not so much a simple tip for caring for your aligners, but more of a tip to help keep your treatment on track. You should alway keep the last aligner in your case handy, so you can pop it in if you lose your current aligner. This will keep your teeth in the correct position and avoid allowing them to drift out of alignment while you await instructions from your dentist. You might need to wait for a replacement, or you might be able to skip to the next aligner in your case, but you can wear your previous aligner as a placeholder until you have confirmed this.