5 Things to Avoid When Wearing Invisalign Trays

If you’re looking for an orthodontic solution but don’t want to deal with the hassle of traditional braces, Invisalign is a terrific option. However, just because Invisalign and other clear aligners require less upkeep, that doesn’t mean there aren’t precautions you should take when wearing your trays. To ensure that your teeth stay healthy and your aligners retain their clarity, we’ve put together a list of the top 5 things to avoid when wearing your Invisalign trays.

Drinking Anything Except Water

It’s perfectly fine to leave your aligners in when drinking water. But make sure you only drink water. Drinks containing dyes can potentially stain your clear aligners, causing them to become discolored or cloudy over time.

The sugar in sodas and fruit juices is also bad for your teeth and can cause even more damage if it gets in between your teeth and aligners. When you’re wearing your aligners, your saliva can’t wash harmful substances from your teeth. This means the sugar from your drinks stays on your teeth all day, potentially increasing plaque buildup as well as your chances of developing cavities.

Forgetting to Brush and Rinse

During your Invisalign treatment, you’ll be wearing your clear aligners for at least 22 hours a day. While this does wonders for helping you to achieve straighter teeth, it also prevents a very important function of your mouth.

As mentioned above, saliva helps wash harmful bacteria and food particles from your teeth. Unfortunately, Invisalign trays make this process all but impossible, leaving your teeth more susceptible to tartar buildup. To prevent this, it’s important to brush your teeth and rinse after every meal before putting your trays back in. The renowned dentist in chandler will advise you of this and other tips you need to remember as you use Invisalign trays.

Eating with Your Trays In

This one is pretty straightforward. Your Invisalign trays are not meant to withstand the continuous force of chewing; they will eventually become damaged and disfigured. Not to mention that eating with your trays in would be a messy process, likely resulting in food being ground into the plastic. In short, it’s a bad idea and is guaranteed to ruin your aligners.

Smoking

Even without Invisalign trays, smoking wreaks havoc on your teeth. Yellowing teeth and tartar buildup are common issues among smokers. Smoking with Invisalign trays only increases the likelihood of these issues. Smoking can also discolor your clear aligners, causing them to appear yellow or cloudy. A big reason people choose clear aligners over braces is their transparency. Why ruin that with smoking?

Leaving Trays Outside of Their Case

Too often, Invisalign users get into the habit of leaving their trays on the bathroom counter instead of returning them to their case. Exposing your trays to the open air, even for a minute or two, is practically inviting bacteria and foreign pathogens to set up shop. This can be harmful to your body and could potentially cause illness. That’s why you should always keep your trays in the case whenever they aren’t in your mouth.