Survival tips for using Invisalign by Aura Dental

Have you heard that wearing an invisible aligner is a walk in the park?

While it is easy to use, aligners do not come without their own set of unique challenges.

At Aura Dental, our team has worked with Invisalign St John’s Wood for over a decade and can offer you some much-needed tips on the wearing and daily use of this aligner.

So, read on for our survival guide to Invisalign St John’s Wood.

Keep your teeth clean

As obvious as it may sound relating to anything orthodontic, when you wear Invisalign St John’s Wood, you’ve got to keep your teeth clean.

Unlike braces which are fixed, this invisible aligner is removable, meaning that you can and should take it out before meals. But, before you put the aligner back in, you will need to clean your teeth. That’s right! Even at work or at a restaurant!

This will prevent sugars and other food debris from being pressed against your teeth, thus inhibiting the formation of cavities and gum disease. So, we recommend using a mini toothbrush and carrying it with you wherever you go along with a mini toothpaste tube.

Keep the aligners clean

You need to keep food debris off of your teeth but we know that it can be easy to forget about cleaning it off of aligners too.

Make it part of your daily routine to clean the aligners. As they are made from plastic, you can simply rinse them under running cold water and remove any debris with a soft-bristled toothbrush. Do not use hot water to clean them as this could cause the plastic to warp. Refrain from using mouthwashes too as this can cause the plastic to discolour and lead to your invisible aligners becoming a bit more visible!

Backup aligners are a must-have!

You may find that during the period when you use your aligners that they get damaged, warped or lost. So, it is worth investing in backup aligners to be safe.

If you don’t and one of your aligners is damaged, it can take at least 2 weeks for a new one to be ordered, made and shipped back to our team, which can lead to a lengthy delay in the treatment.

Monitor yourself

When you wear a removable aligner, you’ve got to keep track of everything; how often you wear them, how often you eat and whether or not you are wearing the correct aligner.

We recommend keeping a diary or using the associated app to help you manage your aligners.

Dental wax

Dental aligners are an amazing piece of engineering and are made possible thanks to the use of 3D printers.

As is the way with most things made by 3D printers, the edges of the aligners tend to be a bit sharp. This can cause issues when they are placed against the inner cheeks, gums or tongue. Therefore, it is worth investing in dental wax. This is a soft, putty-like material that is placed over the sharp edges of your aligners until they soften down through daily wear and tear. It prevents friction so that your soft tissues won’t become damaged through the use of your aligners. Great!