Regular visits to your dentist can ensure healthy teeth and a beautiful smile. Invisalign can also help transform your smile without the hassle of traditional braces that use brackets and wires. These clear aligners come custom-made and make slight adjustments to your teeth over a treatment period.

As great as that sounds, if you find yourself slacking on proper maintenance of the aligners, you can run into some discoloration or yellowing. Let's look at several reasons why this can happen and what you can do to keep them clean and clear.

What Causes Your Invisalign to Turn Yellow

You would typically wear Invisalign for 20 to 22 hours per day and remove them only when eating, brushing, flossing, or cleaning them. However, by not adhering to these, your Invisalign can turn yellow. Here are some things that can contribute to discolouring:

• Coloured drinks
• Hot liquids
• Toothpaste and mouthwash
• Food
• Saliva, plaque, and bacteria

Foods & Drinks to Avoid

Certain foods and drinks can stain Invisalign more than others. These include:

• Red wine and other coloured drinks
• Coffee and tea
• Berries and other dark-coloured fruits and vegetables

Best Practices For Invisalign

Even though you may switch out your aligners every few weeks, proper cleaning and care can help prevent Invisalign staining and teeth staining. Best practices can include:

• Remove aligners when eating as this can cause damage to the aligners or buildup of food particles
• Rinse aligners after removing them
• Remove aligners before drinking any liquids except water
• Rinse the mouth with water to remove leftover food before inserting aligners
• Use lukewarm water to rinse aligners as hot water can deform them
• Store aligners when not in use in an airtight container and clean the container regularly
• Brush and floss your teeth to avoid cavities, gingivitis, and staining of aligners.

How to Clean Invisalign

When you maintain a cleaning regime for your Invisalign, they remain clear and virtually seem invisible to the eye. Here are some tips on how to clean Invisalign:

Rinsing vs Cleaning

The great thing about Invisalign is you can remove them, unlike traditional braces. You can rinse your aligners with water to remove saliva when not at home. However, a proper clean involves brushing them every day, morning and night, with a soft-bristled toothbrush to remove any bacteria or food still present. Use a colourless, unscented, gentle liquid soap and a separate toothbrush.

Avoid Harsh Cleaners

Not all cleaning agents are safe to use on your Invisalign. Speak to your dentist about safe cleaners as some can be too harsh or abrasive:

• Denture cleaners
• Coloured mouthwash or those that contain alcohol
• Scented or coloured soaps
• Coloured toothpaste

Store Invisalign in a Case

When not in your mouth, keep your Invisalign in a storage case. You can carry it with you to ensure your aligners remain clean and avoid losing them.

Cleaning Solutions

There are cleaning solutions available for Invisalign. These can include:

• Steraligner: A product that sterilizes aligners in 3 minutes, kills bacteria and removes tarter and plaque. Aligners are soaked in a tray with the solution for a few minutes, brushed, and rinsed after.
• Crystals: Cleaning crystals, when dissolved in water, provide an effective solution to remove discolouration from aligners. Soak aligners in a tray of cleaning crystals solution for 15 minutes and rinse in warm water after.
• Baking soda and water solution: This solution can replace toothpaste as a cleaning agent.
• Vinegar and water solution: You can use a solution of 1 part vinegar to 3 parts water. Soak, completely submerged, for 20 minutes, brush and rinse with water after. This solution is effective for mild staining and deodorizing your aligners.
• Retainer cleaning tablets: You can soak aligners in a solution of lukewarm water with dissolved retainer cleaning tablets for 15 minutes.
• Hydrogen peroxide: If you don't have vinegar, a solution of equal parts hydrogen peroxide and water can remove staining.

Orthodontics at Green Grove Dental

Remember that your Invisalign, compared to metal braces, is BPA-free, clear plastic and removable, benefiting the ease with which you can clean your teeth. Regular cleaning of Invisalign can help maintain an almost invisible look without yellowing and staining and achieve optimal results with good oral hygiene.

If you still have questions about Invisalign treatment or how to look after Invisalign, book an appointment with Green Grove Dental today.