5 Tips to Care for Your Invisalign® Clear Aligners

At any given time in the United States, about 4 million Americans are wearing braces or using clear aligner systems like Invisalign® to straighten their teeth. 

If you or a family member is on this same path and you’re investing in Invisalign to get the job done, Dr. Juliet Ebrahimian and the team here at Silverlake Smiles want to provide you with a few tips for protecting this investment. In the following, we review five helpful practices for taking care of your Invsialign clear aligners so you can get to your dream smile with the least amount of fuss.

1. Clean your Invisalign aligners daily

One of the joys of Invisalign is that you can pop out the aligners to brush your teeth as you normally do each day. Well, don’t forget to clean your aligners while you’re at it.

To clean Invisalign aligners, you should use lukewarm water and a soft-bristled brush and gently brush the inside and outside of each aligner. Do not use toothpaste and do not use hot water for cleaning.

We suggest that you clean your aligners each time you clean your teeth as these devices can harbor the same bacteria that your teeth and gums do, and a gentle brushing is all it takes to clear them away.

2. Store your aligners in their case

We want you to wear the Invisalign aligners for at least 22 hours a day, removing them only for eating and brushing your teeth. If you need a few more hours without the aligners for a special occasion or meeting, be sure to store the aligners in their case to keep them safe. Leaving them perched on the side of the sink or shoving them into a backpack can ruin the aligners.

3. Keep Invsialign aligners away from heat

The clear aligners are made from a soft plastic that’s malleable, especially when you add heat. So, as we mentioned earlier, don’t clean the aligners with hot water and keep them stored away from heat sources. As well, if you’re drinking a hot beverage like coffee or tea, it’s a good idea to remove the aligners.

4. Save your last set of aligners

With Invisalign, you get new aligners each week or two to keep your teeth moving in the right direction. When you receive a new set of aligners, wash and store the previous set as you might need to go back to them. You can get rid of older aligners, but keep the most recent ones in case you need to backtrack a little in the straightening process.

5. Don’t wear damaged aligners

If one of your aligners is damaged, it’s a good idea to avoid using it, especially if there are sharp bits that can cut into your mouth. Instead, you can put your old set in (another reason why you shouldn’t throw out old sets) and give us a call about replacing the damaged aligner.

With a little effort on your part, you can sail through the Invisalign straightening process with ease and get to your new and improved smile quickly and efficiently.

If you have more questions about caring for your Invisalign aligners, please feel free to contact us at our Los Angeles office. We serve the Silver Lake neighborhood and areas of Los Feliz, Atwater Village, Frogtown, and Echo Park.