Keeping your aligners clean is a crucial step in your Smile Journey! Since you’re wearing them for 20-22 hours a day, keeping your aligners spic and span is very important.
For instance, not cleaning your aligners can cause them to appear discoloured and make your teeth look yellow. Additionally, this can cause a build-up of bacteria which could lead to bad breath. So here’s a guide that will help you with the dos and don’ts of cleaning your aligners!
How to clean my aligners
Firstly, if you see calcium deposits on your invisible braces, it’s normal! Not rinsing your mouth after meals before wearing your aligners could also cause bits of food to get stuck inside them.
If you’re wondering, “How often should I clean my aligners?” – twice daily is enough to ensure your aligners (and teeth) stay clean.
Don’t worry, there’s no need for hours of soaking or incessant brushing of your aligners. Just follow these simple tips!
Before meals, make sure to clean your aligners with a quick rinse before keeping them in your aligner case. After your meal, brush your teeth and/or rinse your mouth before putting them back on to keep your aligners clean.
At the end of the day, preferably before going to bed, give your aligners a deeper clean. Here’s how to take care of your invisible aligners:
Do’s for cleaning aligners:
- Fill a glass with lukewarm or cold water.
- Add 1 aligner cleaning tablet.
- Put your aligners into the solution and soak for 3 minutes.
- Once the colour of the solution turns blue, remove the aligners, give them a quick rinse and they’re good to go!
Don’ts for cleaning aligners
Depending on your treatment plan, each aligner is made to last about 1-2 weeks before switching to the next set. However, if you’re not careful with them, they may warp or crack which could set your Smile Journey back a little.
Here’s a list of major don’ts when it comes to cleaning your aligners:
1. Use hot water to clean your aligners
You may think that hot water is great for sterilising your aligners, but the heat will cause the plastic to warp and ruin them! In the event that this happens, you’ll need new aligners which could prolong your treatment time.
2. Use harsh cleansers on your aligners
Handle your aligners with tender loving care! Using common cleaning agents like toothpaste or baking soda may cause damage to your aligners. As a best practice, a good ol’ aligner cleaning tablet does the job for clean, sparkly aligners.
3. Microwave your aligners
It sounds silly but we’re not discounting the fact that some people think microwaving their aligners is a good way to sterilise them. For the same reason as not using hot water to clean your aligners, the heat from the microwave will warp your aligners!
So does cleaning your aligners sound easy enough? Armed with these useful tips, you’re definitely ready to start your Smile Journey with Zenyum today! Learn more about the benefits of Zenyum Invisible Braces for your smile.
Still unsure?
Use the Zenyum app to talk to our Customer Care representatives who can help you with all your aligner queries!
