Congratulations on starting your Invisalign® journey! Here are some tips that will help your journey go smoother.
Please do not eat or drink anything other than plain water while wearing your aligners.
When you do take your aligners out to eat and/or drink it is important to brush your teeth before putting them back in to prevent trapping food or sugars on your teeth (this may cause cavities). If you do not have access to a toothbrush, please rinse with water to wash out any loose particles.
To clean your aligners, use your toothbrush leftover from brushing your own to teeth to scrub in and around aligners. Using toothpaste directly on your aligners may scratch or wear down the material so using what is leftover on your toothbrush is adequate and safe. Be careful not to rinse your aligners with hot water as this can distort the material.
Always store aligners in the provided case to ensure they do not get misplaced or broken. This is especially important if you go out to eat (people may wrap aligners in napkins and accidentally throw them out) and around pets/animals (unattended aligners make for great chew toys!).
When removing aligners always use both hands and remove from the back portion first, then the front. Sometimes it is easier to remove from the inside of the teeth as there are likely less attachments there. If you remove from one side and not the other, gradually move along aligners to pull off to avoid bending the aligners excessively, this could crack or break aligners.
When inserting aligners always use both hands and insert one at a time. Line aligners up to teeth and push down with fingers or thumbs until aligners are snug on teeth, then you may bite down. Avoid biting aligners into place as this can cause stress points on the aligners and cause them to crack or break.
Avoid exposing your aligners to extreme temperatures. If it is too hot (Ex. A hot vehicle or direct sunlight) this can distort your aligners, if it is too cold (Ex. A cold vehicle or outside during winter) this can make the material fragile and upon insertion, aligners may break.
