Many of our patients in Kirkland, Washington are pleased to be using the ClearCorrect™ clear aligner system to straighten their smiles. Dr. Lee and Dr. Yeung have found great success with this alignment system for our patients who want straight teeth without having to wear braces with brackets and wires on their pearly whites.
When you are wearing aligners for 22 hours a day to straighten your smile, you will want to take proper care of them to maintain their integrity. In today’s blog, we are going to go over the best way to care for your clear aligners to make sure they stay clean and clear while you wear them.
— When you remove your aligners, take a moment to rinse them with cold water. Your goal is to remove accumulated bacteria and saliva before putting them back in after you eat or brush your teeth.
— Water temperature matters! Never clean them with hot water as the extreme temperature can warp your aligners. This also means avoiding the temptation to run them through the dishwasher.
— After you have removed your aligners to whether you are grabbing a quick snack or eating a meal, brush and floss your teeth thoroughly to remove food particles which may lead to bacterial growth and tooth decay.
— You can easily clean your aligners with antibacterial soap as long as you rinse them thoroughly to remove any residue. Please refrain from cleaning your aligners with toothpaste as it can scratch the material and make them more noticeable when you put them back in.
— You may also think sanitizing your aligners with mouthwash would be a great way to remove germs. The problem is, mouthwashes containing green or blue coloring can also tint your aligners resulting in the alteration of their clear color. You can, however, soak them for a bit in denture cleaner or retainer cleaner which is colorless. This will prevent discoloration.
If you have any questions about the proper care for your clear aligners in Kirkland, Washington, please call Radiant Smiles Family Dentistry at (425) 828.9721. Dr. Lee and Dr. Yeung look forward to helping you straighten your smile with ClearCorrect™ as smoothly as possible!