/assets/images/provider/photos/2799260.jpeg)
Clear aligners are a great alternative to metal braces, offering comfort and convenience. However, they require some extra care on your part. Learn how to get the most out of your clear aligner treatment through a good care routine.
Straightening your teeth and aligning your jaw is incredibly beneficial for your oral health. When your teeth fit together properly, plaque isn’t able to build up quite as easily, and you’re able to brush and floss all areas of your mouth with ease, reducing your risk for tooth decay and gum disease.
To correct crooked, gapped, and crowded teeth and bad bites, such as overbites or underbites, there are several different orthodontic treatment options. One option that’s ever-growing in popularity is clear aligners.
Clear aligners are essentially invisible plastic trays that fit snugly over your teeth to encourage them to move. Because they’re clear, many people prefer their more discreet and aesthetically pleasing nature, especially compared to bulky metal braces.
Though clear aligners are more comfortable and better looking, they do require a lot of intentional care to make sure you get the most out of them. Our team, led by Farid Hanachi, DDS, PA, at Hanachi Orthodontics in Gastonia and Mooresville, North Carolina, offers the Spark™ Clear Aligner System to help you achieve a beautiful new smile.
In this month’s blog, we discuss how to best care for your Spark aligners as you undergo treatment.
Explaining Spark clear aligners
Before diving into care tips, let’s explore how clear aligners work.
Like any clear aligner treatment, Spark uses a series of customized plastic trays that are created from digital scans we take at your first appointment. The trays gently apply pressure to your teeth, encouraging them to move. Once a tray has moved your teeth to a desired point, you swap that tray out for the next one in the series. Trays are switched out about every two weeks.
Spark clear aligners have a lot of benefits to offer. The plastic material offers improved appearance and comfort. Plus, the trays are removable, which adds another convenience factor.
Taking care of your clear aligners
One of the best parts of clear aligners is that they’re removable. However, with that convenience comes hefty cleaning and other caretaking responsibilities. It can be easy for aligners to acquire significant buildups of bacteria or become lost or broken.
Let’s look at a few different categories for optimal aligner care:
Removing your aligners
To get the most out of your aligner treatment, only remove the trays when you eat or clean your teeth. When you remove your aligners, you need to place them in their designated case, never in a napkin or your pocket, to ensure they don’t get lost or damaged. Always clean your teeth before putting your aligners back in.
Cleaning your aligners
Thoroughly cleaning your aligners needs to be a daily practice, preferably when you’re also cleaning your teeth. Bacteria and debris can build up in your aligners, so if you don’t clean them each night, you’re putting them on top of your teeth and risking your oral health.
Follow these guidelines to keep your aligners (and your teeth) clean:
- Rinse your aligners with warm (not hot) water
- Softly brush the aligners with clear liquid soap
- Rinse the soap thoroughly
If you notice that your aligners are looking especially dirty, our team can provide you with a specialized cleaning solution.
It’s important to avoid using denture cleaners or mouthwash on your aligners since the ingredients in them can damage the trays.
For any questions on how to care for your aligners or if a tray becomes lost or damaged, don’t hesitate to contact our team. You can do this by calling your nearest office location or using our online form today.