Do I Need to Floss if I Have Invisalign®?
February 13, 2023 - Digital Resource BloggerYou can have the smile you’ve always wanted with Invisalign® without having to deal with the discomfort of having metal brackets and wires in your mouth. Additionally, there are no food limitations while having your teeth straightened.
When you see an Invisalign dentist in Santa Clara, you can simply take out the transparent aligners before eating or drinking anything other than water. That does not imply that food particles won’t be stuck between teeth, making flossing an essential aspect of excellent oral care.
Flossing When You Have Invisalign
Why Is Flossing Essential?
Although it’s frequently disregarded, flossing is an important part of your oral hygiene regimen. It assists in cleaning the spaces between your teeth of food fragments, bacteria, plaque, and other dangerous elements. It is especially crucial during Invisalign treatment because the aligners can be on your teeth for up to 22 hours daily.
If you don’t, bacteria will build up on your teeth, increasing your risk of gum disease and persistent foul breath. Therefore, you should aim to floss at least once daily or after every meal.
Other Dental Hygiene Practices
- Avoid Skipping Dental Checkups
There is no justification for skipping dental cleanings. When wearing removable aligners, all you need to do is remove them when seeing the dentist for a cleaning. You are not required to go through the inconvenience of getting your wire taken out. To prevent your oral health from declining and to stop oral health issues, follow your regular oral hygiene practice, including bi-annual dental cleanings.
- Regular Brushing and Flossing
Since your Invisalign aligners are removable, you have no reason to neglect to brush and floss your teeth. Thankfully, brushing and flossing are just as simple with Invisalign as they are without it. To keep your aligners fresh and stop oral health issues, continue your regular brushing and flossing practice throughout your treatment.
Additionally, we advise brushing your teeth as soon as possible after each meal to remove food particles and keep them from getting on your aligners. After eating or drinking, washing your mouth with water or chewing sugar-free gum will help if you cannot brush your teeth.
- Maintain Daily Aligner Cleaning
You still need to clean your aligners even if you only wear them for two weeks on average. Otherwise, bacteria and plaque would accumulate, discolor them, and give you halitosis. You have to regularly clean your aligners by soaking them in cleaning crystals and gently brushing them with a soft-bristled toothbrush to avoid this from happening.
You can do this every morning after brushing and flossing your teeth and every evening before bed. Moreover, you are highly likely to develop foul breath, plaque accumulation, gum disease, and cavities if you don’t consistently clean your aligners.
- Keep Your Aligners Safely Stored
You’ve probably heard stories about teenagers who had their retainers stolen by their pets and ended up without them. The same is true of Invisalign aligners, though. If you leave them outside, dogs will eat them, and you risk losing them. You must keep your aligners in a case every time you take them out, whether to eat, drink, or brush your teeth. This will stop them from falling out of your pocket or becoming your dog’s new favorite chew toy.
Your treatment will be put on hold while you wait for a replacement aligner to arrive if you lose or break an aligner. As a result, it can make your treatment take longer than expected.
Talk to an Invisalign Dentist in Santa Clara
Are you ready to straighten your teeth? If yes, what are you waiting for? Call us to schedule an appointment!
*Invisalign®, the Invisalign logo, and iTero®, among others, are trademarks and/ or service marks of Align Technology, Inc. or one of its subsidiaries or affiliated companies and may be registered in the U.S. and/or other countries.