How do I clean my Invisalign?

We recommend our patients clean their aligners with water and a clean toothbrush without toothpaste.  Toothpastes have abrasives in them and will scratch the surfaces of the aligners.  This will make the aligner look less clear and also creates small traps for bacteria.

Invisalign does not recommend this, but retainer tablets work well once or twice a week.  Our patients have not had any problems with cleaning in this manner.  The Invisalign crystals can be used, but are quite costly and not available outside the United States.

Finally, there are personal-sized ultrasonic cleaner available.  These devices cause very fine vibrations and waves to loosen and material stuck to your aligners.

Invisalign aligners can easily be cleaned with a mild denture cleaner with a normal tooth brush. After brushing and flossing your teeth you can pour a little mouthwash over the aligners and this will help in keeping your mouth feeling fresh.

This is one of those KISS principles: Keep It Simple.

Regular toothpaste with your toothbrush is fine, and recomended. Other products can discolor the aligners, making the teeth look somewhat yellow. They are replaced every two weeks, so it is a minor issue, but if it becomes too complicated it won't be followed through.

But most importantly is to brush and floss after each meal. The aligners start to act in the way a bleaching tray does, so if food and low pH saliva are trapped, the teeth will "soak" in it.

One of the advantages of Invisalign over braces is better hygiene. Without caring for the teeth before placing the aligners, it becomes a moot point.