When you get clear aligners, you want to make sure you take care of them properly. If you don't do everything you should or you do things that you shouldn't, then you run the risk of breaking them or even causing them not to last you for as long as they should last. This article will offer you the dos and don'ts of caring for your clear aligners, so you won't have to worry about anything happening to them and needing to have them repaired or replaced.

Dos of wearing and caring for clear aligners

Make sure you remove the aligners when you eat a meal. This will help to prevent them from being damaged by food. It will also allow you to enjoy eating your meal a lot more than you would if you have to eat with them in.

Rinse your aligners out throughout the day so a lot of bacteria isn't allowed to continue to grow on them. Rinse them using lukewarm water. Brush them at night with a little bit of toothpaste and your regular toothbrush after you are done brushing your teeth. Make sure you soak them in the soaking solution during the night while you are sleeping. Rinse them off after they have been soaking and before putting them back in.  

Always make sure you brush and floss your teeth each morning before you put them in for the day. If you put them on dirty teeth, then you are giving bacteria the perfect breeding ground for growth.

Don'ts of wearing and caring for clear aligners

You don't want to chew gum while you have your clear aligners in. The gum can and will get stuck to them and will make a bad mess that's going to be extremely hard to get cleaned off.

Don't take them out of your mouth and leave them sitting out in a dry location. This can cause them to break down, so you should instead rinse them off and put them in their solution to soak.

Never let someone else try on your clear aligners, even if they just want to see what they feel like for a second. This can cause the transference of nasty bacteria. Plus, the aligners have been made specifically to fit on your teeth and you don't want them to get stuck and then have the person force them off, which can cause them to experience wear and tear.

Don't soak your aligners in anything other than water or a solution that specifically states that it is okay to use with clear aligners.

Do not wear your aligners in lieu of a mouth guard when you are going to be involved in a contact sport or another activity that will put your teeth at an increased risk of injury. Aligners are nothing like mouth guards, so wearing them as one can even lead to worse injury.

For more information, contact local professionals like Goldberg Dental Group.

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