Your oral cavity is one of the major routes for bacterial invasion and entrance. Anything that goes into the mouth should be thoroughly cleaned and free of germs. It applies to your Invisalign retainers as well.
Maintaining the hygiene and cleanliness of your retainers is vital to prevent them from welcoming unwanted bacteria. Let’s see how to clean Invisalign retainers and what can be the significant consequences of leaving them unmaintained.
What are Invisalign retainers?
An Invisalign retainer is a dental appliance inserted into the mouth after your orthodontic metallic braces treatment is complete.
The Invisalign retainer aims to prevent your teeth from relapsing and help them stay in position. Invisalign retainers also work as regular braces and help reposition the metal occluded and misaligned teeth.
Invisalign retainers are made up of clear acrylic in the laboratory. For that, the candidate’s impression is taken, the dimensions are recorded, and retainers are fabricated to replicate the patient’s exact anatomy.
Why are Invisalign retainers necessary?
Invisalign retainers are strongly emphasized and recommended after the completion of orthodontic treatment to prevent relapse. Your teeth are continuously moving and drifting as you age.
It is the body’s natural mechanism because of the age-related changes in the bone housing the teeth.
Invisalign retainers are the sole facilitators for keeping the teeth retained in their position. They work by osteoblastic activity in which the teeth are still moving. The average duration for Invisalign retainers is one to two years at a minimum.
Methods on how to clean Invisalign retainers?
As told earlier, your oral cavity is always prone to bacteria and other microorganisms. Therefore, anything that goes to your oral cavity should be thoroughly cleaned.
Here are some of the prime ways Orthodontists recommend to clean Invisalign retainers.
1-Keep your retainers in warm water overnight
Since removing your retainers while sleeping is advisable, you must place or soak them in warm water overnight. It will restrict bacterial invasion and provide a sterile environment for your invisible retainers.
Lukewarm water is preferred over cold because microorganisms tend to find warm environments quite unfavorable.
2-Use a soft bristles toothbrush
Your invisible retainers are made on your teeth’ extract structure and anatomy. Your retainers must be thoroughly brushed to prevent any food impaction or saliva from retaining in the areas.
However, you are strongly prohibited from using a regular toothbrush for cleaning your retainers. A soft bristles toothbrush is recommended that is readily available over the counter.
In some cases, your dentist can provide a soft bristle toothbrush when you are delivered with your retainer after completing your orthodontic treatment.
Note that you are not supposed to vigorously brush your retainer like how you practice on your natural teeth. Relatively slow movements and circulatory methods are preferred while brushing your retainers.
3-Use antibacterial soap for cleansing
Many antibacterial soaps and washes are available over-the-counter, preferably used for cleaning the Invisalign retainers or any other dental appliance, such as a complete and partial denture.
The reason why antibacterial soaps are more strongly emphasized is that they consist of some primary ingredients that keep bacterial invasion at bay and help in the prevention of microorganism invasion.
Denture cleaning tablets are available that are soaked in water and placed into that water for proper cleansing. You can use those denture-cleaning tablets for your Invisalign retainers as well.
4-Always pat dry your retainers
It is imperative to keep your invisible retainers moisture free. As soon as you wash/cleanse your retainers, it is important to pat dry them before wearing them because water retention in the retainer can cause minor distortions in the acrylic of the retainers.
Moreover, wet surfaces feel irritating to the gums and can lead to wear off of the Invisalign retainers.
5-Rinse your mouth while pre-insertion
Dentists and orthodontists always recommend rinsing your oral cavity before placing and inserting your Invisalign retainers. It is because any food impaction or debris in your teeth and the spaces between them can make room for the bacteria to feed on that becomes unavoidable.
Brushing your teeth before the placement of the retainers is more encouraged and is for your good.
6-Oral hygiene maintenance
Orthodontic treatments demand proper oral hygiene maintenance be it your metallic braces treatment or the post-treatment Invisalign retainers. Any dental appliance placed in the mouth can restrict and hinder the proper maintenance of oral hygiene, so it is solely dependent upon the patient’s strict control over oral hygiene.
Brush your teeth before inserting your retainers and floss whenever your inter-contact surface between the teeth is filled with debris. It prevents bacterial invasion and keeps bad breath at a distance.
7-Regular professional cleansing
At times your self-cleansing methods of Invisalign retainers can be uneventful or even fail. In such cases, it is advisable to practice a routine professional cleansing method that requires you to visit a dentist every month for a thorough cleansing of your invisible retainers.
It is done by specific tools only present in a dental practice. All the inter-contact areas are ensured to be cleansed thoroughly, and your acrylic retainer will be polished if required.
What can be the consequences of not cleaning your Invisalign retainers?
Based on the study and experiences of the orthodontists, here are the following problems that you may face if you don’t clean your invisible retainers properly:
- you can welcome a lot of bacteria and microorganisms
- the risk of infections increases
- you can experience ulcers and mouth sores
- an extensive lousy breath because of the accumulation of dirt and debris
- discoloration and yellowing of the acrylic
- an increased translucency in the surface because of improper cleansing
The final verdict
If you want to smile brightly and with confidence, then it is vital that you need to adopt some healthy habits for your oral cavity. Your Invisalign retainers are worn all day long, so they deserve a proper cleansing method, just like your natural teeth.
One thing you need to know is that your retainer, once distorted, cannot be fabricated again because it was created and fabricated based on your anatomy after the treatment of braces. Therefore, taking proper care of your invisible retainers is strongly recommended for their long shelf-life.
Cabinet Grande Duchesse Charlotte Dudelange Luxembourg – Dr. Arnould Tanson medecin-dentist and associates,
621 257 940
+352 26 52 15 30
48-52 avenue Grande Duchesse Charlotte L-3440 Dudelange, Luxembourg
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