Tips to Remember While Using Dental Aligners
What are Dental Aligners?
Dental aligners are teeth shaped transparent trays that are worn by the people to realign their teeth. These are used as the alternative for braces. Many people do not wish to wear braces as they would look awkward and in place of that, they use dental aligners. The transparent appearance of these aligners helps them to look invisible for which the people using them do not have to worry about their looks. The aligners are effective only for mild orthodontic cases. Complicated orthodontic cases are curable by braces only. Before wearing aligners, a proper consultation with the dentist is necessary to check whether the aligners are suitable for that person or not.
9 Tips that should be followed while using Dental Aligners:
Aligners should be worn by the person for more than 20 hours
As dental aligners are worn to cure the set of misaligned teeth. The longer the aligners are worn, the better the effect. Usually, the dental aligners are taken off while eating, drinking and brushing. If possible, the person should try to reduce the timing of eating, drinking and brushing so that the aligners are worn for a longer time.
The aligners should be kept inside the box whenever it is taken off
This habit of keeping the aligners in the box will help them retain for a longer time. As the aligners have a transparent appearance, they can be easily lost if they are not kept safely in their respective boxes. These aligners can also get dirty if they are kept here and there. For these reasons it is always better to keep the aligners in their own boxes when they are taken off.
Before wearing the aligners a person should brush his teeth to avoid any kind of dental problems
However, it is not possible to brush the teeth when a person is eating outside but he should carry a mouthwash with him. It is an absolute necessity to keep the teeth clean while the person is going through orthodontic treatment. A clean set of teeth helps the process of orthodontic treatment to go smoothly. If a person is in his own house while eating then he should brush his teeth properly. If the person is outside then mouth wash can be used on a temporary basis but once he gets back home he should brush properly as the process of brushing will help to clean the food particles that get stuck in between the teeth.
The aligners should not be taken off if the person requires only drinking water
If the person wants to drink any other liquid other than water, then he should take off the aligners as the colour of the liquids might stain the aligners and make them discoloured. Tea or coffee might stain the aligners but they might not harm the material. Soda or cold drinks are harmful for the aligners. They may wear off the material of the aligners. But water itself is absolutely harmless to these aligners and the person is not required to take them off.
Aligners should never be washed with hot water
Hot water will cause the aligners to melt and destroy its shape. As hot water helps in cleaning things in a better way and make it sterilized, some people have this misconception that the aligners should also be cleaned in that way; but this is a completely wrong practice. If a person wishes to sustain the aligners for a longer time then he should never clean them with hot water.
Toothpaste should strictly not be used to clean dental aligners
The substance of the toothpaste is not at all suitable for cleaning transparent aligners. They might wear off the material or make their transparency lose. Toothpastes are only required to clean the teeth and nothing else.
If a person is taking off his aligners, then he should do it with utmost care
To sustain the material of the aligners, a person should never hurry the process of taking the aligners off.
If a person is experiencing some difficulty in wearing the aligners
if the person feels that the material of the aligners are damaged or if the shape of the aligners are not good, then he should never throw the aligners away. In this case he should consult his dentist or orthodontist regarding the problem in his aligners. The dentists would be able to determine what to do after looking at the condition of the aligners.
Most people require wearing retainers after he is done wearing the aligners.
Retainers help in maintaining the result of the aligners for a permanent basis. As people nowadays opt for aligners instead of wearing braces because of their consciousness about their look, there are certain differences which have an impact on the orthodontic treatment. As braces involve wires and they are attached on the teeth throughout the whole treatment procedure, the person does not require wearing retainers for the sustenance of the realigned set of teeth. in case of aligners, a person might require retainers after the conclusion of the treatment with aligners as they do not have a permanent impact on the teeth unlike the braces.
Conclusion
To know more about the dos and don’ts regarding the usage of the aligners, Consult with invisalign providers and get more tips and guidance on the procedure of a proper orthodontic treatment. These tips will be helpful to gain a general idea about using dental aligners. A person should have a proper idea about the treatment that he is going through. This will help him in taking some important decisions regarding his treatment. Orthodontic treatment with the help of dental aligners is a new concept and people are trying to adapt with this type of treatment as it will help them in maintaining their natural look and getting their treatment done at the same time.
