How to Thrive in the First Few Days of Treatment

Embarking on your journey to straighter teeth is an exciting one, but what if it takes a few days for your mouth to adjust to the treatment? Invisalign aligners and braces may scrape the inside of your cheeks at first or inhibit you from eating normally if you try to continue as normal.

We have some excellent tips to help you thrive as you wait for everything to settle back to normal.

• Cut food into small pieces. If your mouth is sensitive, make cutting your food smaller than normal a priority. This will make chewing much easier and you’ll avoid the awkward, exaggerated mouth movements as you adjust to eating. This will also help minimize the hardware rubbing inside the cheeks.

• Use orthodontic wax. If you are having trouble with the hardware poking or rubbing the inside of your mouth, make sure to cushion it with orthodontic wax. This will create a softer surface for your mouth and will be less irritating. Sleeping with the wax on also helps heal the mouth quicker.

• Do a salt water rinse. Until your mouth adjusts to braces, doing salt water rinses will help soothe sore areas. Simply stir in 2tbsp of salt into a cup of warm water and gargle.

• Drink more water. Staying hydrated creates more saliva, which helps remineralize the tooth enamel and keeps the cheeks lubricated. When the cheeks stay lubricated, the hardware will gently slide over your cheek instead of scrape into it.

We hope these tips help you get accustomed quickly to your treatment! If you are having prolonged issues and need assistance, please don’t hesitate to call our office. We would be happy to help!

How to Take Care of Your Invisalign

Making sure your aligners are in top condition is a big priority when you’re on your Invisalign journey. When plaque and saliva collect on the aligner trays, it creates the perfect situation for harmful and odor-causing bacteria to grow. If you’re not mindful of certain foods or beverages, you can unknowingly cause discoloration! How do you avoid that? We’re here to help.

Here are some best practices for keeping your aligners in clean condition:

• Brush, brush, brush. Brush your aligners with a little toothpaste and water every time you remove them at home. Brush and floss your teeth often. This will reduce bacteria and discoloration.

• Avoid staining foods and beverages. Wine, coffee, tea, and soda all contribute to discoloration if you don’t brush your teeth and aligner tray immediately after.

• Avoid beverages that are too hot. Drinking beverages that are too hot may warp the plastic trays and cause the aligners to fit improperly.

• Wear the aligners religiously. In order for the most effective treatment, only remove to eat and clean to avoid getting outside residue on the trays.

• Do a deep clean once or twice a week. To do this, soak your aligners in Invisalign Cleaning Crystals, Retainer Brite, or denture cleaner. Avoid colored cleaners as it may stain your aligners.