Here are some Invisalign tips, tricks, and hacks that I’ve learned during the last 12 months of my Invisalign treatment.
Always have a toothbrush kit on hand
Trust me, even if you don’t think you’ll need it, something will come up & you’ll have to say “UGH, I wish I would have brought my Invisalign case & toothbrush!”
I’d recommend keeping your Invisalign case, toothbrush, tooth paste, and floss in an easy to grab kit (I just re-purposed an old Sephora makeup bag).
Soak your trays to clean them 2x/week
This will help keep your breath fresh by killing some of the bacteria and build-up on the trays. These denture cleaner tablets from Amazon work really well. Just drop them in a glass of water along with your trays and let them soak for 15 minutes!
Skip the manicure
I had SUCH a hard time getting my trays out of my mouth when I had long nails. It just wasn’t worth all the extra hassle in my opinion. Save yourself some grief and keep your fingernails short for now.
Never…I repeat, NEVER put your trays back in without brushing first
1. That’s gross. 2. More food and gunk and whatever else will get stuck on your trays and when that stuff gets caked on there, it’s hard to get off.
On that note, ALWAYS rinse your trays after you take them out
Dried saliva is surprisingly hard to get off of your trays. Do your best to find a sink or some other water source to rinse them off.
Keep your last set of aligners
You should always hang on to your previous set of aligners just in case you lose or break your current set. So if you are on set 8, keep set 7 until you progress to set 9. That way, if set 8 breaks or gets lost, you can just use set 7 until your orthodontist can order a replacement set 8 so that your progress doesn’t get too far off track.
Don’t try wearing lipstick….just don’t
It will inevitably get all over your trays and your attachments no matter what you do. Try using a tinted lip balm instead. That way, if it does spread to your aligners or attachments, it’s not very pigmented so won’t be as noticeable.
Get multiple cases
Keep one in your bathroom, at your desk, in your purse, etc. The worst thing is getting to a restaurant and realizing you left your invisalign case at home and having to wrap your aligners in a napkin or paper towel, which is both gross and makes it much easier to accidentally throw them away. If your orthodontist won’t give you extras, they’re really cheap on Amazon.
Set a reminder on your phone to put your trays back in after eating
It’s really easy to finish eating and then just continue about with your day. But you NEED to remember to brush your teeth and put your trays back in if you want to continue progressing. Set a timer on your phone for 30-45 mins (however long it takes you to eat) so that there’s no danger you’ll forget!
Actually use chewies, even if it seems pointless
Chewies are these small rubber (i think?) things that your orthodontist will give you to chew on each time you put your trays in. This helps the trays get “seated” all the way on your teeth for maximum effectiveness.
Switch aligners before bed instead of in the morning, and don’t be afraid to take Ibuprofen
When you progress to a new aligner, it can be slightly painful because your teeth are moving to fit inside that new aligner. So by putting starting the new one at night, you’ll end up sleeping through most of the pain. Ibuprofen also helps!
Attachments will stain easily, so take that into consideration next time you want to drink coffee or red wine
They stain just like your teeth would, but they are harder to whiten. So be conscious of that when drinking coffee or red wine. You can still indulge, just make a point to go brush your teeth immediately after. Also, I think this should go without saying, but don’t drink anything dark colored when you have your trays in, always take them out first. You wouldn’t want to stain those!
If you are going through Invisalign or thinking about starting, I hope these Invisalign tips, tricks, and hacks helped! Comment if you have any other tips to share!
