How to Take Care of Your Clear Aligners

Congratulations on starting your aligner treatment with Wilson Ortho!

To place your aligners, line them up on your front teeth, push up, and continue pushing towards the back teeth until they are fully in. They will feel tight at first, but will become more comfortable as you wear them.
Fully seating your aligners means that the aligners are fitting completely against your teeth with no air spaces. Getting aligners fully seated is important to ensure that you will be getting the most movement out of each aligner. If there are any air spaces in your aligners, your teeth may not track according to your treatment plan.
Chewies! On the first day or two of a new aligner, you may need to use your Chewies to ensure that the aligners are fully seated. If there are any areas of your aligners where you see air spaces or gaps, it’s an area that you should focus on with Chewies to get them fully seated. Chewies are reusable and can be rinsed with cool water after use or washed with soap and water. We recommend leaving one in your case so that you will remember to use it.
When removing your aligners to eat or brush, take them out from the back. Lifting the aligner from the back on the inside is usually easiest because there are no attachments.
When aligners are out of your mouth, they should always go into a case. Aligners are easy to lose or break if left on a table or wrapped in a napkin. Pets also like the smell of aligners and will often chew them up if they are left within reach.

Your aligners need to be in your mouth 22 hours every day, taking them out just to eat and brush your teeth. Remember the 30-minute rule: try not to let 30 minutes pass without your aligners in your mouth.
For best results and comfort, begin each new aligner set after your evening meal. Brush, floss, and place your aligners. This uninterrupted time provides more optimal movement and greater comfort.

After eating, brush your teeth if possible to ensure that they are clean, and there is no food trapped between your teeth and your aligners. If you are not able to brush, rinse with water before putting your aligners back in. You can occasionally choose to eat or drink with your aligners in place if you forgot your case or if you are concerned about losing them. Aligners may stain if you eat or drink colorful foods like curry, Cheetos, or red wine, but aligners are changed weekly, so staining is typically not a problem.
To clean your aligners, simply rinse them with cool water and brush them with a clean toothbrush. Midway through the week, we recommend using a cleaner called Retainer Brite, which is available on Amazon, or Invisalign’s Cleaning Crystals to get aligners extra clean. Aligners are made of plastic, so avoid hot water when cleaning. Do not place them in boiling water or the dishwasher to clean them.

If your aligner case isn’t available while at school, work, or at a restaurant, you can occasionally choose to eat or drink with your aligners in place. Just rinse them and your teeth afterward, and brush as soon as you can.
Aligners may stain if you eat or drink colorful foods like curry, Cheetos, or red wine, but aligners are changed weekly, so staining is typically not a problem.

If there are any rough edges on an aligner, use an emery board in a downward motion to smooth the area.
If you lose or break an aligner, just move forward to the next set of upper and lower aligners. Even if just one aligner breaks, replace both so they are the same set number. The aligners will likely be tight, and you may need to use your Chewies more. If you are unable to advance to the next aligners, please wear the last aligners that fit and contact us for further guidance.
If any of your attachments come off, you can continue to advance aligners weekly as long as they are still fitting well, and we will rebond the necessary attachments at your next regular appointment. If you feel that the aligners are not fitting, please send us photos through the My Invisalign app so we can evaluate.

It will typically be 12-15 weeks or more between appointments, so Dr. Wilson will want you to send us photos periodically through the My Invisalign app to evaluate your progress. We will tell you at each appointment how many aligners to complete before we see you again.
If you have questions about your treatment between appointments, please feel free to call us at (503) 925-1566 or send us an email at info@smilebywilson.com.

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