If you just started or about to visit your dentist London Invisalign to start your Invisalign treatment, you are on your journey to getting a better and more attractive smile. Invisalign treatment may be a subtle one, but you need to know certain tricks to get past your first week without much discomfort.
Like every other orthodontic treatment, you need to get used to it and maintain your oral health to have a successful treatment. The following tips are suitable for all Invisalign users to help them get past their first week, and you will find the tips useful if you just started your Invisalign treatment.
Protect your tongue
Invisalign treatment involves wearing plastic aligner trays to straighten your teeth, so, you may find the plastic edges of your aligners discomforting, and they may cause sores, during the early stages of your treatment. After a while, your mouth will adjust to the plastic edges, so you will no longer feel pain or discomfort.
However, you can help your mouth get used to the plastic edges and prevent the initial discomfort using Invisalign wax to cover the rough spots and sharp edges. You can do this by taking a pinch of the wax and rolling it between your fingers, before applying it on the rough or sharp spot. If the wax cannot cover a rough spot, you can contact your orthodontist to file the area down.
You could also get a peroxide-based mouthwash because it helps heal minor irritations in the mouth gotten from orthodontic devices like Invisalign. A peroxide-based mouthwash will also relieve gum pain and give a refreshing and foamy effect on the spot causing you pain.
Treat any discomfort or pain
Contrary to what many people think, Invisalign treatment hurts, especially within the first period of wearing your aligners. You may experience jaw and teeth pain as the aligners gradually force your teeth to their perfect position.
You could reduce this pain by practising chewing exercises for some minutes daily and when you wear your aligners. Chewing exercises help the aligners fit your teeth better to aid an effective movement of the teeth.
The chewing helps massage your gums and stimulate blood flow in your mouth, which acts as a natural relief for the pain. Your orthodontist may give you styrofoam chewies, but you need to clean the chewies regularly.
Use Movemints
You could use different things for your chewing exercises like the Invisalign chewies or at-home solutions like ballpoint pens, but these things are not appealing. They may not be suitable for most people sanitary-wise.
You could opt for an alternative called Movemints which freshens the breath and performs other functions of chewies. Movemints does not hurt, and it has a nice taste and prevents dry mouth. It is sugarfree but contains xylitol. You can use them anywhere while you have your aligner trays in your mouth.
Track your daily wearing time
Invisalign aligners are removable, and you can take out your aligners to eat, drink, clean your teeth and the aligners. This feature makes Invisalign a preferred treatment option for most people. However, you need to wear your aligners for the recommended number of hours daily, usually, 20 – 22 hours for the aligners to work perfectly.
For many people, this is a challenge as they may not be able to keep track of how long they wear their aligners daily. You can use any of the available Invisalign tools like the TrayMinder to keep track of how long you have your aligners in your mouth daily.
TrayMinder also reminds you when you should switch your current set of aligners to a new one to ensure you complete your treatment within the planned time.
Using the right Invisalign accessories will also help you stick to your recommended Invisalign routine. Ensure you have a retainer case with you at all times to prevent damage or loss of your aligners as this could set back your treatment.
You could opt for nCase, a new retainer which also helps you keep track of your wear time. This case works with a smartphone app to alert when you have had your aligner trays out for long.
Remove your aligners safely
It is important to remove your aligners carefully. Using OrthKey makes removing your Invisalign tray easy. An OrthoKey is small and can perfectly fit into a retainer case, so you can have it with you at all times to remove your aligners.
You can remove your trays with your fingers, but, as your treatment progresses and the aligner gets tighter, it becomes difficult to remove the aligner without giving yourself an injury with your fingernail. However, an OrthoKey removes an aligner without stress.
Clean your aligner trays
Ensure you clean your aligners frequently to prevent stains and dirt from accumulating on your aligners. You can opt for a denture cleaner or Invisalign cleaning crystal. A good Invisalign cleaner to try out is the Smile Saver Spray from Soluria. You do not have to rinse your aligners after using a Smile Saver Spray, so, you can clean your trays with stress anywhere.
The cleaner also prevents bad breath by removing bacteria and germs stuck on your Invisalign aligners.
It is important to have a cleaning routine to maintain your oral health during and after your Invisalign treatment. This helps you to avoid dental conditions like tooth decay and gum disease.
For more advice on making your Invisalign treatment less stressful and pain-free, Contact London Braces today on 020 3745 7520. You can also contact us now if you need the best Invisalign London.
