The holiday season is quickly approaching, and families throughout the world are coming together to celebrate. Whether you’re traveling to visit loved ones or staying home to share in the festivities with friends and relatives, it’s important that you don’t let the fun and excitement get in the way of your Invisalign treatment. With so many sweet treats and late-night movies, you can easily forget to take care of your smile. To keep this from happening, here are four tips to remember that will keep your smile on track.
Stick to Your Oral Hygiene Routine
Whether it is board games, movies, or sharing stories late into the night, don’t neglect your regular oral hygiene routine. Your bedtime may be later, but brushing, flossing, and rinsing your teeth (and cleaning your aligners) should be something you do, no matter which late-night activities you prefer. This will ensure that your teeth remain healthy and free of decay, and your aligners will avoid any bacteria that might transfer from your teeth.
Keep a Protective Case Nearby
Taking out your trays is something you need to do each day, whether it is to eat, drink, or give them a good cleaning. Instead of laying them down on a counter or napkin, place them in a nearby protective case.
Having one or two extras on hand can be helpful to ensure that not only do they remain safe from potential damage, but they also avoid harmful bacteria and particles floating around in the air.
Minimize Your Snacking
It’s easy to snack on some of your grandma’s delectable candies during your stay, but the more you remove your aligners, the greater your risk of delaying your treatment.
Invisalign aligners must be worn 20-22 hours each day to ensure that enough pressure is continuously applied to keep teeth moving in the right direction. If they are left out of your mouth more than they are in, there is a good chance you will have more time added to your treatment timeline.
Make Sure to Remove Aligners Before Eating or Drinking
If you’re thinking that you’ll just keep your trays in while eating or drinking, think again. Doing this will damage your trays and still leave you facing a delay.
Invisalign aligners are not designed to withstand the pressures of teeth when biting down or chewing. This is why the trays must be removed before consuming any kind of food. Also, when preparing to drink any type of beverage (apart from water), you should take your aligners out, as hot drinks can warp the plastic, and darkly pigmented beverages can cause stains to occur.
Wearing Invisalign throughout the holidays doesn’t have to be a problem. By keeping these helpful tips in mind, you can stay on track and still enjoy time spent with family and friends this time of year.
About the Author
Dr. Udoka Holinbeck was born in Nigeria and raised in North Carolina. She earned her Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles and continues to pursue continuing education opportunities, dedicating hundreds of hours to various courses. As a holistic dentist at Bionica Dental Wellness, she desires to help patients maintain good oral health year-round. When someone is preparing for the holidays while wearing Invisalign, she and our team can offer tips to ensure treatment stays on track. Visit our website or call (262) 337-9745 if you need help to avoid a delay while wearing clear aligners.