The Invisalign Cleaning System ®: Must this product be used or are there other equivalent methods for cleaning removable braces?
Invisalign is registered trademark of Align Technology, Inc.Invisalign ® aligners require cleaning just like your own teeth do.
One of the hallmark characteristics of the Invisalign ® orthodontic system, as opposed to conventional braces, is that the appliances used to straighten your teeth are removable. This means that throughout your months of treatment you will still be able to brush and floss your teeth in your normal fashion.
Once you have begun wearing your aligners you'll probably notice that the same debris (dental plaque and tartar) that tends to accumulate on your teeth will start to build up on your removable braces too. Over time this debris will not only start to show but also be the source of odor.
Of course the saving grace of Invisalign ® treatment is that you move on to a new set of aligners every few weeks. So, even if you have failed in your cleaning efforts with one set you will soon get to start anew with another. Hopefully this time around your goal will be to keep your aligners clean so you don't encounter the same problems. And fortunately, by utilizing just a little bit of knowledge and effort, it should be easy enough for you to learn how to keep your aligners fresh and clean for the entire duration that they are worn.
The Invisalign ® Cleaning System.
There are a number of different techniques that can be used to keep your aligners clean, both commercial and homemade. For example, Align Technology, Inc., the makers of the Invisalign ® system, sells a product they call the "Invisalign Cleaning System ®." This system is composed of a quantity of prepackaged "crystals" which, when added to water, make a soaking solution that Align Technology says will remove dental plaque from a patient's aligners. The drawback with this system is that it's a bit pricey. It costs on the order of a dollar a day, a factor that leads many Invisalign ® patients to look for an alternative.
Is it necessary to use the Invisalign Cleaning System ®?
Per the Invisalign ® people, the answer to this question is as follows. They suggests that the use of other cleaners can cause surface damage to Invisalign ® aligners that can cause them to become dull or cloudy and therefore more visible when they are worn. (Note that this stated damage is only cosmetic in nature, not damage that affects the aligners in a way that interferes with their function.) The question is "how accurate is this statement"? Do alternative cleaning methods exist?
Are there alternatives to using the Invisalign Cleaning System ®?
Despite Align Technology, Inc.'s claims, we've read a number of reports from Invisalign ® patients that describe a number of lower-cost, alternative methods that they use to clean their aligners that don't seem to produce any readily visible change in the aligner's appearance. We describe a number of these cleaning methods, both commercial and homemade, on our next page.
Cleaning removable braces isn't rocket science.
The temporary nature of each set of clear braces makes the act of evaluating the suitability of any cleaning method quite easy to do and without any risk of serious consequence.
- If you have an old set of aligners, experiment using the new cleaner on them before you use it with your current set.
- If you find you have been using a cleanser that does seem to make a visible change in your aligner's plastic then simply don't use it any more and don't use it with any future sets either.
- If you are wary about what long-term effect a cleanser might have on an appliance that will be worn on a long-term basis (such as a retainer), start experimenting with an old set of aligners now. Each day as you clean your current set of aligners, clean your test aligners too. Determine for yourself if you feel any visible change is taking place.
It is important to understand that whatever method you choose to clean your Invisalign clear braces must never involve the use of heat or hot liquids. Invisalign aligners are vacuum-molded appliances that are made by softening a sheet of plastic with heat and then suctioning it down onto a model of your teeth. The use of a heated environment to clean your clear braces might cause your aligners to soften and become distorted.
