How to Care for Your Invisalign Trays

Every time you remove your aligners — for meals, for brushing, or for a planned removal during an event — rinse them immediately under cool running water. Saliva dries on the aligner surface and begins to develop odour and cloudiness within hours if the tray is not rinsed. This single habit, done consistently, prevents the majority of maintenance problems patients experience with their aligners.

Morning and evening, give each aligner a more thorough cleaning: add a small amount of clear, unscented soap (plain dish soap or hand soap works well) and gently scrub all surfaces — inside, outside, and the attachment pockets — with a dedicated soft toothbrush. Rinse thoroughly to remove all soap. This twice-daily scrub removes the biofilm that builds up on aligner surfaces and keeps the plastic clear and odour-free.

• Rinse immediately in cool water every time you remove your aligners.
• Brush with clear unscented soap morning and evening — never toothpaste.
• Store in the case provided when not in your mouth — never wrap in a napkin.
• Brush your teeth before reinserting aligners so you are not trapping food underneath.
• Soak weekly in Invisalign cleaning crystals or a diluted retainer cleaning solution.

Toothpaste is the most common mistake. Most toothpastes contain mild abrasives that scratch the aligner surface microscopically — these scratches harbour bacteria and make the aligner appear cloudy. Use only clear, unscented soap for brushing aligners. Whitening toothpastes are particularly abrasive and cause visible cloudiness within days.

Hot water is equally damaging — it warps the thermoplastic material, distorting the aligner so it no longer fits accurately. Always rinse and clean with cool or lukewarm water. Similarly, leaving aligners in a hot car or direct sunlight will warp them permanently. Mouthwash containing alcohol can discolour or weaken the plastic; if you use mouthwash, remove your aligners first and reinsert after rinsing.

Once a week, soak your aligners for the time specified on the packaging of Invisalign cleaning crystals (available from our clinic) or a compatible retainer cleaning tablet. The soak dissolves mineral buildup and kills bacteria that daily brushing leaves behind. Remove the aligners from the solution, give them a final brush under cool water, and they should look essentially new — clear, odourless and fitting snugly.

Some patients prefer to use a 50/50 dilution of white vinegar and water as a weekly soak. This is effective and economical but the aligners must be rinsed extremely thoroughly afterward — any residual vinegar taste will make the aligners unpleasant to wear. The commercial cleaning crystals are more convenient and specifically formulated for the plastic Invisalign uses.

Always store aligners in their case when they are not in your mouth. The case protects them from contamination, accidental damage and — most importantly — loss. Restaurant tables, bathroom counters and jacket pockets are all places where aligners disappear. A napkin-wrapped aligner is nearly indistinguishable from a used tissue and is discarded by cleaning staff with alarming frequency. Your case prevents all of this.

Keep your previous set of aligners as a backup. When you move to a new set, do not discard the previous week's set immediately. If your new aligners are lost or damaged early in their two-week wear cycle, you can revert to the previous set while a replacement is fabricated — this is much better than having no aligner in place for two to three weeks, which can allow minor tooth relapse.

Contact our clinic immediately if an aligner is lost or breaks. Do not panic — replacements can be ordered, though fabrication takes one to two weeks. In the interim, if you are early in your wear cycle (first few days of a new set), revert to the previous set. If you are near the end of your wear cycle (day 10 or later of a 14-day set), Dr. Kadivar may advise moving directly to the next set in the series — the progression is usually small enough that the next aligner will fit.

Avoid attempting to repair a cracked or broken aligner with household adhesives. These products are not biocompatible for oral use and can contaminate the aligner surface with harmful chemicals. A broken aligner that still fits without sharp edges may be safe to continue wearing temporarily; one with sharp edges that could cut soft tissue should not be worn until replaced.

One of Invisalign's major advantages over braces is simplified oral hygiene. But this advantage only materialises if you actually remove the aligners before eating and brush before reinserting them. Placing aligners over unclean teeth traps food and bacteria in close contact with the enamel surface for hours — which can accelerate decay. The small inconvenience of carrying a travel toothbrush is worth the peace of mind that your teeth are protected.

Flossing is unrestricted with Invisalign — no floss threaders or special tools needed. Brush and floss normally every morning and evening with the aligners removed. If you cannot brush after a meal before reinserting, at minimum rinse your mouth vigorously with water to dislodge food debris before putting the aligner back in. Never go to sleep with dirty teeth inside your aligners.

At the end of each two-week (or one-week, if Dr. Kadivar has specified a faster schedule) wear cycle, give the retiring aligner a final thorough clean and store it in its numbered bag. Do not discard it — keep the retired sets in order as a record of your progress and as a backup supply. Moving to your next aligner is an exciting moment — each set represents meaningful tooth movement toward your final smile.

If your new aligner feels tight — which it should — that is entirely normal. The tightness means it is actively moving your teeth. Insert it gently using equal fingertip pressure across the aligner surface, not just biting it in (biting in stresses the attachment pockets and can crack the plastic). Use an Aligner Seater (Chewies) — a small silicone roll you bite down on — to fully seat the aligner over your teeth and attachment bumps.