New York City spark aligners

Your Life in Clear Aligners

Clear Aligner Care Instructions

There are three main rules you should follow while undergoing orthodontic treatment with clear aligners:

  • Wear them 22 hours a day, or 90% of the time

  • Don’t eat or drink anything other than flat water while you have your aligners in

  • Brush, or at least rinse with water, after eating or drinking before putting your aligners back in. This will prevent plaque and bacteria buildup on your aligners.

It is normal for the first few days of aligner treatment to be challenging. It can feel awkward at first when putting in aligners and taking them out, and you may have a slight lisp for a few days. Over time, you will get used to your aligners and become more comfortable.

Altered speech is common the first few weeks in clear aligners. However, reciting this passage out loud repeatedly after appliances are first placed will help tremendously with clear articulation. This passage was developed by a speech/language therapist particularly because it has all phonetic sounds in the English language.

Cleaning Aligners

Keeping your aligners clean and plaque-free is key to a successful treatment experience. Follow these cleaning tips:

  • Clean your aligners every time you brush your teeth

  • Clean aligners with liquid soap (dish or hand), and use a soft-bristled toothbrush

  • Do not use toothpaste to clean your aligners. Toothpaste often has hard pumice particles that will scratch the aligners and cause them to retain bacteria and staining.

In addition to keeping your aligners clean, there are some other orthodontic home care tips you should follow:

Sometimes, aligners get lost, and you go a few days without wearing them, which can cause your teeth to shift. If this happens, you may need to wear an old set of aligners to get your treatment back on track.

Chewies help your aligners fully set around your teeth. Try this chewing exercise every day for 5-10 minutes. Bite on the chewie, hold for 3-5 seconds, then move to a different area of the mouth and repeat.

Whenever you are not wearing your aligners, always store them in their case. Otherwise, aligners can easily be damaged, lost or broken.

Keep aligners away from little kids and pets.

Keep your aligners away from heat, such as boiling water, microwaves, dishwashers, heaters, fire or hot cars. Because they are plastic, heat can deform aligners.

If you are just 2-3 days from moving to your next set of aligners, start wearing your next aligners. Wear this next set of aligners until it is time to move on to the next set. When in doubt, call or email the office—we will tell you what to do based on your specific situation.

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