How to Clean Smile Direct Club Aligners
Smile! You're wearing Smile Direct Club aligners to help straighten your teeth and give you a smile you can be confident about. You wear the aligners for 22 hours a day, and they gently push on your teeth, straightening them.
While you can quickly get used to the feel of the aligners, you don't want to get used to the smell that can develop or the film that builds up over time. To keep your breath smelling fresh and avoid an unpleasant taste in your mouth, you need to keep your aligners clean. You have a few options when it comes to cleaning your Smile Direct Club aligners, and later, your Smile Direct Club retainer.
Why Clean Smile Direct Club Aligners and Retainers?
If you brush your teeth several times a day and floss daily while straightening your teeth with Smile Direct Club, isn't that enough? Keeping up good oral hygiene habits while wearing your aligners is a smart move, as it will protect you from tooth decay and gum disease. You also want to go the extra mile and clean the trays you're wearing over your teeth.
When you wear the aligners, bacteria can grow between the base of the trays and your teeth. Saliva can't flow between the aligners and your teeth, meaning it can't rinse debris and bacteria away. If the aligners get too dirty, you can end up with halitosis, commonly called bad breath. Dirty aligners can also increase your chances of developing cavities and gum disease.
You have a few options when it comes to cleaning your Smile Direct Club aligners. You can clean them when you take the aligners out, or you can clean them while you wear them.
How to Clean Smile Direct Aligners
Ideally, you'll keep the aligners in your mouth for much of the day, but you do need to remove them whenever you eat, drink or brush your teeth. The few hours you aren't wearing the aligners each day give you the perfect opportunity to clean them. You can also use aligner cleaner to clean and freshen them while they stay in your mouth.
Here are a few ways to keep your Smile Direct Club Aligners clean.
1. EverSmile WhiteFoam
Other methods will help keep your aligners clean but they do require you to take the aligners out and let them soak for anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour. You might not have the time or space to do that, depending on where you are when you take out the aligners. Additionally, other cleaning methods don't always work against the crud that can build up over time.
EverSmile WhiteFoam lets you clean your Smile Direct Club aligners while you wear them. To use it, you place a layer of foam in your aligners, then pop them back into your mouth. The hydrogen peroxide in WhiteFoam kills almost all of the bacteria on the aligners within 60 seconds. It also helps to lighten the aligners themselves and whitens your teeth. You're left with fresh-smelling breath, whiter teeth and clean aligners.
2. EverSmile AlignerFresh
EverSmile AlignerFresh lets you clean your Smile Direct Club Aligners on-the-go. Like WhiteFoam, AlignerFresh works while you wear the aligners. It kills bacteria and lightens the aligners themselves. Hydrogen peroxide is an active ingredient in AlignerFresh, meaning it helps to whiten your teeth, aligners and attachments while you wear it. AlignerFresh comes in a spray bottle that's perfect for travel or for tucking into your backpack or purse and using throughout the day.
3. Baking Soda and Water
Baking soda is gentle enough to clean most aligners without scratching them but tough enough to remove caked-on debris and bacteria. To clean your aligners with baking soda, mix a tablespoon of the powder into about a half cup of warm water. Stir to dissolve the baking soda. Soak the aligners in the baking soda-water mixture for up to one hour. Remove the aligners and rinse clean, then dry. When rinsing the aligners, make sure you wash away any tiny grains of baking soda that might not have dissolved so they don't irritate your gums.
4. Vinegar and Water
Like baking soda, distilled white vinegar is also a natural, gentle cleaner that's safe to use on most aligners. Combine one part vinegar with three parts warm water in a glass or bowl, then add your aligners. Let the aligners soak for about 20 minutes before removing them and rinsing them off.
5. Soap and Water
Sometimes, all you need is a bit of gentle soap and water to keep your aligners clean and to remove debris, bacteria and other funk-causing material. Pick the gentlest soap possible, such as a gentle liquid dish soap. Add a squirt of the soap to a cup of warm — not hot! — water. Put the aligners in the soap and water and let them soak for up to 30 minutes. After the soak, rub the aligners with a soft washcloth and rinse away the soap with warm water. Use a soft towel to dry the aligners before putting them back over your teeth.
How to Clean Smile Direct Retainers
Once you've finished treatment with Smile Direct Club aligners, you'll move on to wearing a retainer to help keep your teeth in alignment and reduce the chance of them moving back to their original positions. Although you wear a retainer for shorter periods than you wear your aligners, you'll still want to do what you can to keep it clean and keep your mouth fresh. Fortunately, you can clean a Smile Direct Club retainer in much the same way you clean the aligners.
Soap and water should be used daily along with an aligner cleaner to kill bacteria and crud that can accumulate.
How to Clean Smile Direct Trays: What Not to Do
Not all cleaning methods are created equally. Some techniques can scratch or otherwise damage your aligners. When cleaning your aligners or retainers, here's what to skip.
- Using toothpaste or mouthwash: Although mouthwash and toothpaste do a fantastic job of cleaning your teeth and freshening your mouth, they aren't effective cleaners for aligners or retainers. Toothpaste is too abrasive and can scratch the plastic of the aligner. The dyes and other ingredients in mouthwash can discolor clear aligners and retainers.
- Using a dishwasher or hot water: Your Smile Direct Club aligners and retainers can't take the heat. The water used in a dishwasher is just too hot for them to handle. The same is true of any other source of hot water, such as water that's just been boiled. To keep your Smile Direct Club products intact and clear, use water that's cool or lukewarm.
Tips to Help Keep Your Smile Direct Aligners Clean
Practicing good oral hygiene will help you keep your aligners clean when you wear them. If you aren't already, get in the habit of brushing your teeth after each meal to remove plaque, food bits and bacteria from the surface of your teeth. Flossing is also a must, as it will get rid of any bits and pieces that might get stuck between your teeth. Wearing your aligners or retainer with clean teeth and using an aligner cleaner will help them stay fresh and clean throughout the day.
EverSmile Is the Smile Direct Club Aligner Cleaner for You
If you want to keep your Smile Direct Club aligners and retainers as clean and fresh as possible, EverSmile is there for you. Our Smile Direct Club aligner and retainer cleaner works while you wear your devices, helping you straighten your teeth while whitening them and freshening your breath. Keep your aligners and retainer funk-free by ordering a subscription to WhiteFoam or AlignerFresh today.
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