Invisalign Cleaning and Care

During my time researching Invisalign and reading a lot of blogs there was one thing I was constantly wondering about: what 'supplies' do people use to keep their Invisalign and teeth clean, both at home and on-the-go?

So I figured I would share what I use. Most of these items are things I have used before Invisalign and some are things I have acquired since starting. I am aware that it seems like a LOT of products but I definitely don't use them all at the same time and others may not find them necessary.

 Yes, yes I know 3 toothpastes seem extreme, however, the Pearl Drops Extra White is my everyday toothpaste that I use morning and night, the Colgate toothpaste is a newer one that I use during the day after I have eaten, and I use Sensodyne when my teeth are tender like they were the first few days of wearing Invisalign and after whitening as my orthodontist suggested.
I used Colgate Sonic Max White soft toothbrush ( or the Sonic 360 depending on which I can find at the time) also at the recommendation of my orthodontist. The small Oral B childs toothbrush (Disney Princess of course) that I used to clean my aligners because it's smaller and easier to get into all those nooks and crannies.
I like the Plackers floss picks rather than the usual floss that comes as a string. I use both the fine (blue packet) and normal (green packet) as some teeth are very close together and difficult to floss with regular floss, and others have gaps that are too wide to use fine floss.
As far as mouth wash goes I like the Listerine Whitening with Enamel Protection for everyday use and Listerine Total Care Sensitive after whitening and when my teeth are tender.

 As for what I carry with me, I keep it all in a River Island makeup bag I bought from ASOS. In it I keep a travel toothbrush, some floss picks, sample sized toothpaste (Sensodyne included since I'm currently whitening my teeth), a pack of two chewies to help seat my aligners better and also to curb my gum habit, travel sized mouth wash, some Cleanse. Freshen. Go wipes (purchased from Dentakit) to clean my aligners, and an Outie tool to help remove the aligners. Truth be told I have only used the outie once......when I had just painted my nails and didn't want to smudge them.
I also carry a case and a collapsable cup. I was given the standard blue and red Invisalign cases but there's two reasons I don't carry one with me. First, the black and gold one is slightly smaller and lighter, and I'm also worried the spring on the Invisalign case will break getting bashed around in my bag underneath weighty medical text books and my laptop. I got the other case from Smiling Box (also purchased from Dentakit).
I do still use the Invisalign cases though. I keep one in the bathroom and one in the car so I never have to take my aligners out and leave them anywhere.

To clean my aligners I use the Cleanse. Freshen. Go wipes when I'm out and about, and Retainer Brite each morning in a denture bath with room temperature water. Whenever I take the aligners out I try and clean them right away whether it be with the childs toothbrush and plain water or either of the above.
So far my aligners have stayed cleared and odour free which seems to have been a problem with some other people.

I have been using NiteWhite during the first set of aligners to whiten my teeth. I bought this from my orthodontist for $45 and have seen really great results using it. It comes as three syringes that you use to put a small blob of product into each section of the Invisalign aligners and leave for 4-6 hours (or while you sleep depending how long you sleep I suppose).

The only two things not pictured are a denture bath that I use with Retainer Brite and Tooth Mousse Plus. Tooth Mousse Plus was given to me by my dentist about six months ago to help strengthen some soft spots on my teeth.

Like I said before, some people may consider this to be an excessive amount of products purely to clean teeth but it's what I prefer. I'm extremely protective of my pearly chompers and do my best to take care of them.

Week 1 (Including Pictures)

It's been just under a week since getting my first set of aligners and I thought I would share the ups and downs of my first week and a few before/so far pictures.

My aim was to keep the same lighting for any pictures but unfortunately during our bathroom update the light was changed and it's difficult to see the results of any whitening I've done. I can definitely already see a few differences. The gap between my front teeth is remarkable smaller, the rotated lateral incisor now has a gap between it and the front tooth that I can actually get floss between!!!!!, and some of the lower are also a little more upright.

So let's start from day one. I went in to my orthodontist in the morning and have the first aligners fitted. It was pretty straight forward: orthodontist came in, put the first set in, was happy with the fit, and left me in the hands of his assistant to give me the run down on care. I could definitely feel an immediate tightness and pressure, especially on my two front teeth. I momentarily panicked wondering what on earth I had gotten myself into, but just as fast as I panicked the majority of the pressure went away and they felt totally fine.
I will have 26 upper, 23 lower, and 9 attachments. This is shorter than I first expected but including refinements I'm looking at about 15 months. That is a heck of a lot better than the four years I was told I would need in fixed braces!
I was instructed on cleaning (water and soft toothbrush/vinegar and water once a week if you wish), the 'rules' (take them out for anything other than water, including carbonated water, then brush/floss/mouthwash/rinse before putting back in), and very, VERY clearly told to never remove them without putting them into a case.
I was then asked to take them out myself to make sure I was able to. I have read many stories of people struggling for 10 minutes at a time getting extremely frustrated trying to get them out but I managed to get them out in one go with relative ease. I was asked if I had any questions. I enquired about whitening because I was told at my consultation I would be able to whiten at either the beginning of treatment or at the end, but not during due to attachments. I was given a bleaching kit called Nite White (the 10% ACP version) and instructed to put a small amount in each section of the aligners and to wear them overnight however I was expressly told that I would have to stop bleaching when I change to the second tray as they need 2 full weeks between bleaching and putting on attachments. For those of you wondering the Nite White was an added cost, however it was only $45 and came with 3 syringes of approximately 6-8 treatments in each.

Before I left I was given my next set of aligners, an Invisalign patient starter kit that includes 2 cases (one red and one blue), a few sample size toothpastes, a patient dvd that included photos, clincheck videos and any other relevant information, and Nite White.

From there I headed out for a day of errands and quickly realised that skipping breakfast that morning was not a smart idea. I went to find myself something to eat in the food court of where I was and realised I was going to have to conquer brushing my teeth in a public bathroom much sooner than I had thought. No issues though. Aligners out, food in, to the bathroom, teeth brushed, weird look from cleaning lady, aligners in, and on my merry way I went. I'm definitely glad I had taken toothbrush/toothpaste etc with me so I was able to eat while I was out otherwise I'm sure I would have given up very quickly and gone home.

The first few days were achy but nothing a little ibuprofen couldn't fix. I did have a slight lisp but it was barely noticeable and no dry mouth or excess saliva as some have reported. By day 3 I had very little discomfort, still no dry mouth/excess saliva, and still no real lisp. Day 3 was my first day back at university that week and involved a lot of talking and discussions using medical terminology which was a little difficult. By the end of the day I had noticed I was starting to develop a heavier lisp and the inside of my bottom lip and tongue were very raw from a few rough edges. Day 4 and 5 involved no talking as I was at home working on assignments, but the edges were giving me a lot of grief. I called my orthodontist for advice (as well as searching for help from the lovely members from the Braces Review forum) and was advised to gently file any rough edges with a nail file. I attempted it but unfortunately the spots that were rubbing were in parts that were too narrow for the file to fit. I called back my orthodontist and they told me to come on in that afternoon and they would fix it up for me. I took my second set of aligners with me as well just to be safe which turned out to be good as they file both my current set and the next set.

Since they filed the problem areas my lisp has dramatically improved, the rawness is completely gone and all is well. I have whitened them 4 times now and have noticed a little patchiness but that's how my teeth always seem to whiten when I've used whitening strips and the like in the past so I'm not really concerned or bothered. The only other thing I have noticed is tenderness when I first take them out which makes it a little difficult to eat at first but its getting better as time goes on.

All in all it has been far easier than I had expected and I'm really impressed with how much of a difference I've been able to see in just a week. I know I have a long way to go and I'm sure there will be times that I get fed up or annoyed with them but I just have to keep looking at what my alternatives were (4 years of fixed braces, jaw surgery, or cracked/chipping teeth needing crowns and implants eventually) and I remind myself that this has been by far the best decision I have ever made for myself.

Last Days Before the Start

Tomorrow morning (technically this morning as I'm writing this at 1am), is my appointment to get my first trays. I'm nervous and excited at the same time. I also realised this past week has been the last week of free teeth so to speak. So of course I made the  most of it. Going to the movies and munching popcorn through the whole thing, going out and having a leisurely dinner with friends, snacking during lectures at uni. While I realise I could on the odd occasion leave my aligners out more than 2 hours a day (by which I mean once every other month) without a HUGE impact on treatment, it's definitely not something I want to do. I've even been rethinking my annual birthday dinner into something a little more Invisalign friendly.

I've decided to take some before pictures of my teeth as well as during and after. It's something I've really enjoyed seeing on other blogs. I know the orthodontist has before pictures but my aim is to take pictures in the same lighting each time so that they're consistent. I think that will be especially beneficial before and after whitening.

Pictures will come tomorrow (or later today technically) after I get home from my appointment.