How long is your brush/cleaning routine with Invisalign?

Discussions about treatment with invisible braces that use clear aligners, such as Invisalign, OrthoClear, the Red White and Blue system, etc.

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Beaujolais
Posts: 5
Joined: Fri Feb 02, 2018 2:22 pm

How long is your brush/cleaning routine with Invisalign?

#1 Post by Beaujolais »

I've had my fist two trays for five days, and I feel like I'm spending half my life brushing my teeth. First, I swish, then floss, then proxie-brush, then electric toothbrush, careful to brush every tooth individually, and take care of gums (have had recession). That process takes about 25 minutes total, and then it takes at least five more minutes to get the trays back in. I''m afraid I'm going to pull my crowns off because the trays are so tight. I have 8 attachments that make it hard to get the trays on and off. I thought the soreness in my teeth would have eased up by now, but they hurt so much when I eat that I'm hardly eating anything other than yogurt and soup. Does any of this sound typical? Or am I off track? Also, should I be using mouthwash?

Beemur
Posts: 62
Joined: Sun Mar 26, 2017 10:11 pm

Re: How long is your brush/cleaning routine with Invisalign?

#2 Post by Beemur »

When I first got Invisalign I dreaded eating because I knew I was going to have to spend the next half an hour on oral hygiene haha.
I floss, brush and then mouthwash, just an average mouthwash that has fluoride. I was so not looking forward to the next year in Invisalign because with my first 2 or 3 sets of trays I would spend about 5-10 minutes trying to get them out without my eyes watering from pain. I have 19 attachments so getting them off was a nightmare, my bottom teeth were the worst, then my ortho told me to put my fingernail under the aligners a little and pull out and up gently and do it on individual teeth until the aligners just come off easily, and also do it with the top teeth. I was so scared to break the aligners doing that but it was so easy after that and honestly a life changer :lol: he kept telling me that they're so much more durable than I think and he was right.
It's true though that the straighter they get, the easier they are to get off. With the brushing, I never thought I would get quicker at it or get used to it but I am so used to it by now that it's just a normal part of my life, I've learnt to floss like a pro and brush gently but thoroughly and my routine only takes about 10 minutes now maximum.
I'm on my last set for this round, number 33. I get my refinements in a few weeks. The first 4 or 5 sets were the most painful movements, then I had hardly any pain at all until the last 4. So the first 4 and the last 4 for me were the most painful, I'm sure yours will stop being so sore soon.

But I think my number one piece of advice is definitely the removing thing. If you have certain teeth that are particularly hard to remove the aligners from, like they are super clicked in and stuck on these teeth, definitely try and pop them out by putting your finger nail between the tooth and the aligner and gently push out and up.
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Beaujolais
Posts: 5
Joined: Fri Feb 02, 2018 2:22 pm

Re: How long is your brush/cleaning routine with Invisalign?

#3 Post by Beaujolais »

Thanks so much for taking the time to offer great advice. I'm going to keep trying to get my trays off as you described. I guess my fingernails are kind of soft, they aren't strong enough to loosen the trays. Maybe I just need more practice. I've seen some little tools advertised that are designed to help remove tight trays. Do you know anything about those? I don't want to damage the trays, of course. I was glad to read that you found the trays to be sturdier that you thought they would be. I've been concerned about breaking them, too. I don't know how you've survived so many attachments...the eight I have are driving me nuts! They are so rough with the trays off, and they make it uncomfortable to chew. A friend suggested using wax, but I was worried about getting it all off. Are your attachments rough? Mine feel like pieces of gravel!

Beemur
Posts: 62
Joined: Sun Mar 26, 2017 10:11 pm

Re: How long is your brush/cleaning routine with Invisalign?

#4 Post by Beemur »

Ohh yes, they sell these little hook-like tools, I think you can even get some on Amazon pretty cheap, a lot of people seem to use them instead of their fingernails, it's probably a lot easier with one of those tools. Some of my attachments were quite rough, others I got lucky on and they were really smooth, I think they wore down a tiny bit though over time and weren't so sharp after a couple of months after eating different kinds of food, I think at first because I could only eat soft-ish foods it wasn't as good for wearing away the really sharp bits, but the glue from the attachments drove me insane. I got all my attachments off yesterday and got rescanned for my refinements! Getting them grinded off wasn't anywhere near as scary as I thought it would be, it didn't hurt at all and that's even with my super sensitive teeth. Good luck with your journey, I'm sure you'll love your results, it's all worth it in the end :jump:
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