Invisalign treatment is an effective orthodontic method that many people choose over traditional braces due to its comfort of use. But can Invisalign cause cavities? In this article, we answer this question and offer tips to help you avoid oral health issues when wearing Invisalign.

Can Invisalign Cause Cavities?

Invisalign aligners themselves can not cause cavities. However, the risk of cavities may increase when wearing Invisalign if your oral hygiene is insufficient. Let us discuss why this might be the case.

If you do not brush and floss your teeth effectively, food debris, plaque, and bacteria can get trapped under your aligners. For the treatment to be effective, you are supposed to wear your aligners for at least 22 hours a day, during which saliva and water you drink do not naturally clean your teeth or wash away food and bacteria. This creates the perfect environment for bacterial proliferation, which in turn leads to cavities.

Thus, to avoid cavities during your Invisalign orthodontic treatment, it is essential to maintain impeccable oral hygiene.

How to Avoid Cavities When Wearing Invisalign

Let us look at the essential steps of an effective oral hygiene routine when wearing Invisalign.

Always Clean Your Mouth After Meals

One of the biggest mistakes is to put Invisalign aligners back in your mouth without brushing your teeth after meals. You should have a traveling oral hygiene kit with you at all times and thoroughly brush and floss your teeth after every meal.

Keep Your Aligners Clean

The main rules of keeping your Invisalign aligners clean include:

Always rinse your aligners thoroughly before putting them back in your mouth, making sure to remove as much saliva as possible. You can use unscented soap in addition if rinsing with just water is not enough.
Soak your Invisalign aligners in a solution of special cleaning crystals diluted in warm water every evening for 15 to 30 minutes.
Clean your aligners thoroughly twice a day (in the morning and after soaking in the evening) with a soft-bristle toothbrush and unscented soap.
Do not forget to clean your aligner container every evening, just as you clean the aligners.

Brush and Floss Your Teeth Correctly

When wearing Invisalign, you need to ensure you remove plaque and food debris from your teeth daily. An effective oral hygiene routine typically consists of the following steps:

Spend two full minutes brushing your teeth twice a day (30 seconds for each side of the lower and upper arches).
Brush your teeth on the front, back, and chewing surfaces, making sure you clean well at the back of your mouth.
Pay special attention to cleaning along the gumline. Choose a soft or medium-soft toothbrush that effectively removes plaque without harming your gums. Hold your toothbrush at a 45-degree angle to your gums and use small circular motions.
Use toothpaste containing fluoride to help remineralise and strengthen the enamel, making it more resistant to bacteria and less prone to cavities.
Start your evening routine with a water flosser to help loosen plaque and food debris and clean hard-to-reach areas of the mouth. Then continue with traditional flossing (a water flosser can boost the effectiveness of your routine but cannot replace traditional flossing).

Get an Orthodontic Treatment at Dentist Mission Viejo

If you are considering an orthodontic treatment, schedule a consultation with an experienced dentist at Dentist Mission Viejo. Our specialists will carefully evaluate your case to offer you an effective solution. We are looking forward to your visit.