Smelly Invisalign trays
Moderator: bbsadmin
Smelly Invisalign trays
It is my first day wearing trays and I have brushed my teeth 5 times so far and dunked my tray in mouthwash when I was eating but when I pull it off my teeth, it smells. I don't normally have bad breath and have never had to deal with this in the past. Is it trapped saliva or do I need to treat my teeth or the trays differently? When they are in, I don't notice a smell but just on the trays after removal. Any help would be great bearing in mind I have about 10 months of this to look forward to!!
-
TTplasticmouth
- Posts: 15
- Joined: Mon Sep 17, 2007 9:45 am
- Location: New York
I was told I could use listerine pocket paks (little dissolvable pieces) while my liners are in my mouth between brushing for breath issues. No Altoids or tic tacs because the chemicals could stain the liners? Also I cannot use mouth wash while the liners are in my mouth. They said also not to soak the liners for the same reason. I just use a small amount of toothpaste and my toothbrush. They sell special crystals (from Invisalign) to soak and clean your liners--looked expensive. My dentist also said no to denture cleaner (he has done over 100 cases, and he is a very friendly neighbor, so I guess I have to trust him).
ukgoofy - it helps to swish with & drink water frequently. Also to drink only water while wearing them. When you remove them, keep them soaking in water as much as possible. I always carried a snap lidded container for this purpose - not as easy for a guy perhaps, but if you can keep one say in your desk at work or wherever, it will make a difference. Seems they are harder to clean completely if they dry out between wearings.
As far as cleaning goes, there's MANY of us that have used a denture tab on a daily basis without any harm to our aligners. I found a house brand here with the same basic ingredients as the national "RetainerBrite" brand - much cheaper, too. That advice not to use any besides Invisalign's system may have stemmed from only wanting to sell that particular brand.
Do not soak your aligners in undiluted mouthwash for any length of time longer than a couple of minutes because they can actually become etched & appear cloudy. Brushing with a stiff toothbrush can scratch them, which concerns some people. I'd recommend using only a soft one, but since the "shinyness" of the trays are what make them most visable (besides the attachments) , I've never seen that as a real problem.
It is also safe to add 2-3 drops of household bleach to about a cup of cool water occasionally to soak your trays in to disinfect them. This helps should you ever come down with a cold or other illness while in treatment.
The day before inserting new trays, soak them overnight in clean water & rinse thoroughly to remove the disinfectant they are packaged with - some have been caused serious irritation from it.
Hope your treament goes well ---
AnneC
As far as cleaning goes, there's MANY of us that have used a denture tab on a daily basis without any harm to our aligners. I found a house brand here with the same basic ingredients as the national "RetainerBrite" brand - much cheaper, too. That advice not to use any besides Invisalign's system may have stemmed from only wanting to sell that particular brand.
Do not soak your aligners in undiluted mouthwash for any length of time longer than a couple of minutes because they can actually become etched & appear cloudy. Brushing with a stiff toothbrush can scratch them, which concerns some people. I'd recommend using only a soft one, but since the "shinyness" of the trays are what make them most visable (besides the attachments) , I've never seen that as a real problem.
It is also safe to add 2-3 drops of household bleach to about a cup of cool water occasionally to soak your trays in to disinfect them. This helps should you ever come down with a cold or other illness while in treatment.
The day before inserting new trays, soak them overnight in clean water & rinse thoroughly to remove the disinfectant they are packaged with - some have been caused serious irritation from it.
Hope your treament goes well ---
AnneC
Cleaning Invisalign Trays and Clear Essix Retainers
To clean Invisalign aligner trays or clear Essix retainers, you could use the following:
-Retainer Brite Tablets
-Denture Tablets
-SonicBrite Cleaning Powder
-Invisalign Cleaning Crystals (the most expenisve option)
Please note that these products are formulated to kill germs and keep the white plaque from forming on the trays.
To freshen your trays but not necessarily clean them, you could soak them in some diluted mouthwash. Some people also talk about a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and water, but I don't know the exact formula. I'm not sure about bleach and water. Bleach certainly does kill germs, but it is very caustic. Of course I'm sure you all know that you should never swallow any bleach or hydrogen peroxide (or any of the other products, for that matter).
Brushing the trays with toothpaste will abrade them and eventually put scratches in them which may turn them cloudy. It is usually not recommended. You could probably brush the Invisalign trays occasionally as long as you aren't wearing one tray for too long, and you use a soft brush and non-abrasive toothpaste (check the ingredients). But you shouldn't brush Essix retainers, because you only get one pair, and if you scratch them you will need to get another pair made if you want totally clear retainers again.
If your trays have a white film that you cannot seem to remove with other methods, I highly suggest the SonicBrite cleaning kit. I have heard from many people who say that it takes the white build-up off their trays or retainers in 2 cleanings, and keeps it away. It is stronger than the other products. Retainer Brite, Denture Tablets and mouthwash are good for maintenance when you don't have any white build-up.
-Retainer Brite Tablets
-Denture Tablets
-SonicBrite Cleaning Powder
-Invisalign Cleaning Crystals (the most expenisve option)
Please note that these products are formulated to kill germs and keep the white plaque from forming on the trays.
To freshen your trays but not necessarily clean them, you could soak them in some diluted mouthwash. Some people also talk about a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and water, but I don't know the exact formula. I'm not sure about bleach and water. Bleach certainly does kill germs, but it is very caustic. Of course I'm sure you all know that you should never swallow any bleach or hydrogen peroxide (or any of the other products, for that matter).
Brushing the trays with toothpaste will abrade them and eventually put scratches in them which may turn them cloudy. It is usually not recommended. You could probably brush the Invisalign trays occasionally as long as you aren't wearing one tray for too long, and you use a soft brush and non-abrasive toothpaste (check the ingredients). But you shouldn't brush Essix retainers, because you only get one pair, and if you scratch them you will need to get another pair made if you want totally clear retainers again.
If your trays have a white film that you cannot seem to remove with other methods, I highly suggest the SonicBrite cleaning kit. I have heard from many people who say that it takes the white build-up off their trays or retainers in 2 cleanings, and keeps it away. It is stronger than the other products. Retainer Brite, Denture Tablets and mouthwash are good for maintenance when you don't have any white build-up.
I'm the owner/admin of this site. Had ceramic uppers, metal lowers ~3 years in my early 40's. Now in Hawley retainers at night!
bbsadmin (Lynne?) - Invisalign's recommendations for daily care/maintenance as outlined in their brochure one receives upon beginning treatment actually instructs using their cleaning system or a soft bristle toothbrush with water or a small amount of toothpaste.
The reason given for not using denture cleaners or soaking in mouthwash is that "these products can damage the surface of the aligner, causing it to become dull and more visible." In my experience, dulling was never a problem - there was never any noticeable difference. Again - it's their high shine that makes them more visible.
Upon researching I did find out that Invisalign's cleaning crystals contain sodium hypochlorite (= bleach). Almost all the other brands contain citric acid + sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) which combined make it "fizz". I did get that tip of adding a few drops to a cup of water from an ortho's website - just can't find the danged links again.
Invisalign Retainers are made from a different thermal plastic than the Essix brand - (that boring info is posted on my blog should anyone care about the technicalities) so I cannot advise on the Essix. I only know what has worked in my experience.
Have been brushing my Invisalign brand Retainers with a soft brush/toothpaste 2x day and using a denture tab each morning for almost 5 months. Wore them round the clock for the first 3 months & am wearing them 12 hours/day now. So far - so good. No issues with clouding or etching or scratching & they're still sparkly clean. I do attribute that being easier since they are almost always in water when I'm not wearing them.
Anyways - hope all that helps you ukgoofy & all you Invisaligners.
The reason given for not using denture cleaners or soaking in mouthwash is that "these products can damage the surface of the aligner, causing it to become dull and more visible." In my experience, dulling was never a problem - there was never any noticeable difference. Again - it's their high shine that makes them more visible.
Upon researching I did find out that Invisalign's cleaning crystals contain sodium hypochlorite (= bleach). Almost all the other brands contain citric acid + sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) which combined make it "fizz". I did get that tip of adding a few drops to a cup of water from an ortho's website - just can't find the danged links again.
Invisalign Retainers are made from a different thermal plastic than the Essix brand - (that boring info is posted on my blog should anyone care about the technicalities) so I cannot advise on the Essix. I only know what has worked in my experience.
Have been brushing my Invisalign brand Retainers with a soft brush/toothpaste 2x day and using a denture tab each morning for almost 5 months. Wore them round the clock for the first 3 months & am wearing them 12 hours/day now. So far - so good. No issues with clouding or etching or scratching & they're still sparkly clean. I do attribute that being easier since they are almost always in water when I'm not wearing them.
Anyways - hope all that helps you ukgoofy & all you Invisaligners.
-
michelle88
- Posts: 13
- Joined: Sat Sep 29, 2007 11:29 am
Thanks for all of the advice - the good news is that I am now at the end of tray 2 and haven't had an issue with it for a week or so. It must have been my mouth adjusting and me getting used to what cleaning works - a mix of retainerbrite, mouthwash and occasionally giving it a good scrub with a toothbrush!
-
TTplasticmouth
- Posts: 15
- Joined: Mon Sep 17, 2007 9:45 am
- Location: New York
smelly retainers
I am now almost half way through my trays. I brush them with baking soda based tooth paste once daily and then usually a 30 second bath in Listerine and water mix ( in a ziplock) once a day. I brush my teeth minimally 3 times/day with either sensidyne or baking soda based toothpaste. I found Listerine pocket paks are great as is their spray breath mist to sweeten my breath. I drink water almost exclusively too. THE MOST IMPORTANT THING I HAVE DISCOVERED IS FREQUENT FLOSSING; I get so much stuff stuck between my teeth as some gaps are big as my teeth and bite are shifting. Good luck--I am glad I have taken the insalign journey to a better smile. 
I brush my aligners twice a day and other than that just rinse them off when I take them out. I've been wearing the same aligners for about five months now (as retainers) and they're not cloudy or smelly.
The key is just to make sure that they get rinsed off every time you take them out and that your mouth is clean when you put them back in. Usually I try to brush my teeth before putting them back but if I'm in a spot without my toothbrush I just chew some sugarfree gum for a while.
The key is just to make sure that they get rinsed off every time you take them out and that your mouth is clean when you put them back in. Usually I try to brush my teeth before putting them back but if I'm in a spot without my toothbrush I just chew some sugarfree gum for a while.