If you’re getting Invisalign, you’re probably focused on its cosmetic function. After all, the procedure’s most popular purpose is to straighten your teeth. By doing so, it’ll transform your crooked smile and make it more beautiful than ever! Still, you shouldn’t lose sight of your oral health during the straightening process. It turns out that flossing with Invisalign is vital to your treatment too. That said, here’s a summary of why to floss with aligners and steps for doing it correctly.
Why Should Invisalign Involve Flossing?
Because you’ll wear your aligners for 22 hours each day, your covered teeth will be at risk of accumulated bacteria. Even worse, unaligned teeth don’t let toothbrush bristles fully reach between them. Given these factors, leftover food and plaque could cause problems with your treatment. You wouldn’t want to suffer cavities or gum disease before the straightening is finished, right?
Flossing is the best way to clean unaligned, overlapping teeth. It removes leftover food from tight gaps and breaks up harmful plaque. Using floss, then, will reduce the chance that an oral condition interrupts, delays, or halts your trays’ work.
The Steps to Flossing with Invisalign
To benefit from flossing, you’ll need the proper technique. That said, follow these instructions to floss well before re-inserting your aligners:
#1 – Remove Your Aligners
To prepare things, remove your aligners. Soak them while you eat so they’re clean and bacteria-free afterward.
#2 – Brush & Rinse
Flossing alone won’t remove all the mouth debris from a meal. That said, you should brush your teeth and rinse with mouthwash first. That way, you’ll eliminate many food particles that floss can’t reach.
#3 – Floss Your Teeth
As you probably know, flossing involves a thin string that glides between teeth to remove food, plaque, tartar, etc. The process should look something like this:
- Wrap the ends of the string around your fingers, leaving a few inches to work between your teeth.
- Glide your floss between your pearly whites and up towards the gum line.
- Work the string between them into a “C” shape and use an up-down motion.
- Repeat the three earlier steps until you’ve cleaned all your teeth.
Even if your goal is straighter teeth, that won’t happen unless they’re healthy as well. Talk to your local dentist for more oral health tips to help your Invisalign journey.
About the Practice
Galleria Dental is based in Springfield, MO. As led by Dr. Eric L. Tolliver, the practice emphasizes superior dental care for its patients. As such, its staff offers preventive, cosmetic, and restorative dentistry, including emergency dental treatments. They’re also certified to provide Invisalign orthodontics. Whether you need a checkup or a tooth replacement, Galleria Dental can do the job. For more information or to book an appointment, you can reach them at their website or by phone at (417)-887-5757.