Whether you’re not a regular flosser, or you simply aren’t sure how to floss properly with your clear aligners, adding this step to your oral hygiene routine is essential during Invisalign treatment. That’s because despite your removable trays allowing you unprecedented freedom while you straighten your smile, keeping your teeth and gums clean when you wear aligners is of the utmost importance.
Here’s why (and how) you should floss your teeth during your Invisalign treatment!
The Importance of Flossing
Flossing your teeth is an important step in your oral care routine, whether you are undergoing Invisalign treatment or not. Flossing between teeth can remove about 30 percent of the plaque and food debris you cannot reach with a toothbrush alone. This can help protect your teeth from cavities and decay, and your gums from gum disease.
During Invisalign treatment, flossing is even more important than usual. This is because you need to wear your aligners for a minimum of 20 to 22 hours each day. Because they cover your teeth, if they’re not cleaned properly, your aligners will essentially trap food, bacteria, and plaque against and between your teeth for hours at a time without any way to rinse it free. This can easily increase your risk of developing cavities and gum disease. Thus, your treatment requires you to remove your aligners while eating and drinking anything besides room temperature water, and to brush your teeth well before putting them back on. If you only drink a beverage, you do not need to floss; however, with Invisalign you need to floss your teeth every time you eat, even if it’s just a snack.
How to Floss with Invisalign
Thankfully, flossing your teeth with Invisalign trays is much easier than doing so with traditional braces. Thankfully, you do not need to worry about threading floss around wires or brackets. To get a proper cleaning, follow these steps:
Step 1: Select your dental floss. Remove a string that’s about 18cm long
Step 2: Wrap the ends of the floss around your fingers, leaving a few inches of it free to use between your teeth.
Step 3: Begin by gliding the floss between your teeth slowly upwards toward the gumline.
Step 4: Move the floss between your teeth, creating an up and down “c” motion with it.
Step 5: As you complete the process between each tooth, move the floss down so you have a fresh section to begin with the next tooth. Repeat this until you have cleaned each of your teeth, even the ones with larger gaps between them.
Step 6: Rinse your mouth well with water, and then put your aligners back in your mouth.
Remember, keeping your teeth and gums clean and healthy is an essential step to protect your smile 365 days a year, whether you’re undergoing Invisalign treatment or not, but when you wear aligners, it is very important to keep them clean, so your smile stays healthy and strong all year long!
About Our Practice
At Lake Nona Dental Group, we’re proud to offer oral health care for patients of all ages. Whether it’s your baby’s first checkup, you need a restorative treatment, or you or your teen would like a straighter, more beautiful smile with the help of Invisalign, our team of skilled dentists is here to help.
Invisalign is a convenient, comfortable, and effective way to align your bite without the need for traditional braces. It offers unprecedented ease of use, but for your treatment to be successful, you’ll need to work to keep your teeth healthy and strong. To learn more about Invisalign, please schedule a consultation with us today by visiting our website or calling us at 407-277-1779 in Orlando, or 407-887-1778 in St. Cloud.
