Getting through your teeth straightening journey is easy if you know how. Moving teeth is a bit of a process, but the results are well worth it in the end. Here are a few hacks to help you along the way!
You’ll be sharing lots of good times with your clear aligners, so the last thing you want to do is leave them somewhere – think of them like they’re a part of you.
When you go out to eat and you need to take your aligners out, always remember to bring their case. The last thing you want is for them to be scraped off your plate into a bin – or worse, for a poor, unsuspecting waiter to have to touch them.
2. always pack an emergency dental travel kit
Get ready to be the person brushing their teeth in every bathroom. Since it’s best to put your clear aligners over clean teeth, always remember to bring a toothbrush, toothpaste, mouthwash and floss in a mini kit no matter where you go. Bonus: you’ll be minty fresh all day!
3. never chew gum with your aligners in
Trust us on this one. You’re probably going to try it anyway (we’ve all been there), but the end results are pretty gross. You have been warned.
4. experiment with lipstick
Good news, you can still wear lipstick. Bad news, you’ll have to be smart about it. If you love to wear makeup, go for matte shades on the lips. Glosses and high-shine lipsticks can easily transfer to your aligners and they can even stain. Oh, and stay away from glitter. It gets literally everywhere…
5. file down sharp spots
Wearing clear aligners is so much more comfortable than wearing traditional braces. However, from time to time, the plastic may come with a spiky bit. You can fix this quickly and easily at home by filing it!
6. switch before you sleep
Part of the process of wearing clear aligners is that you’ll need to change to your next set after an agreed amount of time. The first day wearing the new set can be challenging, as your teeth are doing their thing working on your straighter smile.
Our solution? Switch before sleeping. That way you’ll sleep off the majority of the pressure.
7. don’t cheat & eat
Look, you may be so, so tempted to eat those lollies or try a bite of that curry while your aligners are still in, but we promise you won’t want to. One of the reasons we love clear aligners so much is because they’re virtually invisible, but one brightly coloured sweet treat could undo all of that.
8. soak, soak, soak
Luckily, if you do happen to stain the aligners, you can simply give them a soak. You can easily refresh your aligners by soaking them in a denture cleaning solution with water.
9. don’t slack on daily wear
To achieve total smile success, stick to 20-22 hours of wear, every single day. The good news is that this will become second nature. But if you’re getting stuck, download a free app like TrayMinder. It tracks how long they’ve been worn each day, and even when you’re due to change them.
10. use your chewies
When our Australian dentists and orthodontists send out your clear aligners, they send out chewies as well. Don’t be fooled – these seemingly innocent pieces of cotton are actually pretty awesome. Chew them for at least five minutes a day to help set the clear aligners into place. That’s how they do their job!
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Dr Luke Cronin
As a graduate of the University of Queensland (2000, 2013) and the University of Sydney (2006), Dr Cronin is one of Australia’s leading cosmetic dentists, specialising in creating stunning new smiles with cutting edge cosmetic dentistry techniques, including clear aligners, whitening and porcelain veneers.
Dr Cronin's work has been showcased in Vogue, Harpers Bazaar and Elle magazine and in 2019 he was awarded Australasian Dentist of the Year by My Face My Body in 2019.
Acknowledged an expert in his field for segments on the Today Show and House of Wellness, Dr Cronin now offers his first-class cosmetic treatments and customer care at smilogy.
