Dental Care During Invisalign Treatment

When it hit the market over 20 years ago, Invisalign revolutionized orthodontic treatment. The clear plastic aligners, nearly invisible on your teeth, make it possible for you to straighten your teeth discreetly. You won’t just maintain confidence in your smile during the treatment process, you’ll actively grow more confident because you’ll get to see the results clearly as they happen. This works wonders for your confidence throughout the treatment process, especially because you’ll get to see the results clearly as they happen. Since they’re removable and don’t have metal brackets for orthodontists to adjust, the aligners also require fewer appointments at the dentist than traditional braces do.

This doesn’t mean that going to the dentist when you have Invisalign isn’t important—far from it! When you have Invisalign, paying attention to your oral hygiene routine and keeping your regular hygiene appointments with a Lakeway family dentist is more important than ever. It impacts the health and appearance of your teeth as well as the success of your Invisalign treatment. Here are a few of the reasons it’s so vital that you still go to your hygiene appointment every six months.

Dental care cuts down on buildups of plaque and tartar.

Your saliva plays an essential role in protecting your teeth and gums from decay. It flushes food debris from your mouth and contains antibodies that actively fight against bacteria to protect your tooth enamel. Invisalign aligners fit snugly against your teeth, but that also means sealing them off from saliva and keeping any bacteria on your teeth in an ideal, protected environment for growth. This is why it’s so important for you to brush your teeth after each meal before you put your aligners back in. Proper oral hygiene keeps your teeth and gums healthy and your breath fresh while ensuring that your aligner stays clear!

Over time, though, a film of hardened bacteria called tartar can form on your teeth. This happens whether you have Invisalign or not, but letting it sit on your teeth makes those spots more vulnerable to decay. Tartar is hard enough that you can’t get it off simply by brushing your teeth at home—but your dentist can remove it! Scheduling a regular oral hygiene appointment with your dentist in Lakeway allows them to clean the plaque and tartar from your teeth. If Dr. Tomasik notices spots in your mouth that you aren’t cleaning quite as well, he can also point these out, helping you to do a better job with your daily routine. As a result, this appointment actively helps you fight decay and can be vital to helping you fight decay at home, too.

Your hygiene appointment helps prevent cavities and gum disease.

Invisalign aligners are custom-made for you using precise digital scans. They’re designed to fit the shape of your natural teeth snugly, each new aligner slowly shifting your teeth into the right position. If you get a cavity while you’re undergoing treatment with Invisalign braces, it needs to be addressed before it gets worse—but getting a filling can change the shape of your tooth, affecting how your aligners fit. Getting gum disease can similarly disrupt your Invisalign treatment, so it’s more vital than ever to take steps to prevent cavities and gum disease.

Regular hygiene appointments help Dr. Tomasik spot problem areas you before they develop into cavities, alert you to places in your mouth that you need to floss or brush a little better, and give you advice about how you can adjust your at-home oral hygiene routine to better fit your unique dental needs. If there is any decay, these regular appointments help ensure that he’ll find it early. This means you’ll need a smaller filling, which is likely to have a smaller impact on the way your aligners fit.

Consistent dental care helps avoid decalcification.

Decalcification is the formation of white spots on your teeth where they have lost calcium during the early stages of decay. While there are ways to get these white spots to fade slightly over time, they’re permanent—kind of like a scar on your tooth. Decalcification can happen during orthodontic treatments using Invisalign or traditional braces, making it another reason that brushing and flossing regularly is so vital throughout your treatment process!

Schedule a cleaning in advance.

Prevention is essential when it comes to your oral health, and one of the most important methods of preventive dental care is visiting Dr. Tomasik for a dental cleaning every six months. In addition to giving you a professional cleaning and spotting potential issues early, Dr. Tomasik can answer any of your oral health questions and recommend dental care products like fluoride mouthwash. The products you use at home can make a big difference in your oral health, and Dr. Tomasik can use his knowledge of your oral health to help you choose the right products for you.

Scheduling your appointment in advance ensures that the time for your regular cleaning won’t sneak up on you or pass you by–you’ll already have an appointment lined up! Plus, it gives you plenty of wiggle room in your calendar, allowing you to pick an appointment day and time that truly works for you. This can make the process of getting to the dentist more convenient than ever!

When you’re undergoing orthodontic treatment with Invisalign, taking great care of your oral health is even more essential than usual. Keeping your teeth and gums healthy throughout the duration of your treatment helps give you the best possible results. You’ll earn a straight, bright smile you can feel truly confident in for a lifetime. If you’re ready to start the process, make sure to schedule your six-month oral hygiene appointment with your Bee Cave dentist right away!