If you are aligning your teeth, or you are wearing clear removable retainers you are going to want to make sure they are clean and free from staining. Aligners and retainers can get plaque and scale build up, and they won’t be very appealing to wear if they are smelly and stained. Plus it is just not hygienic.

Firstly you can’t eat of drink anything other than plain water while wearing your aligners. Food, coffee and juice will stain your aligner and that can be hard to get off.

There are a few options when it comes to aligner care.

1. The simplest and most appropriate is to use a toothbrush and liquid hand soap and COLD water only. Warm or hot water will distort and ruin it! Gently clean the internal and external surfaces, being careful not to distort of bend the plastic too much, Rinse well with cold water and put them back in your mouth, or if you are putting your retainer away, ensure it is dry before placing back in its container. Wet retainers can grow microbes!
2. Residual liquid soap does not taste or smell very pleasant ( it may also trigger childhood memories if you used bad language) An alternative is to use a dedicated oral appliance cleaning gel which will be much more pleasant.
3. Periodically you can use an effervescent cleaning tablet and soak them. This is not necessary to do every day, but can help to shift more engrained stain and build up. Again, using COLD water only, place a tablet and your aligners or retainers into a container and allow to soak for around 20 minutes. Rinse and refit, or dry and store.

1. You can buy compact ultrasonic baths (similar to those that are used to clean jewelry) that are really effective at stain and scale removal.

So fresh, so clean.