Invisalign trays are made of dental-grade plastic. They are designed to last a certain amount of time before being thrown away and replaced with the next set in the lineup of treatment. If yours are turning yellow, your FL Orlando orthodontist at Dr. Dann Orthodontics has several questions for you. Be sure to see him or another qualified orthodontist at the office if your Invisalign trays are turning yellow.
How Old Are Your Trays?
It's a fair question. If you have worn your current trays beyond the time your FL Orlando orthodontist's prescribed time, the trays may be too old and worn out. When that happens, they won't be effectively correcting your teeth anymore. You probably should have seen an orthodontist according to your treatment plan to get the next set and throw out this set that is now yellowing.
What Are You Drinking?
Coffee, tea, colas, and cocoa will yellow your liner trays. Even if you brush your Invisalign products before insertion and after removal, these drinks will still be yellow as a result of drinking these drinks and forgetting to take them out. At this point, you will just have to continue to remember to remove and brush them and brush your teeth after these dark-colored drinks.
The best practice is to not drink any of these beverages at all, but that is a hard sell for people who love their caffeine. Do your best until your next appointment to get your next set of trays/liners.
Also, What Are You Eating?
Likewise, some of the foods you eat that can stain natural teeth will stain your Invisalign trays. Your orthodontist at the adult orthodontics in Orlando should have given you a list of foods to avoid. If you can't avoid those foods, be sure to remove your invisible braces, brush your teeth after eating, and brush the braces prior to reinsertion. They should yellow far less if you follow these practices.
Smokers and Tobacco Users Have Extra Worries
If you smoke, chew tobacco, etc., your liners will yellow very quickly. As with food and drink, take your invisible braces out to enjoy your tobacco products. Brush your teeth before reinserting. Otherwise, the tobacco will yellow your Invisalign trays faster than anything else.
Other Things You Can Do to Keep Your Invisalign Trays Clearer
You can avoid many of the things that turn your invisible braces yellow. You can also visit your orthodontist often, frequently brush and clean the trays with toothpaste, replace them as outlined in your treatment plan, and ask for a duplicate set if the trays are yellow ahead of schedule. This latter option will cost you extra as it isn't included in most treatment plans. So, it is just easier to avoid everything your orthodontist tells you to and keep everything clean.
Duplicate sets of trays/liners are rather costly. Prevention is free. It's worth keeping this in mind before you drink, eat, smoke, or chew tobacco.
Get Further Advice from Adult Orthodontics in Orlando
If you are following everything your orthodontist has been advising you to do, and your Invisalign trays are still yellowing, ask Dr. Dann what else you can do. Your next appointment for adult orthodontics in Orlando is the perfect time to ask!