How to Keep Your Smile Bright While You’re in Invisalign

A perfectly symmetrical smile is one of the best ways to help your teeth look their best. But so does having the right color of tooth enamel! If you’re concerned about dental staining, there’s great news. You have whitening options available during Invisalign treatment. With the right home care and whitening approach, there are easy ways to avoid tooth stains with Invisalign, no matter what stage of treatment you’re in.

Drink Plenty of Water

Water is the only thing that’s safe to drink while you’re wearing your Invisalign trays, so drink up! Water is a natural cleanser, helping flush away bacteria and stain-causing food debris throughout the day. It’s not safe to drink other liquids—such as tea and coffee—without taking out your aligners. Otherwise, the stains can build up on the trays and your teeth, causing unnecessary discoloration.

Clean Your Aligners Properly

Abrasive toothpaste or baking soda can scratch your aligners and dental work, causing microscopic areas that catch additional stain particles. For best results, always use an approved cleanser to clean your Invisalign trays. Soaking it in an effervescent cleanser then brushing away the residue works best.

Add in a Whitening Treatment

AlignBar offers professional whitening gels that work gentler, faster, and are more effective than anything you can buy online or in stores. Our concentrated products are safe enough to pair with your Invisalign trays, allowing you to whiten and straighten your teeth at the same time.

Since you’ll be wearing your Invisalign trays most of the time anyway, incorporating a professional whitening treatment is easy. Simply apply the gel once a day (most people prefer the evenings before bedtime) and keep it in for the prescribed length of time. That might be an hour, or it could be overnight, depending on which gel we recommend. Once you take it out, rinse your teeth and trays, then continue wearing them like normal.

Whitening Options Available During Invisalign Treatment

The most effective way to whiten your teeth while you’re wearing Invisalign trays is to use a bleaching gel that comes straight from your dentist’s office. These ingredients are more concentrated, similar to how over-the-counter vs. prescription medications work.

Since you can’t wear whitening strips during orthodontic treatment, the best application method is placing the gel directly into your Invisalign tray. If you’re getting Invisalign in downtown San Diego, your aligners can double as bleaching trays.

Wearing custom whitening trays—or in this case, Invisalign aligners—ensures maximum contact time with your teeth. With a fitted tray system, you only need a small amount of gel as it’s evenly dispersed across each of your teeth. The tighter fit of an Invisalign aligner keeps the whitening ingredients right where they need to be, targeting discoloration across the various curves of your smile.

“How Long Until I See Results?”

Whitening during Invisalign treatment is similar to other professional tray systems. Usually, you’ll begin to see an improvement in your tooth color within a few days. After one session per day, full results are typically visible in about 10-14 days.

The great thing about whitening during Invisalign treatment is that you can touch up anytime necessary. We recommend a few whitening sessions at least once every six months (after having your teeth cleaned). If you drink a lot of coffee, tea, or red wine, you might consider touching up as often as every 3-4 months.

A Safe, Cost-Effective Smile Makeover

Our dental clinic in Downtown San Diego provides invisible aligner systems like Invisalign as well as teeth whitening under one roof, providing you with a smile and a cost-effective way to improve your smile’s appearance. When your teeth are straighter and brighter, they’ll naturally look better than ever, with no extra dental work required.

Already wearing Invisalign? Interested in whitening your smile or finding out if clear aligners are right for you? Call AlignBar today to request a consultation.