Caring for your Invisalign aligners during flu season doesn’t usually cross a patient’s mind unless they become ill. While those with traditional braces don’t have many steps they need to add to their usual wellness routine during this time of year, those with removable aligners need to keep a few extra things in mind when it comes to not only using but caring for their aligners and remaining healthy.
3 Tips for Caring for Your Invisalign Aligners During Flu Season
If you are practicing good hygiene and have a solid wellness plan in place year-round, you shouldn’t have to worry about adding proper care techniques to your routine during the cold and flu season. However, if you are trying to be extra cautious during this time, here are three tips to help you care for your aligners during the colds and the flu season.
1. Practice Good Personal Hygiene
While proper personal hygiene practices are essential while using Invisalign aligners year-round to avoid introducing bacteria and germs into your mouth, it becomes vital during cold and flu season. You want to be more aware of when you are removing your aligners, where you are placing them, how you are cleaning them, and be mindful of keeping your hands clean both before and after handling them.
Make sure you are properly cleaning and maintaining your Invisalign aligners during flu season so that you aren’t introducing the virus in through your mouth via your aligners. This also means properly washing your hands throughout the day to ensure that you aren’t passing the virus from your hands to your aligners.
2. Avoid Removing Your Aligners in Public
While this can be tricky for those who must wear their aligners out to work, school, and a variety of functions, it is essential to avoid removing them unnecessarily. The only time you should remove your Invisalign aligners during flu season while out in public is when you are about to eat. Make sure you have clean hands and avoid placing them on unsanitized surfaces. Carry your aligner case with you, keep it clean, and place your aligners in them when you must remove them for eating.
3. You Can Remove Aligners Should They Interfere with Your Symptoms
While being sick doesn’t require you to stop wearing your aligners (in fact, you should continue to wear them to avoid any unnecessary changes in your alignment), if your symptoms are being magnified by the use of your aligners, then you can remove them until your symptoms are under control.
Troublesome symptoms can include:
- Vomiting
- Sinus pain, which can be felt in the mouth and cheeks
- Headaches
Invisalign in Sioux Falls Made Simple with VanLaecken Orthodontics
Caring for your Invisalign aligners during flu season isn’t complicated. However, if you have any questions, you should make sure to talk with your Sioux Falls Invisalign orthodontist to be fully educated on what you should and shouldn’t be doing during the cold and flu season.
Source: “Caring for Your Invisalign Aligners During Flu Season,” Advanced Orthodontics