When the outbreak of COVID-19 started to become serious, one of the main recommendations was to avoid touching your mouth or face. Many quickly realized just how much they touched their faces as they tried to break the habit. Those who were in the middle of Invisalign didn’t have much choice but to touch their mouths at least a few times a day.
If you’re considering Invisalign treatment, you likely already know you can take your aligning trays out as needed. In fact, you have to take them out anytime you’re consuming anything that isn’t water. Does that mean you can’t get Invisalign until after the COVID-19 crisis has passed? Of course not.
You simply have to be a little extra precautious with cleaning and handling your alignment trays. Proper cleaning has always been a critical part of having Invisalign. Now, it’s more important than ever.
Handling Your Invisalign Trays During COVID-19
As we already mentioned, your aligners need to be removed from your mouth any time you’re consuming something that’s not water. Because you need to make sure to have your trays in your mouth at least 20 hours a people, people have to be a little strategic when they eat food, drink a cup of coffee, etc. With COVID-19 going around, you may want to consolidate meals and beverages further.
Before removing your aligner trays from your mouth, you should wash your hands with soap for at least 20 seconds. Alternatively, hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol should suffice. With clean hands, you can now remove your trays from your teeth. Do not lay them on the nearest surface. Instead, you should either place them in water/cleaning solution to soak or rinse them off and place them in a sealed container.
When you’re ready to put your trays back in, you should first rinse your mouth out to remove any foreign particles. Then, wash your hands once more, rinse your trays off again, and place them back in your mouth.
While that may sound like a little bit of a hassle, it quickly becomes routine. And with events being cancelled, and many public attractions still being closed, you won’t have to worry too much about going out with Invisalign. Generally, you’ll be handling this process within the comfort of your own home.
In fact, it’s because of those reasons that now might be the best time to start orthodontic treatment. We can’t tell you how long COVID-19 safety measures will last, but we can tell you that you can have your best smile in about 12-18 months with Invisalign or braces.
For Invisalign treatment in Springfield, Bellefontaine, or Beavercreek, Ohio, contact Dhingra Orthodontics today!
