Easy Tips for Keeping your Invisalign® Clear Aligners Clean

If you've chosen Invisalign® to correct issues with your smile, then you’re probably already aware of many of the benefits Invisalign® has over traditional braces. Invisalign® can correct many of the same orthodontic issues as traditional braces, without some of the cumbersome hassles. For example, if you choose Invisalign® over braces, you won’t have to deal with showing off wires, brackets, and rubber bands every time you smile. For a child, colorful rubber bands and brackets probably aren't a big deal, but for adults who might need braces, it can be huge.

In this case, Invisalign® is a game changer. If you choose this discrete treatment to correct your bite issues, your friends and family probably won’t even notice you’re wearing them. One of the biggest advantages of Invisalign® over braces, however, is that it doesn't limit the foods and drinks you can enjoy. Braces, on the other hand, limit what you can eat and drink because of the hassle of cleaning your teeth when you’re wearing braces.

Cleaning your Invisalign® clear aligners is a breeze, and we’d like to share a handful of tips with you that we've picked up throughout the years we've been offering Invisalign® in Roanoke.

Be Gentle

Invisalign® aligners are made from tough thermoplastic material. They will withstand a great deal of wear and tear, but be gentle with them. Unlike traditional braces, Invisalign® clear aligners are not made out of metal. To remove any lingering food particles, simply use a soft toothbrush on the aligners. Many Invisalign®-certified dentists recommend using a tiny dab of regular, non-whitening toothpaste if food particles are sticking to your aligners. Be careful to use toothpaste that is not too abrasive, and to be extra careful when you’re scrubbing your aligners; you can scratch the surface, which will make your Invisalign® aligners not-so-invisible.

Soaking Your Aligners

If your aligners begin to smell and the smell persists after using a toothbrush on your aligners, it may be necessary to soak them in a cleaning solution. Please consult with us before you do, as many solutions you’ll read about on the Internet can actually stain your aligners, making them less clear and more noticeable during wear.

Make Sure to Brush and Floss Before Putting Your Aligners Back In

If possible, you should brush and floss your teeth each time you remove your aligners. In fact, the only thing that should change with your oral healthcare routine, if you get Invisalign®, is the few minutes you should spend each day making sure your aligners are clean.

Use these basic tips to keep your aligners clean, but if you have additional questions about the care of your Invisalign® clear aligners, please feel free to contact us.

Making Sense of Dental Phobias

It's no surprise that a significant number of adults fear the dentist. By some estimates, as much as 75 percent of the adult population in the United States lives with a dental fear ranging from mild to severe. The Journal of the American Dental Association released a study some time ago that estimated as much as 12 percent of adults avoid regular dental care because of a paralyzing fear of visiting a dental office.

At Cave Spring Dental Arts, we have seen many different shades of dental fear and we don't think it should keep anyone from getting the oral healthcare they deserve. It's one of the reasons we began offering sedation dentistry at our Roanoke, VA dental practice. Currently, we offer two different forms of sedation dentistry: oral conscious sedation and nitrous oxide.

We would like to spend this blog post, however, exploring some of the common reasons for dental fear in hopes that understanding your fear may help you to eventually overcome it.

Here are some of the most common reasons adults are afraid of the dentist:

1. Fear of the Unknown 

Most dental phobias and fears are formed because of a negative childhood experience with a dentist. The great news is that, as human beings, we don't naturally fear the dentist. What we do fear, though, is the unknown.

At Cave Spring Dental Arts, if you're a nervous dental patient, we will take notice. Some of the ways we mitigate your discomfort is by examining you with the door open, to avoid feelings of claustrophobia. We may also pick our dental instruments up a little slower, or spend a few extra minutes explaining the procedure before we begin the work. We don't want your fear to dictate your visit, and we'll work with you to ensure your comfort. And, as always, if you prefer, we have sedation dentistry options available to give you a tranquil, peaceful dental visit.

2. Fear of Dental Equipment

Some of our dental equipment  makes noises, and some of it, well, you may have no idea what it's for. If a fear of dental instruments is making your visit to our Roanoke dental practice uncomfortable, we have several methods to calm you. One of the things we like to do for our patients is give them a sense of control. We do this by explaining what the instrument is used for, and how we will use it for the procedure we're performing. If you'd like, we can also allow you to hold the instrument so that you can see there is nothing to be frightened of when it's in our skillful hands.

3. Fear of Heightened Gag Reflex 

Some patients fear the dentist because they have a very sensitive gag reflex. While we can't control your gag reflex, we can make it less sensitive with the use of sedation dentistry. In fact, some patients with sensitive gag reflexes opt for sedation dentistry simply so they can get more dental work done when they visit us. If you have a sensitive gag reflex, ask us how we can make your visit significantly more comfortable with oral conscious or nitrous sedation dentistry.

If you have questions about sedation dentistry, or if you're a nervous patient and want to know how sedation dentistry can be used to make your visit more productive and comfortable, please contact us. If you're ready to make an appointment with our Roanoke sedation dentistry practice, you can also use our convenient online appointment request form.

Welcome to our Cave Spring Dental Arts blog!

We're excited to announce the official launch of our Cave Spring Dental Arts blog.

We'll be posting helpful dental tips, news from the dental industry, news from our practice, and more about the latest in dentistry.

We built our practice on the notion that we're there for our patients when they need us and we want our online presence to be a reflection of that principle. We hope this blog provides an extra level of service to our current and future patients.

If you would like to stay up to date on the latest from Cave Spring Dental Arts, simply click the RSS “Subscribe to feed” link located at the top of the page and subscribe. Our subscribers will be updated when we make a new post.

Here's to your best oral health ever!