HOW DO I CLEAN AND TAKE CARE OF MY ALIGNERS?
HOW DO I CLEAN AND TAKE CARE OF MY ALIGNERS?
TROUBLE SHOOTING From DIGITAL ORTHODONTICS - Solo Edition by Dr. Bak Nguyen
Basically, the easiest way and the cheapest way is to brush your aligners as soon as you remove them from your mouth using with your normal toothbrush and toothpaste. You don't need anything fancy.
Actually, the plastic in itself won't smell. What will is the saliva that accumulates and dries off on the aligners that is responsible for any smell. Since you are putting the back in your mouth, hygiene is key. Wash off that saliva before it dries off and leaves residue harder to clean.
For more fancy stuff, you can buy cleaning crystals from the invisalign company, those are working very well, only you will need to spend the extra dollars for those. Do or do not use the crystals, that is your choice. You still need to clean them though.
What I can tell you is that all my patients who start using the cleaning crystals grew quickly addicted to that magic stuff. If you are willing to spend the extra dollars, the cleaning crystals are a charm.
For the rest of us, keep brushing them with your normal toothbrush and toothpaste, inside and out (brushing your aligners now takes even more time than brushing your teeth).