Clear Aligner Storage Dos and Don’ts

Since clear aligners are removable, you may assume that removability means less maintenance than fixed appliances. After all, you aren’t constantly picking out food debris from any wires or brackets, so that means easier, more effortless care, right?

Clear aligner care demands a responsible, highly-disciplined care regimen that you shouldn’t neglect. Conversely, it’s equally (if not more) important to care for them out of your mouth as it is to care for them within your mouth.

Aligner damage and losses can sometimes be an unavoidable occurrence, but the risk of this happening can usually be mitigated by following necessary storage precautions and avoiding simple mistakes.

Even the most trivial slip-ups in a two-hour timeframe could set your treatment back several more hours. Here are some dos and don’ts behind proper aligner storage and removal care.

Researchers have identified over 700 different species of bacteria that live inside the human mouth. Most of these species are harmless, but saliva can sometimes transmit numerous infectious diseases, including:

• Mono
• Colds
• Flus
• Hepatitis
• Strep bacteria

You don’t want your aligner appliances to become a Petri-dish for these germs, nor for plaque. That’s why it’s so crucial to follow a three-step process every time you remove your clear aligners:

1. Rinsing the saliva, plaque, and additional contaminants out with warm water
2. Gently brushing the aligners using a non-toxic, non-abrasive cleaner for good measure
3. Rinsing and drying, to prevent moisture buildup

It’s not good to let moisture stay on the appliance, as bacteria thrive in moist environments. To prevent this, it’s a good practice to let the aligner tray air-dry before storage. Additionally, stick to using aligner containers with small vent holes, as those can also help facilitate air drying before storage.

This is fairly common sense but one that can easily be taken for granted. Leaving aligners out in the open flippantly leaves them exposed to being lost, stolen, stepped on, misplaced, contaminated, or damaged. You might think you’re immune to mistakes like this but there is a myriad of scenarios where clear aligners could be left out in the open and misplaced:

• Sports: If you play high-contact sports, you should swap out your clear aligner for a robust, durable mouthguard. Be careful not to misplace one for the other though; both mouthguards and aligners serve their respective roles well, but not interchangeably. Don’t make that mistake, and don’t leave them behind in the locker room.
• Restaurants: If you’re out grabbing a meal and realize you left your aligner case at home, you might be tempted to wrap the aligner tray in a napkin, paper towel, or cloth tissue. Wrapping aligners like this is never an advisable idea. With the appliance out of sight, it’s far too easy for you or your server to leave it out of mind and accidentally throw it out with the tissue.
• Regions: Areas near high heat, humidity, and again, a pet’s reach, are NOT ideal storage locations for removable clear aligners. Humidity can warp the plastic of the aligners and containers, as can a dog’s powerful bite. Always do your due diligence to minimize the appliance’s proximity to these potential hazards.
• Loose pockets: If your case is stored in a loose pocket, then it’s possible that the container could tumbler from your pocket on public transit, or anywhere outside unbeknownst to you. Since you’re hustling to get from point A to B, it’s surprisingly easy to lose your aligners in the shuffle, which is why investing a little extra money and effort in a go-bag is so important. Even when not going anywhere, be mindful about not having your aligners fall out on a couch or chair, where they’re free to be unsuspectingly sat on.

This standard is common sense, but still remarkably easy to overlook and unconsciously ignore. After all, most people probably don’t monitor their precise aligner removal over a stopwatch. But if you’re a frequent snacker, smoker, or non-water drinker who would constantly remove trays to do so, then you could overstep that two-hour removal time limit without realizing it.

Storing them out of your mouth any longer than that will impede treatment compliance and can set progress considerably far back. Additionally, if you are a frequent snacker or smoker, then the orthodontist may conclude that you aren’t an ideal clear aligner candidate to begin with. It’s advisable to work on curtailing those habits before seeking clear aligner treatment, if possible.