Steer Clear of Tooth Fairy Tales: 2 Myth Busters for Aligner Wearers
Extract the Trooth from Tooth Fairy Fiction!
let's help you
Wearing aligners can feel like you’ve got the brushing police threatening to knock at your door! And all the things you thought you knew about teeth cleaning are suddenly under question.
Healthy Smile Pharmacy helps you:
- Learn when to use mouthwash for optimum teeth and gum protection
- Understand the risks to your teeth of some high-street toothpaste
When should I use mouthwash with aligners? Just after I’ve brushed my teeth, surely?
when you land in the upside down
No. It's tooth fairy fiction.
Just because the adverts show someone in a bathroom, doesn’t mean we should use mouthwash just after we’ve brushed our teeth!
With aligners, you need all the bacteria fighting power you can get. Fluoride’s the perfect guardian when it comes to keeping your teeth strong. Most toothpastes have a higher concentration of fluoride than mouthwash. Some mouthwashes don't even contain fluoride at all! Wait, what?
Rinsing with mouthwash straight after brushing with fluoride toothpaste rinses the higher protection away.
When to use mouthwash with aligners:
time for the facts
Keep teeth protected with a fluoride toothpaste and, in between brushing, swish with VITIS Orthodontic Mouthwash. It’s medical grade, don’t you know! You’ll be fluoride protected and apple-mint fresh. Swish-swoo!
Brush with toothpaste: morning, midday, before bed.
Rinse with mouthwash: mid-morning, mid-afternoon, mid-evening, after drinks other than water.
Can I brush my teeth with charcoal or whitening toothpaste during aligner treatment?
the take down on charcoal
Teeth and gums in aligners are more vulnerable to the effects of plaque. Teeth are also more susceptible to permanent staining. It’s why orthodontic patients become curious about the whitening properties of charcoal toothpaste. But charcoal toothpastes can be damaging to teeth, and ‘their effects on enamel abrasion should not be disregarded'. This is extra true when you’re wearing aligners.
Charcoal toothpaste ‘whitens’ teeth because it is abrasive. It literally scrubs away at surface stains from tooth staining foods and drinks. But it can also scrub away at your tooth enamel. Tooth enamel is the hardest substance in your body, but let’s bust the common myth that it’s as hard as diamonds. It is not. It’s also a non-living tissue so it can’t repair itself.
Choose a Medical Grade Orthodontic Toothpaste:
make all the right decisions at all the right times
Brush with VITIS Orthodontic Toothpaste. Its semi-liquid texture wraps around teeth, coating them with its specialised, remineralising ingredients. Leave thoughts of whitening teeth until your aligner is removed. At that point, a hygienist can scale and polish your teeth and you’re in tip top shape to choose a whitening toothpaste. Don’t forget, many of these, like charcoal toothpastes, can be abrasive.
Avoid this risk by choosing only VITIS medical grade whitening toothpaste once you’ve finished treatment.
If you're feeling really savvy, you can choose our Whitening Revitalise and Protect Kit post treatment to keep the smile celebrations going.
At Healthy Smile Pharmacy, you can arm yourself with the knowledge to keep your teeth in (apple) mint condition.
Falling for the myths? NO! you're a legend!
Before too long, you’ll have that aligned smile to celebrate!
