rinsing after lunch?

[carthy]

hey everyone, i'm new here!
my invisalign trays are arriving in 6 weeks!
i'm starting school again around that time too

i was wondering if you HAVE to brush your teeth after everything?
i definitely will brush thoroughly at home, but at school it will be a hassle having to brush my teeth after i eat.

can i rinse my mouth thoroughly after instead of brushing?
i can even rinse with a mouthwash?
what are the consequences if i do this?

[Sunny]

Hi and welcome carthy!

Good luck with your invisalign treatment! What you must remember is, that anything left on your teeth, will be trapped between the aligner and your teeth ... and this can affect both the enamel on your teeth and the 'colour and smell' of your aligners.

Where I work, we recommend that our clients carry a small container with a travel toothbrush and toothpaste, plus a container of water, so there's never an excuse not to brush. Invisalign does require more discipline than other forms of orthodontic treatment, but the results will be worth the effort.

I personally believe that rinsing your mouth with water is far better than not cleaning it, and if you've been eating or drinking foods with acid in them, rinsing with water is recommended, as you shouldn't brush for 30 minutes after doing that.

Talk to your ortho and listen to what s/he recommends. Take care!

[gap]

Welcome to the world of Invisalign carthy,

I am just about finished my first set of alligners, and I have also had to make the adjustment to cleaning up my mouth after eating while at work. It may be a little uncomfortable at first, but once you get yourself going, it's not a big deal at all.

To answer your question ...is a simple mouth wash rinse acceptable after eating? I think that a good mouthwash would likely clean up the acids/sugars from coating your teeth, but you will still have peices of food stuck between your teeth that you cannot tell are there. Esp on the molars. Bread is bad for that!

I wouldn't feel very clean knowing I have food trapped under the aligners all afternoon. I would recommend doing a floss/brush/mouth rinse after each meal. It may sound like an inconvienience, but you're investing a lot in your smile, and you likely don't want to have any tooth decay or gum disease to accompany your straight teeth at the end.

Here's my after eating at work routine that I find works great, and it's fast.

You can buy what I call 'floss on a stick' which I use after each time I eat at work. It's quick and easy. I floss with that, followed by brushing with a small travel toothbrush, then a Listerene rinse. While rinsing my mouth, I rinse the alligners under cold water. The routine takes 5 min at most, and I know my teeth are in good shape for the rest of the day with the alligners.

I keep all this stuff in a small zip lock bag and keep it in my desk drawer. I am by no means a dental expert...this is just what I have started doing over the past few weeks, and I think it's going well.

..I'm still waiting for someone to notice my alligners as well.

[Zoso]

With the exception of saying that I don't think it's necessary to floss every time you eat, I'd pretty much agree. I'll also say that there are some sorts of snacks where you can probably get away with a good rinse (things that would not get stuck, such as, for example, natural yoghurt) but if you're going to go to the fuss of rinsing with mouthwash, you may as well brush really. Once you get used to it, brushing in an office or public restroom is not embarrassing at all - realise that many people will admire you for the good habit they are seeing!

[myhollywoodsmile]

My orthodontists assistant told me it was ok just to rinse, but to brush as soon as it is convenient. However, I have found that my aligners are a lot less fragrant, shall we say, if I do that. I can really feel the difference in my mouth too.

You can get prepasted brushes, which I guess you could leave in a locker somewhere at school if that would make it easier. I think after a while though you just get used to brushing anywhere. People don't seem to pay too much notice to me and I have brushed everywhere from theme parks to my daughter's school's staff toilets. It does get easier!

Good Luck!

[Blitz]

I'm the same. Since the holidays finished recently I have only had to go to school with them on for a week. I haven't been eating at school though. Firstly because I didn't even bring the case or sanitiser or anything and secondly the toilets are always packed (gay I know) haha so it would be hard to do everything in there. Any tips?

[anijh]

It won't replace using a real toothbrush but how about those new colgate wisp things. It doesn't require water. I probably wouldn't recommend using these a lot but I'd imagine it would be perfect for those times when you don't have a lot of time or a clean bathroom nearby.

ETA: I haven't tried these myself to know if they really work.

[gap]

I'll second the Colgate Wisp. I have used them in a pinch in public when I was afriad to venture into the bathroom.

[Blitz]

Ah yes I hate venturing into the unknown :o

[MCOMarkhamOrthodontist]

While brushing with the Wisp may be good for removing debris from the teeth, it doesn't appear that the liquid beads have any Fluoride or anti-cavity properties, which are the health reasons for using a toothpaste. The major marketing behind this seems to be fresh breath. If any of you Wisp users can check the packaging, I would be very interested to find out what the formulation is.

[Punkin]

Even if it doesn't have the fluoride, do you think it is still a viable alternative when it's not possible to brush properly; given you still use fluoride toothpaste regularly?

[gap]

Colgate Wisps...






I find the bristles on these brushes to be pretty hard, and it takes a good 30 seconds to a minute of brushing before the freshening bead activates.

They're really small (about 8cm long) with a pick at one end.

Likely not good for regular use, but in those situations where the public washroom is...lets say 'questionable', they're handy.

[lemon tree]

i keep a little mini purse with all of my dental supplies inside it (toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, invisalign cases) inside my purse and whip it out after every meal and discretely do my thing. no one really notices and i've gotten to the point where i don't really care if anyone does. i've even had the occasional person comment on my dental hygiene habits.

[Punkin]

That's fine, where there is a washroom available; and that's what I do as well, but there are times when there simply isn't a decent washroom available (as an example, a fair or carnival or some other festival type occassion).

I usually just rinse in those cases, and brush when I get home.

[lemon tree]

^ ditto.

two more things that come in handy for those occasions where you can't brush are a bottle of water and travel sized hand sanitizer. it helps to carry a huge purse when using invisalign for all the stuff I lug around!

[carthy]

thanks for all the replies!
after reading them all, i think i WILL brush my teeth after lunch!
it seems like brushing your teeth in public isn't as big of a deal as i thought it was.

by the way, sorry for such a late reply.
but i'm getting my invisalign trays tomorrow!