When your dentist talks you through your Invisalign treatment, they'll tell you how to care for your braces and your teeth. They may recommend that you floss regularly at this stage. If you aren't a dedicated flosser, then you may not think that you need to do this every day when you brush. However, flossing when you wear Invisalign trays is important. Why?

Your Braces Pick up Colour

You're supposed to clean your teeth after you've taken your braces out to eat or drink. This doesn't just help keep your teeth healthy, it also keeps your trays in good shape. These clear plastic trays can discolour if they pick up food and drinks from your mouth. So, for example, if you drink coffee after a meal when your trays are out, then you need to make sure that you don't have any residue left in your mouth before you put the braces back in. If you do, then the coffee will sit behind the trays. If you leave it there, it could turn them an unpleasant brown colour.

There may also be times when food particles that lodge in the gaps between your teeth can have this effect. If you've been eating something that has a strong colour, then even a small particle could stain a tray. If you floss regularly, then you get rid of these particles. Your trays will stay cleaner.

Your Braces Trap Things Around Your Teeth

While keeping stains off your trays may be important to you, flossing regularly during treatment is also good for your oral health. It can protect your teeth and gums from possible brace problems. If you don't floss regularly, then you leave food particles, plaque and other gunk between your teeth. When your brace trays are in your mouth, they cover over these areas and seal stuff in.

When you aren't wearing your braces, your saliva helps clean nasty stuff away from your teeth. However, your saliva can't reach your teeth when they are covered by your braces. Anything that is stuck between your teeth could dry out and degrade. At the very least, you could end up with pretty nasty bad breath when this happens. Exposure to plaque and bacteria could also damage your teeth.

If you floss, you clear out the gaps between your teeth. Your breath will smell sweeter and you'll have fewer dental issues.

To learn more about how flossing can keep your teeth and braces in good condition, talk to your dentist.

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