It starts with a sore throat or maybe a small sniffle and a sneeze, but it can bring misery. Cold and flu season has arrived, and this year, you’ve also got Invisalign going on. Can you ward off this common time to get sick while you undergo Invisalign treatment? What are some tips you can use to make sure you don’t spread infection to others? Keep reading to find out how you can survive!
What Makes Cold & Flu Season Especially Hard with Invisalign?
During these months of the year, viruses go around usually in droplets in the air or on surfaces. That’s why it’s important to cover your coughs and sneezes with your elbow to prevent spread. With Invisalign aligners, you consistently take out and put the trays back in your mouth, exposing yourself to potential infection. If you already have a cold or the flu, the virus remains in your saliva all over the aligners, which you must continue to handle throughout the day.
How Can You Survive Cold & Flu Season with Invisalign?
Here are some simple ways to keep yourself and others healthy throughout this season.
Wash Your Hands Frequently
Regardless of your illness or situation, washing your hands is essential to keep yourself and others healthy. Especially because you will be touching your mouth so often for your aligners, this habit becomes even more important. Ideally, you should clean your hands before as well as after you’ve handled your aligners to prevent getting yourself sick or spreading an infection to others.
Use Your Cleaning Crystals
When you started Invisalign, you should have received a care package containing cleaning crystals. You don’t need to use them every day, but feel free to take advantage of them a little more frequently than usual during this time to keep them fresh and clear.
Drink Plenty of Water
Staying hydrated with this sugar-free beverage can not only help your body fight infection but also slow down bacterial growth in the mouth. Sipping water throughout the day, you can control the microbiome in your mouth as well as provide the water your body needs to step up and beat the illness.
Maintain Oral Hygiene
Even if you take a day or two off work to rest and heal, you can’t slack off in your oral hygiene. Mouth bacteria don’t care if you’re sick; in fact, they’ll grow better as your immune system struggles to fight back. As a result, it is even more important to continue daily brushing and flossing to prevent tooth decay, gum infections, and other issues.
Switch Out Your Toothbrush When You Recover
After you get better from an illness, your body builds up some amount of immunity, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get sick again. Once you feel like you’re on the upswing, switch out your old, tainted toothbrush with a clean one to prevent reinfection.
In the end, you may end up getting sick this cold and flu season, but if you take these steps, you can carry on with your Invisalign treatment, slow the spread of the virus, and hopefully bounce back as soon as possible.
About the Practice
Williamsburg Dental has six locations throughout the Lincoln area and is proud to offer Invisalign to adults and teens with mild to moderate misalignment. In addition to accepting most dental insurance plans, we provide our own in-house membership plan for those who don’t have benefits through work. If you have questions about Invisalign or are interested in starting treatment, contact one of our offices to schedule an appointment.