What Causes Invisalign Bad Breath? 4 Habits You Should Avoid

Learn about the different causes of Invisalign bad breath and steps you can take for prevention

Taking care of your Invisalign is a lot of work. Every day you must remember to clean your aligners, brush and floss your teeth after every meal, and replace your aligners after eating. Though there are a lot of steps on your treatment journey, at the end you’ll have a beautiful smile.

However, sometimes even with diligent care, you may experience Invisalign bad breath. Bad breath is never desirable, so we’re going to go over some of the key causes of bad breath from your aligners and the invisible braces accessories you’ll need to keep your breath fresh. As long as you avoid these habits and make sure to clean your aligners regularly, you can keep your breath smelling fresh throughout your treatment.

1. Forgetting to Take Out Your Aligners When Eating or Drinking

Your aligners are designed to stay in as much as possible — except for mealtimes

Eating or drinking with your aligners will eventually cause bad breath.

Though Invisalign does not have any dietary restrictions like the ones you need to follow while wearing metal braces, there are still some rules to follow around mealtimes. The first thing you should know about Invisalign hygiene is that you need to take out your aligners every time you eat or drink. What can you drink with Invisalign? The only instance where you don’t need to remove your aligners is when you are drinking plain water. Any other drink, especially any drinks containing sugar will lead to Invisalign bad breath. 

Should you eat or drink anything other than water while you have your Invisalign in, the food or drink can get stuck to your aligners. Once the food or drink is stuck to your aligners, bacteria will begin to grow. Since your saliva can’t reach the bacteria, you are at a greater risk for bad breath.

2. Not Brushing Your Teeth and Cleaning Your Aligners After Every Meal

The key to avoiding Invisalign bad breath is to clean your and teeth your aligners before bacteria can form

Keep a toothbrush on you at all times.

Now that we know to remove our aligners before mealtime to prevent invisalign bad breath, it’s time to talk about aligner care after mealtime. After you are finished eating or drinking, you should at minimum brush your teeth and rinse your aligners. If you have the time, you should also carefully brush your aligners with a soft bristle toothbrush to make sure that there isn’t any remaining plaque or food particles. Should you consistently forget to brush your teeth and aligners, your Invisalign will begin to cause bad breath due to bacteria growth.

3.Not Cleaning Your Aligners Often Enough

Remember that you should deep clean your aligners every few weeks

Before you replace your aligners, make sure you clean them every time.

Brushing your teeth and aligners after eating will help you prevent Invisalign bad breath in the short term. However, over time plaque and bacteria can still stick to your aligners and cause bad breath. To prevent this, you should deep clean your aligners once a week so they can stay fresh for longer. There are a lot of home remedies that you can use to quickly and easily deep clean your aligners. Just remember to set aside about a half hour each week to really get your aligners clean.

4. Experiencing Dry Mouth Symptoms

Always keep a bottle of water with you while you’re wearing Invisalign

One of the biggest contributors to bad breath is dry mouth.

Dry mouth, whether you are wearing Invisalign or not, will cause bad breath. However, some patients experience dry mouth as they get used to wearing Invisalign in the first few weeks. That’s why you should always keep a bottle of water on you during your treatment. That way, if you can feel your mouth getting dry, you can always have a remedy on hand. 

What Can I Do to Avoid Invisalign Bad Breath?

Thankfully, there are more remedies for Invisalign bad breath than ever before

Keep your breath fresh with the help of Invisalign accessories like Movemints.

Though we’ve gone over some of the main ways you can prevent bad breath, there are a few other things you can do to prevent bad breath while you’re on the go. We recommend Smilesaver™ Spray to refresh your aligners before you place them back in your mouth. Smilesaver Spray is the fastest and easiest way to clean your Invisalign — you don’t even have to rinse off your aligners before replacing them. The peroxide free formula ensures that your aligners are ready to go. 

You can also use Movemints®, an alternative to Invisalign chewies that freshen breath and seat your aligners. They are sugar free xylitol candy, which is beneficial for your oral health. As you reinsert your aligners, just pop in a Movemint, bite down gently until your aligners click into place. And there you have it — your aligners are set in place, your breath is refreshed, and you’re well on your way to a straight and healthy smile.

Your Invisalign cleaning habits will take a bit of practice, but once you get the hang of it these habits become automatic. By following our tips, you’ll be able to take excellent care of your aligners and prevent Invisalign bad breath. For more Invisalign tips and tricks, check out our Movemints blog to answer every question you have about straightening your teeth with clear aligners!