I keep hearing about the vinegar thing but I’m honestly a little nervous to try it... Did you just use regular white vinegar? I get really anxious about putting anything in my mouth that’s not “officially approved” by the ortho, even though my trays look gross after just a day. Maybe I’m just overthinking it, but I always worry it’ll mess up the plastic or something.
I get really anxious about putting anything in my mouth that’s not “officially approved” by the ortho, even though my trays look gross after just a day. Maybe I’m just overthinking it, but I always worry it’ll mess up the plastic or something.
I totally get this. I was super hesitant about trying anything that wasn’t straight from the ortho’s instructions. The vinegar thing sounded kinda weird to me too—like, why would I soak something I wear all day in salad dressing? My ortho gave me those cleaning crystals, but honestly, they’re expensive and I kept running out.
I did end up trying the vinegar method once (just regular white vinegar, like people say), but I diluted it a lot and only left the trays in for 10 minutes. They came out cleaner, but I was paranoid about the smell and taste sticking around. It did help with the gross film, but I still worried about whether it was breaking down the plastic over time. The ortho did mention that harsh stuff could mess with the trays’ fit or clarity, so I kinda went back to just brushing them with a soft toothbrush and unscented soap.
Honestly, even those “official” cleaning tablets sometimes leave a weird aftertaste, so I’m not convinced anything is perfect. My friend swears by hydrogen peroxide diluted with water, but again… not sure how safe that is long-term. I guess it comes down to what you’re comfortable with. I probably overthink it too, but I’d rather have slightly cloudy trays than risk damaging them or tasting chemicals all day.
Anyone else feel like no matter what you do, they still get gross halfway through the day? I’ve started rinsing mine every time I take them out and that helps a bit. Still feels like a losing battle sometimes.