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by Christian Lawson March 14, 2024 1 min read

At Zima Dental, we recommend you use a sterilising tablet with the Dental Pod if you have been wearing your oral appliance for longer than 6 hours.

This recommendation is based on our own internal research and the following study by the University of Hong Kong. Click here to read the full publication.

In an experiment growing bacteria on Invisalign aligners, the dirty trays of 56 volunteers were scanned many times over 2 days.

At 6 hours, the scan showed that bacteria started forming colonies on the aligner (see below).

 

Bacteria 6 hours
At 6 hours, Streptococcus bacteria (white) start gathering in colony formations on the Invisalign surface

After no cleaning for 48 hours, the bacteria formed thick sheets which started to harden (see below). These hardened ‘biofilms’ are much harder to clean and can be dangerous for your teeth and oral health. 

48 hour bacteria

At 48 hours, the bacteria (white) have formed into a dense, hardened sheet (biofilm) on the Invisalign surface

In order to prevent the build up of bacterial biofilms, we recommend using a tablet with the Dental Pod if you have been wearing your appliance for longer than 6 hours. This will stop bacteria colonising your oral appliance.

I hope that you’re now more confident using your Dental Pod. If you need more advice, please don’t hesitate to contact Zima Dental customer support at support@zimadental.nl


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