What can I Eat, Drink & Smoke With my Invisalign?

Invisalign treatments impact your daily routine significantly less than any other orthodontic treatment at usually the same cost.  The Invisalign aligners are removable, comfortable invisible, and flexible fitting to your teeth to fix your misalignment issues while allowing you to eat and drink normally.

How do you eat with Invisalign?

If you have Invisalign you should be able to take your aligners out to eat meals and snacks.  You should also brush your teeth before you put your aligners back in your mouth to keep your teeth and clear aligners healthy and white.  Other than that you can pretty well eat whatever your heart desires because your aligners won’t be in your mouth while you eat.  This is a huge sigh of relief as opposed to traditional braces where gum, licorice, popcorn, caramel, nuts, pretzels, sugary foods, and hard foods can cause a trip to the dental office to fix your brackets or wires.  Click here to check out a video on the types of foods that someone with Invisalign may eat in a day.

What foods should you avoid with Invisalign?

You should avoid hard and chewy foods like hard candies and caramel, in general, to protect your teeth and not chew anything while wearing your Invisalign aligners.  However, if you remove your aligners first and brush your teeth afterward you can enjoy any snack you have a craving for without worrying that It’ll cause a broken wire/bracket which could lead to an emergency dentist visit.

Do you keep Invisalign in while eating?

You need to take your invisible braces out every time you eat.  If your teeth are feeling particularly sensitive though you may want to try softer foods like mashed potatoes, soup, pasta. pudding, rice, and pancakes.  But if you have Invisalign and remember to floss and brush your teeth after each meal you shouldn’t have any issues.  You’ll probably want to put together a teeth cleaning kit that you can take with you anywhere.

Can you smoke with Invisalign retainers?  

You should not smoke while you are wearing your Invisalign trays still in because it can cause discolouration and stain your teeth.  If tobacco ends up getting into the tray it can even cause tooth decay.  If you are going to smoke after removing your Invisalign aligners it is a good idea to brush and floss your teeth once you are done to reduce your risk of tooth discolouration, and gum disease later on in life.

Can you drink clear drinks with Invisalign?

Like the above, it is important to take your Invisalign trays out before drinking except for water.  Although, certain sugary, hot, and darker drinks like red wine, coke, and hot chocolate can do even more damage to your clear aligners the safest approach when choosing what to drink is learning to love water.

Can you drink flavoured water with Invisalign?

While your invisible braces are in your mouth it is important to avoid anything acidic that can damage your tooth enamel.  This does not only include sugary drinks like red bulls and hot chocolate but also the acids that are found in citrus fruits like lemons, grapefruits, and oranges.  Therefore, flavoured water should be consumed only when your clear aligners are taken out of your mouth.

Advice when wearing Invisible braces:

The best advice for eating and drinking while wearing Invisalign includes managing your coffee consumption, keeping your snacking to a minimum, don’t chew gum, planning your meals, eating or drinking while your aligners are in, and consistently brushing your teeth.  These tips will help you keep your aligners and teeth healthy while ensuring that your aligners are worn for 20-22 hours per day so you can maximize the results of your teeth straightening treatment.

Conclusion:

Although it is safe to eat or drink anything while going through your Invisalign treatment you should always remove your clear aligners ahead of time and brush/floss your teeth after you are done.

If you would like to ask our dental clinic in London Ontario, any questions or schedule an appointment you can use our Request An Appointment form, email us at Info@sbenatidentistry.ca, or call at (519)-474-0220. We would love to meet you.

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