What Can You Eat with Invisalign Aligners?

Eat What You Want With Invisalign Aligners!

Good news: with Invisalign clear aligners, you can eat and drink anything you want! Unlike metal braces, which require many food restrictions, Invisalign clear aligners are removable, so you can take them out for meals and eat anything you want.

There is one important rule, however — you must remove your aligners before eating or drinking anything but water. Food can damage the aligners or cause bacteria to rapidly grow on the aligner material while drinking beverages other than water can cause staining, discoloration, and warping to the aligner material, as well as white spots on your teeth enamel.

Once they’re removed, however, you can dig in! Whether coffee or juice, crunchy carrots or salty popcorn, you can enjoy all your favorite foods throughout your treatment. Keep smiling, and keep those tasty snacks: one of the many benefits of Invisalign clear aligners.

What Foods Should You Avoid with Invisalign Aligners?

When it comes to food and drinks, there is only one major rule with Invisalign treatment — remove your aligners first, and then eat and drink anything you want!

As long as the aligners are removed before eating or drinking, you can enjoy all your favorite treats. Braces brackets and wires create pockets for food to get stuck, and hard or crunchy food can break off or damage the brackets. Invisalign clear aligners, on the other hand, are removable, so you can eat or drink without worrying about damaging the aligners.

Zero food restrictions are one of the many benefits of Invisalign clear aligners. Don’t miss out on your favorite foods while achieving straight teeth and a beautiful smile!

There are certain rules to follow, however: always remove your aligners before eating or drinking anything but water. Brush or rinse your teeth before putting aligners back in.

Smoking can also cause discoloration, staining, or warping of your Invisalign aligners, so avoid smoking tobacco or anything else with your aligners in. Remove your aligners before chewing gum or mints. You can chew a Movemint, a specially-designed mint that improves aligner fit while freshening breath.

Do's and Don'ts of Eating with Invisalign Aligners

Invisalign aligners should be worn 20-22 hours a day to be effective, so it’s important to only remove them for meals and drinking. Because food and drink both leave residue on your teeth, you should brush or rinse your teeth every time before you put your aligners back in.

Brushing and flossing every day to keep your teeth free of residue or plaque. Improper dental hygiene can lead to bacteria growth on your teeth and inside the aligners, which can lead to decay and/or gum disease.

It’s also very important to avoid drinking sweet or hot drinks and eating anything while the aligners are inside your mouth. Hard or crunchy foods can damage the aligners, and even soft foods can get stuck to the aligners or leave residue on them, causing staining, discoloration, or leading to bacterial growth.

Do's and Don'ts of Drinking With Invisalign Aligners

When wearing Invisalign aligners, it’s important to remove the aligners before drinking anything but water.

Hot beverages like tea or coffee can warp the SmartTrack™ aligner material, which can cause them to be ineffective. Dark-colored beverages like red wine, dark sodas, tea, and coffee can cause staining and discoloration to the aligners. Any beverage with sugar in it can damage or discolor your aligners as well as cause bacterial growth on your teeth.

Avoid chewing on ice while wearing aligners, as this can also damage them.

When removing your aligners to drink, brush or rinse them with water before putting the aligners back in. Be sure to brush and floss every day, and wash or soak your aligners regularly, to keep plaque from building up on your teeth or on the aligners.

Water, however, is perfectly safe to drink while wearing Invisalign aligners – and you should drink lots of it to keep your body healthy and refreshed!

What Happens If You Eat with Your Invisalign Aligners On?

Eating food can cause damage, degradation, or discoloration to your aligners, and can also cause bacteria to rapidly grow on them. It is very important to avoid eating or drinking anything but water while you have your aligners in. When they are removed, you can eat or drink anything you like (a big plus of Invisalign treatment over metal braces), but be sure to remove them before eating or drinking.

Your teeth are chewing machines: they are strong and sturdy to break whatever you are eating into small portions to swallow and digest. That chewing strength is good for eating but bad for aligners! When you chew over the aligners, you risk cracking them, bending them, or breaking them into pieces. This can also change their fit to be less effective for your treatment. This goes for gum or chewing mints as well. If you like to chew mints, Movemints are designed especially for those who wear Invisalign aligners, and they help improve the fit of your aligners while freshening breath at the same time.

Eating or drinking dark or bright-colored foods – think curries and BBQ sauce, or beverages like coffee or red wine – can cause staining and discoloration to your aligners. The same is true of smoking — the smoke will warp and discolor your clear aligners, so you must remove aligners to smoke.

Be sure to brush or rinse your teeth before putting aligners back in after eating, drinking, or smoking: all of the above can cause bacteria or plaque to grow on the aligners and your teeth, leading to decay or gum damage.

For the best Invisalign treatment results, and the happiest, healthiest smile, remove your aligners before meals or drinking! You can still eat anything you like, but you’ll keep your aligners clean and working properly, for long-lasting, beautiful results, and a lifetime of smiles!