The Rules of Eating With Invisalign
Did you know that there are more than 4 million people in the United States who wear braces? Braces and Invisalign aligners are very helpful when it comes to straightening your teeth, but you might be wondering how you should go about eating with Invisalign. Should you keep the aligners in while you’re eating or take them out?
What should you do with the aligners before and after you’re done eating? Can you eat with Invisalign at all? Keep reading and learn more about the best Invisalign Fort Pierce has to offer and how to take care of the aligners while eating.
Can You Eat With Invisalign?
What can you eat with Invisalign, you might ask? The answer is nothing. As long as you’re wearing your aligners, you should not eat anything that requires you to chew.
This is because Invisalign aligners are quite delicate and chewing on any kind of food could end up ruining them and deforming them. If they become deformed in any way, they won’t be able to do a good job at straightening your teeth. The shape of your aligners has to be exact.
The reason for this is that Invisalign aligners are designed to fit the teeth of a specific person. If the shape of these aligners changes in any way, they won’t be able to mold to your teeth and do a good job at pulling your teeth into place. As a rule of thumb, you should always take out your aligners before you eat anything.
Wrapping the aligners in a paper towel or keeping them in a case is a good way to keep them protected while they’re out of your mouth. It will also prevent bacteria and other debris from attaching to your aligners. Once you’re done eating, only then can you put your aligners back in your mouth.
What You Need to Know
The trick of Invisalign treatment is to wear the aligners as much as you can. While the aligners are removable, you should only remove them when absolutely necessary such as when you need to eat or brush your teeth. Ideally, you should wear your aligners for around 23 hours every day.
That way, your aligners will have plenty of time to straighten your teeth. If you wear them any less than that, you will find that the teeth-straightening process will take a lot longer than usual. Of course, since Invisalign treatment can be quite expensive, the last thing you want is for the aligners not to do their job.
However, keep in mind that there are a few things you need to know about caring for Invisalign aligners and how to treat the aligners (and your teeth) after you’re done eating. If you don’t take good care of your aligners and your teeth, you will find that your aligners may start to degrade in quality and may not be great at straightening your teeth anymore.
But how can you make sure your aligners and teeth stay in good shape?
How to Take Care of Your Aligners After Eating
As mentioned before, you won’t want to eat with your Invisalign aligners still in your mouth. However, after you’re done eating, you shouldn’t pop your aligners back in your mouth either. If you do this, you will end up trapping particles of food against your teeth and against the aligners.
This can increase your chances of developing certain dental problems such as tooth decay and cavities. This is not to mention that trapping food particles against your aligners can end up damaging the aligners themselves. To prevent this problem, make sure that you brush your teeth after eating and before you put your aligners back in.
You should also consider flossing after eating or at least once a day. This will help remove food particles and bacteria from areas between your teeth where toothbrushes can’t reach. Only once your teeth are clean should you put your aligners back in.
The Details
You might be wondering if there is any kind of food or drink you can consume while still wearing your aligners. Water is the only thing that you should consume while wearing them. Water is neutral and it has no pigment, so it shouldn’t stain or otherwise damage your aligners in any way.
You also don’t need to clench your teeth in any way while drinking water, so you don’t need to worry about your aligners becoming deformed. But what about other liquids? Unfortunately, it is not a good idea to drink other liquids such as juices or sodas while still wearing your aligners.
This is because these liquids are full of sugar and dark pigments that could seriously damage your aligners and even discolor them. Since Invisalign aligners are supposed to be clear and borderline invisible, the last thing you want is for your aligners to have an unattractive brown or yellow sheen.
Remember that cleaning your aligners every so often is also a good way to take care of them. Gently brushing them with a toothbrush will remove any particles of food that may have attached to the aligners at some point. Brushing your aligners will also prevent them from becoming discolored over time.
What You Need to Know About Eating With Invisalign
Eating with Invisalign is no joke. Eating with them still in your mouth could end up discoloring them and damaging them so they will no longer be capable of straightening your teeth. To keep them in good shape, keep them out of your mouth when eating and clean your teeth before putting them back in.
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