Chewing with Invisalign

The traditional training has been to ask patients to take them out for any eating or drinking other than water. Some orthodontists are now asking their patients to keep them in the mouth while eating. The benefit of this is the same as that of using the aligner chewies in terms of seating the aligners and stimulating blood flow. In addition, very few people will forget to take the aligners off to clean up after eating with them on, and put them back in immediately. Naturally, there are... more

The aligners should be removed before eating. But remember the only time the aligners are working is when they are in, so they need to be replaced immediately after each meal. Aligners require a tremendous amount of cooperation and that is why traditional or lingual (behind the teeth) braces are a better choice. They are working 24/7 including the time you are eating.

We prefer you take them out for eating of any kind, but also we want them in place for as many hours as possible. You could eat yogurt with a friend, then when you get home take them out and clean them. Also the same goes for protein drinks at the gym. I always tell my patients to leave them in, drink the shake, then rinse them out at their earliest convenience.

The only time you dont wear your aligner is when you are eating and cleaning your teeth. The aligner is made of plastic and will not withstand the masticatory forces.

Theoretically, you can probably chew your food with your aligners in place, but I would recommend you remove them before eating. It also provides a great opportunity to give you teeth a good brushing before putting them back in. Final word - Invisalign aligners should be removed before eating.