Am I Able to Drink Anything and Eat Soft Foods While Wearing Invisalign?

Question

I was curious if I was allowed to drink anything while wearing Invisalign or if it would damage my Invisalign. Drinks (with the exception of coffee and tea; I also do not drink soda) such as (fruit/veggie) juice, slushes with low sugar, soup, handmade thick smoothies, and alcohol. And how often am I exactly allowed to eat ice cream? Also, if I was able to eat soft foods, such as vegetables that are cooked to the point where it is akin to baby food, or food such as mashed potatoes. Thank you!

Jacqueline Demko, DDS, MSD · Answer

Clearly there are conflicting opinions on whether it is acceptable to eat with your Invisalign trays or not. Bottomline: Align (the company that manufactures the trays) says no eating or drinking with your trays, except water. This is because of the potential for cavities and or staining of teeth and trays.

	Some doc's say no and state because "it may cause cracks in the trays." The trays are made of plastic and can crack. Unless you are eating rocks, clenching and grinding your teeth at night could theoretically cause more cracks in trays than eating with them. Align has stated that clinchers and grinders get better results in the end bc at night they are hammering their trays up more fully. That line of thinking promotes eating with the trays.

	Personally I feel THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR IS GETTING YOUR HOURS IN!!!!! Life happens and adjustments have to be made to help insure your treatment success. I have had professional event planners need to eat with them to get their hours. They are always at events and required to taste foods through the course of the evening.

	The thing that MUST be done, if eating with the trays in, is rinse and brush the trays and the teeth as soon as possible, if not immediately. It is in your best interest to get dental obsessive about tray and teeth cleanliness to insure no decay occurs. That said, sleeping with a little bit of toothpaste in your tray wouldn't be a bad idea too. Think of it as a pseudo fluoride treatment.

	Drink lots of water can help or chewing a piece of sugar free gum for a few minutes can help pull food and plaque from your teeth and trays too. Yeah people do it!!

Jessica Wyatt, DDS · Answer

Invisalign does not recommend eating or drinking anything besides water while wearing the aligners for  a number of reasons:
- you can break, distort, or damage the aligners
- the aligners can stain, discolor, or become dirty
- sugary foods and drinks trapped under or around the aligners can cause cavities
While it's probably safe to eat soft foods and drink other beverages besides water while wearing your aligners, I would avoid it. A better idea would be to remove the aligner, eat and drink what you were planning on eating/drinking and then replace the aligner as soon as possible. If you are able to brush your teeth and the aligners before putting them in, that is ideal. However, it can be difficult with a busy schedule to fit that in, so another acceptable option would be to rinse your mouth with water (or take a drink of water) before putting the aligner back in your mouth and then, when you are able to brush, do so.
Look, we don't expect you to starve while wearing the aligners, but obviously you want to limit how often you put aligners back in without brushing. The most important (and challenging) part of Invisalign is getting patients to be compliant and wear their aligners the required 22 hours per day.

Bobby Ghandehari, DDS, MS · Answer

No, however if you find yourself in a situation that removing your trays isn't possible, be sure to rinse aligners and mouth as soon as possible.

Mina Levi, DDS · Answer

Hi there,
thank you for the question.
It is not recommended to eat and drink any liquids other than water while having Invisalign trays in the mouth.
This increases the risk of decay and also causes changes in the trays which will compromise the treatment.
If you absolutely have to have a sip of liquid other than water make sure you take the tray out of the mouth, rinse it and rinse your mouth before you put back the tray.
Good luck with your Invisalign treatment.
Best,
Dr. Mina Levi

Michael Ayzin, DDS · Answer

We advise our patients to stick to water when they are thirsty and wearing Invisalign. 
Due to sugar content in any other drinks, a residual can stay on the teeth and/or aligners and cause CAVITIES. Eating with aligners in also contraindicated for the same reason.

Zach Casagrande, DDS, MS · Answer

Ideally the aligners should be removed while
eating and drinking of liquids other than water. The risk of eating and
drinking with the aligners in is staining of the aligners and cavities forming
around teeth. If you have to eat with the aligners just make sure to clean both
teeth and aligners after the meal.

Amanda Canto, DDS · Answer

So the question is are you able to eat soft foods or drink
anything when you’re wearing your aligners. There is always a risk of fracture if you’re trying to chew or eat
something with these aligners in…therefore the recommendation is to remove them
when you’re eating that’s the break that you get. So the recommendation of how long you should
be wearing them daily is between 20-22 hours a day. Those times that are allotted out that’s for
eating. As far as drinking things
definitely if your drinking water its not a problem but stay away from sugary
things or things that might stain.

Scott LeSueur, DDS · Answer

Definitely no chewing, no matter how soft, with Invisalign aligners: the risk of breakage, cracking, or distortion is too high. Drinking is not a problem except for repeated real hot drinks being a risk to distortion. Colored drinks can cause color changes temporarily under the aligners so be careful. It is always best to keep everything to meal times when the aligners are out or allow a mid afternoon snack time without aligners in. And be sure and brush and floss.

Pamela Marzban, DDS · Answer

We always recommend to our patients that have Invisalign to always take the trays or aligners out for eating; it will avoid cracks on your aligners. Drinking is not an issue unless you are very particular with stains and discoloration. What we mean by that is, some drinks can discolored your trays and is very unpleasant. Always remember to brush after every meal, it helps to keep you gums healthy and teeth cleaner!

Dan Hagi, DDS · Answer

As mentioned the risk of eating and drinking with the invisalign aligners is staining and cavities forming around teeth. To avoid these obvious problems simply avoid coloured drinks and if you must eat with the aligners make sure to clean both teeth and aligners after the meal.

Am I Able to Drink Anything and Eat Soft Foods While Wearing Invisalign?

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