Have You Ever Instructed an Invisalign Patient to Eat with Their Trays In?

Question

If you look at my posts I have been concerned about my posterior bite-only 1 side touches. I expressed my concern but was assured there would always be contact back there. During the last app. -surprise-I was told I'm a case study and soon my back teeth will not touch at all, and I will have to start eating with my trays in! I tried today. It felt gross, I couldn't bite into a sandwich or chew lettuce, and the aligners felt like they were about to break (who pays 4 replacement). What should I do

Lance Timmerman, DMD, MAGD · Answer

There is likely nothing WRONG with eating with the aligners, but there are SOME risks.  Clearly, the chewing ability is less and they may break, but also the trays can trap particles of food or acidic drinks.  Essentially this is like a bath for your teeth, likely in a lower pH, leading to decay.

	If you MUST eat with them in, be sure to remove them at the end of a meal and rinse them out.

Rob van den Berg, DDS, MS · Answer

It is possible to eat most foods with Invisalign, but it does feel weird in the beginning. Clean them right after so food does not remain on the teeth for extended periods. I find it helpful to have my patients eat with their Invisalign in these situations:

	
		To ensure enough hours of wear. Some patients who remove the aligners for eating don't replace them 'till hours later.
	
		To protect the teeth from wear and chipping in case of a bite interference. This may be the case with your teeth.


	Stay away from strongly colored foods, such as pasta sauce and red wine to keep your aligners clear. I have not had aligners break due to eating. If an aligner cracks it's typically due to removal difficulty with lots of attachments and/or long crowns. Just in case there is breakage, the Invisalign aligners are warranted to function for the full two weeks. To get a warranty replacement keep the broken aligner and have the doctor's office call Invisalign. To further protect the teeth consider using a fluoride mouthrinse directly in the invisalign aligner after brushing and flossing, at nighttime. The plastic that Invisalign uses at this time is either the third or fourth generation material. The older material, which is still being used by some of it's competitors, was more brittle and would not withstand chewing forces.

Antoaneta Barba, DDS · Answer

I never instruct my patients to eat with the aligners on.Obviously, the aligners are not going to help you on chewing. I would go for a second opinion.

Michael Firouzian, DDS · Answer

You should never eat with the trays in.  They are thin and fragile and can break easily.  I do allow my patients to drink clear liquids with them in but never to eat with them.

Scott LeSueur, DDS · Answer

Your open bite in the posterior may be temporary at this point of Invisalign treatment but needs to be gone by the end.  If it is significant, at the end, a refinement correction with a new set of trays may be needed.  Sometimes dentists try to adjust the bite, but be careful as too much adjusting is not health to your teeth.  If the dentist treating you cannot resolve this, he can call Invisalign and get tips from experts on difficulties.  I definitely do not recommend eating with aligners in as there is too much risk of damaging the aligners in such a way that they can not make the necessary movements.

Have You Ever Instructed an Invisalign Patient to Eat with Their Trays In?

Answers (6)

Answer: That's a big NO to eating with invisalign trays

Answer: That's a big NO to eating with invisalign trays

Answer: Open bite in posterior teeth during Invisalign treatment-eating with?

Answer: Open bite in posterior teeth during Invisalign treatment-eating with?

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Have You Ever Instructed an Invisalign Patient to Eat with Their Trays In?

Answers (6)

Answer: That's a big NO to eating with invisalign trays

Answer: That's a big NO to eating with invisalign trays

Answer: Open bite in posterior teeth during Invisalign treatment-eating with?

Answer: Open bite in posterior teeth during Invisalign treatment-eating with?

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Recommended reading

Everything you need to know about Invisalign

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.