With Invisalign, is It Okay to Drink Liquids Other Than Water?

Question

This is just my 2nd day with Invisalign. The little bit of discomfort is going away.  I was told to ONLY drink water when the braces are in, due to the possibility of causing decay.  My question is this, how could other liquids (with sugar,etc.) present a problem if I will be brushing within 4-5 hours?  Lots of people(without Invisalign) eat candy, etc. and don't brush until 12 or more hours later. Seems to me, exposure for only 4-5 hours can't possibly present much of a problem.  Does it really need to be water-only when they're in?

Sarah Thompson, DMD · Answer

Hello there, It is okay to drink beverages with your Invisalign in place, but I always recommend to my patients to take them out and rinse thoroughly with water, shortly after finishing your beverage.  Whether you take them out or leave them in while drinking doesn't really matter much.  What is more important is are you leaving sugar on your teeth under your aligner.  I would recommend trying to drink more water and brushing your teeth more frequently (once after each meal).  It is important to really take care of your oral hygiene when using Invisalign.

Jordan Lissauer, DMD · Answer

Your Invisalign trays are adapted perfectly to your teeth. However, beverages DO sneak between your trays and your teeth. And the Invisalign trays squeeze this beverage right up against your teeth.
I see absolutely no issue with drinking plain water with the trays in place as much as you would like. However, I recommend patients to drink other beverages (with sugar or lemon or lime) quickly with the trays out. When done with the beverage, I recommend rinsing with water before replacing the trays; even better would be to brush your teeth before replacing the trays but I understand that is not always feasible.
A lot of my patients are teenagers that play a lot of sports. The riskiest Invisalign patients are those that are drinking Gatorade or other sugary drinks for hours at practice each day after school with their Invisalign trays in place. The sugary beverage is pushed right against the tooth surface and can cause discolorations. Unfortunately, I have seen this - more than I like. For this reason, I recommend only plain water with the trays in place. Furthermore, for patients that insist on drinking these sugary drinks after school for hours, I recommend to avoid Invisalign. As an orthodontist, we want results to be beautiful at the end. Straight teeth that are discolored are not beautiful.

Jeffrey J. Eberting, DMD, MS · Answer

Ideally, when wearing your aligners, you should not drink anything other than water.  There a few reasons for this.  First, hot beverages might actually distort the plastic aligner material.  Second, if drinking sugary liquids, the liquid/sugar might get trapped between the aligner and the teeth, and without the saliva to wash away the sugar, increases the incidence of tooth decay.  Third, continued consumption of certain colored beverages might stain the aligners over time.  Given that one changes the aligners weekly, I do not see how this third reason plays a major role.
Bottom line, just drink water with your aligners in place.  Why take the risk of anything going awry by not following instructions?  Having your aligners out for the time it takes to drink a cup of coffee will not upset the apple cart.  Now, if you are drinking coffee over a prolonged period of time, then I would take the aligners out each time you drink it.

Bobby Ghandehari, DDS, MS · Answer

It is ok as long as the aligners/trays are removed and rinsed out immediately after drinking any liquid other than water.

Mina Levi, DDS · Answer

Hi Bama,
thank you for the great question.
It is OK to drink water with the Invisalign aligners/trays in the mouth. If you decide to drink anything else other than water with the aligners/trays in the mouth  it is best recommended to remove the aligners/trays right after it and rinse your mouth with water. It is not necessary to brush right away but at least the water will remove all the sugars and acid from the teeth to prevent decay.
If you leave the aligners/trays in the mouth after drinking anything different than water the teeth will get exposed to sugar and acid and the risk for developing tooth decay is pretty high.
I hope this help.
Best of luck with the treatment,
Dr. Mina Levi

Michael Ayzin, DDS · Answer

Thank you for your question. Water is the best liquid you can drink with Invisalign aligner on. Aligner is a reservour and will keep liquid in. Anything but water will start etching  tooth enamel within 5 minutes and you have a risk of getting cavities. Why take a chance?

James Malouf, BDS · Answer

Hi Bama, great question. I always advise my patients to take their aligners out to drink (other than water). The issue with leaving aligners in whilst drinking is that the liquid pools in the aligners, and then the sugar is left sitting on the teeth for long periods of time which can definitely cause cavities to form.

Zach Casagrande, DDS, MS · Answer

You may drink liquids other than water with
your Invisalign, but we always recommend taking them out and rinsing thoroughly
with water, shortly after finishing your beverage. The risk of drinking colored
liquids with the aligners in is that they may stain.

Amanda Canto, DDS · Answer

So is it ok to drink liquids other than water when your
wearing your invisalign trays. Certainly
I don’t think you’d like it if was something that was colored and made the
trays stain or make your teeth look funny, so that I wouldn’t recommend.I also would avoid anything with sugars
unless you are able to clean them out and brush right afterwards. So in my mind the best thing to do is to
stick with water if you’re having to wear them or take them out if you’re
drinking something else.

Janet H. Stoess-Allen, DMD · Answer

Most clear liquids are acceptable to drink with the aligners in the mouth unless they are hot. Temperature may affect the shape and fit of the aligners so it is important to stay away from hot liquids. As long as they are brushing and flossing their teeth regularly and keeping them clean, I allow my patients who use Invisalign to drink clear liquids with the aligners in the mouth. Make certain that if you are drinking liquids containing sugar, you brush and floss your teeth frequently.

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