Eating and drinking with Invisalign

The one rule

Aligners out for anything other than plain water. Eating with them in cracks and stains them and traps food against your teeth; drinking anything hot, sugary, acidic or coloured with them in does the same without you noticing. Cold plain water is the only thing that goes in with the aligners.

Meals

Take the aligners out into their case, eat whatever you like, then brush, or at least rinse thoroughly, before putting them back. Most people find they naturally stop grazing between meals, because every snack means taking the aligners out, and some say they lose a little weight in the first months. Three meals and a couple of planned snacks fit easily within the twenty to twenty-two hours of wear.

Coffee, tea and wine

These are the drinks people ask about most. All three stain aligners if drunk with them in, and hot drinks can soften the plastic. Take the aligners out, enjoy the drink, rinse your mouth, aligners back. If you drink several cups a day, try to group them with meals rather than spreading them across the day, so the aligners are out for fewer, longer breaks rather than many short ones. Sparkling water is fine with aligners out; with them in, the acid sits against the teeth.

Eating out and special occasions

Slip the aligners out at the table, discreetly, into the case; nobody notices and nobody minds. Keep a travel toothbrush, or at least rinse your mouth with water, before the aligners go back in. For a long event such as a wedding, plan for the aligners to be out for the meal and the speeches and back in afterwards; one longer break is fine, a whole day is not.

Alcohol

Wine, beer and spirits are all taken with aligners out. Clear spirits with mixers are as sugary as anything else. The practical point is to put the aligners back in before bed, however late the evening ran; six hours of sleep without them is six hours of lost movement.

Chewing gum and sweets

Gum sticks to aligners and should wait until they are out. Boiled sweets and mints dissolve slowly and sit against the teeth, so they are best avoided while aligners are in; sugar-free mints with the aligners out are fine.

Putting the aligners back

Rinse the aligners, brush your teeth if you can, and seat them from the front teeth back, pressing gently with your fingertips rather than biting them into place. If an aligner feels tight after a meal, that is normal; the teeth drift fractionally while it is out and settle again within minutes.

Aligners out of your mouth live in their case, not in a napkin. A surprising number of aligners end up in restaurant bins.

Questions people ask

Can I eat with Invisalign in?

No. Take them out for all food. There are no restrictions on what you eat once they are out.

Can I drink coffee with Invisalign?

With the aligners out, yes. Coffee with them in stains and warps them.

What can I drink with aligners in?

Cold plain water. Everything else, including sparkling water and sugar-free drinks, waits until they are out.

Will I lose weight with Invisalign?

Some people do, slightly, because snacking becomes a deliberate choice rather than a habit.

How long can I leave them out for a meal?

Up to an hour or so is fine. The target is twenty to twenty-two hours of wear across the day.