Since clear aligners can be removed you won't have any dietary restrictions throughout your treatment. In this blog, our Comox dentists share some facts you should know about eating and drinking during your treatment with clear aligners.
Eating With Clear Aligners
One of the main benefits of straightening your teeth with clear aligners is that you won’t need to restrict your diet.
Unlike traditional braces, there are no metal brackets or wires for food particles to get stuck in between. And your custom-made clear aligners will be made precisely for your mouth’s shape. Because clear aligners can be removed, you’ll be free to keep eating and drinking all the things you love.
Here, our Comox dentists share some tips for eating with clear aligners.
Take your clear aligners out to drink or eat anything but water.
While wearing your clear aligners you should only drink cold water. Take the aligners out before eating or drinking anything that isn't eater, because consuming sugary or dark drinks with your aligners on can cause plaque build-up.
Eating while wearing your clear aligners can lead to cracks, stains, or other damage to your aligners. Gum will certainly stick to your aligners and create a mess (trust us on this one).
Hot drinks including tea, hot chocolate, and coffee can cause stains or discolouration that will be hard to remove.
Brush your teeth before putting your clear aligners back on.
You should never place your clear aligners in your mouth after eating without first brushing your teeth since food particles can get trapped between your teeth and your aligners and cause bacteria to grow, which will increase your risk of cavities and tooth decay.
Just like with braces, oral hygiene is essential to ensure you achieve the smile you want. If you are unable to brush properly after eating or drinking, your best bet is to rinse your mouth and your aligners with water before putting them back on your teeth.
Plan your mealtimes.
While there aren't any restrictions to the foods you can eat, you should carefully plan your mealtimes.
In order to reach the 20 to 22 hours per day you have to wear your aligners for every day, you’ll have to be mindful of the total time you have your aligners out for daily.
To get the best possible results, you should have your aligners in your mouth as often as possible. While you are able to remove your aligners when brushing, flossing, drinking and eating, don't overdo the time they are out of your mouth, and make sure you are wearing them for a minimum of 20 hours a day.
Limit snacking.
Since you need to take your aligners out every time you eat and brush your teeth, you’ll probably find yourself cutting back on snacking quite a bit and being more thoughtful about what you eat as well as when you eat.
On the plus side, you may see your health improve along with your teeth becoming straighter.
You might want to take your aligners on and off in private.
Especially at the beginning of your treatment, you may want to use a restroom when removing and placing your clear aligners in your mouth. Since they fit your teeth so snugly, some patients have told us they can be a little bit challenging to remove until you get the hang of quickly popping them in and out - a task you may not want to try in public.