When you have Invisalign, you can eat whatever you want, whenever you want. The freedom is delicious but, of course, there are some rules that you must follow to make sure you don’t derail your orthodontic treatment along the way.

Do Remove Your Trays When You Eat

There are no restrictions about what you can eat when you have Invisalign. How you eat, though, is another matter. The biggest rule is that your clear aligners must be removed before every snack and meal and beverage. The only thing you can ingest with trays in is water. Otherwise, you run the risk of breaking your trays with the force of biting and chewing motions or turning them discolored or foul-smelling. Plus, food particles will sneak in between the aligners and teeth – if those pieces stick around for too long, they can get comfortable and cause tooth decay.

Do Put Your Coffee Habit on Pause

If you must have a morning cup of coffee that’s great. Drink it down with your breakfast while your trays are out. If you are a sipper, refilling your cup after cup to keep yourself going, that isn’t going to work with Invisalign. Coffee will stain your aligners quickly, and the enjoyment of having nearly invisible treatment will disappear.

Don’t Snack Too Much

Snacks keep your belly happy when the next meal is too far away. Unfortunately, snacking with abandon is bad for your Invisalign trays. The aligners need to be removed before every snack, but you also don’t want to remove them too often because you still have meals to eat and trays to keep in your mouth for 20 to 22 hours a day. Many wearers find that they think twice about snacks when wearing Invisalign, and it benefits their waistline because they’re more careful about what they want to eat and whether it’s worth the effort of removing their trays to eat it.

Do Brush After Every Meal

You brush your teeth and aligners every morning and night, but there must be brushings throughout the day too to keep your trays in good shape. You’ll want to work on developing the habit of brushing your teeth after every meal and before your teeth and aligners come back in contact with each other. Your little travel dental care kit will help you stay on track, whether you’re wearing Invisalign or Invisalign Teen.

Don’t Chew Gum

You can still chew gum if you wear Invisalign – but only if the trays are out of your mouth. There is no way you can pop that sticky piece of stuff in your mouth while Invisalign is in place. It will stick to your aligners and potentially damage them, plus the chewing motion can compromise your alignment.

Do Find Out If You’re a Good Candidate

Is Invisalign right for you? The only way to find out if you’re a good candidate is to schedule a consultation with Drs. Roberts & de Marsche at Lawrenceville Orthodontics in Lawrenceville, NJ. Undergo an examination and find out whether you can get a straight smile with these clear trays.