What can you drink during your Invisalign treatment

One of the rules of the treatment that patients often struggle with is the water rule. While you are wearing your aligners, the only thing you should be drinking is cool or room temperature water.

You can technically drink anything you like while going through Invisalign treatment, but you’ll need to take your aligners out if you are drinking anything other than water. Let’s explore why this is the case in more detail.

Why can I only drink water?

While wearing your aligners, everything except water is off limits. There are several reasons this is an important rule to follow:

• Hot drinks can warp your aligners and make them ineffective. If you were to drink tea or coffee while wearing your aligners, the hot liquid will impact the shape of the aligner and make it less effective. This is why you can only drink cool to room temperature water.

• Drinks with sugar can lead to bacteria build up on your aligners. This will increase your risk of tooth decay during treatment, as the aligners will keep the liquid trapped against your teeth.

• Colourful drinks will stain your aligners. Common culprits include fizzy drinks like cola or lemonade. This can leave your aligners with an unpleasant colour that will ultimately make your teeth appear discoloured.

• Drinking anything other than water while wearing your aligners can increase the chance of developing a build up of harmful bacteria in your mouth. This could be damaging to your teeth or it could simply lead to bad breath and a bad taste in your mouth.

• Drinking alcohol while wearing your aligners will lead to a buildup of bacteria in your mouth and on your teeth due to the high sugar content.

This is not to say that you have to avoid all drinks except water for the duration of your treatment. It simply means that you need to remove your aligners while you enjoy these drinks.

You can then rinse your aligner and your mouth before popping them back in. Many patients find that it helps them to develop better habits because it’s simply easier than continually rinsing their teeth and aligners.

How can Invisalign improve daily habits?

If you previously enjoyed a coffee or tea with two sugars multiple times a day, you might find that the inconvenience of removing your aligners to enjoy these little treats might be too much. Instead of drinking multiple cups of sugary coffee every day, you might switch to water instead.

Some people also find that it helps them to cut down on their alcohol consumption, as they would be more likely to order sparkling water in a bar than to deal with the process of removing their aligners while they have a drink.

Can I drink through a straw with Invisalign?

As long as the drink you are enjoying is either water or sparkling water, there is no reason you can’t enjoy your drink through a straw. However, you should ignore advice that you can drink other drinks (such as sugary or coloured drinks) provided you are using a straw. This advice is uncorrect and potentially damaging.

What happens if I forget?

If you forget you are wearing your aligners and enjoy a drink, it’s not the end of the world. Remove your aligners and put them in water or a cleaning solution to clean them. You could also rinse your mouth or brush your teeth to remove any build up from your teeth.

If you accidentally enjoyed a hot drink and you can feel your aligners have warped, return to the last aligner in your set and contact your dentist. They can tell you if you need to order a replacement aligner or if you will be able to move to the next aligner in your set.

Ready to start the orthodontic journey with us? Get in touch today to arrange your Invisalign consultation!