Whether it’s a meal or just a snack, it’s imperative that you remove your clear aligners before you eat. This is because they are not intended to withstand the pressure of biting and chewing food. Doing so could cause them to break, interrupting your treatment plan and extending the time until you get your dream smile.
Being able to remove your Clear Aligners several times a day to eat food is an excellent benefit over traditional track braces, as it means that you can eat foods that you wouldn’t be able to with traditional braces. This means there are minimal changes to your diet, and you can continue enjoying your favourite foods. However, that being said, there are still certain things you must avoid or follow to make the most of your clear aligner treatment.
Food to avoid during Clear Aligner Treatment
Despite removing your clear aligners to eat, we would still advise that you are cautious when eating sticky, sugary foods that can easily get stuck between your teeth and are troublesome to remove before popping your clear aligners back in. This can cause a buildup of plaque and tartar if left.
Similarly, we recommend not eating anything too hard for the duration of your treatment. Things like jawbreakers or uncooked vegetables and fruit can be hard to chew, and the force needed to eat them could result in your teeth moving out of alignment. As your teeth are already receptive to movement during the process, you don’t want to accidentally shift them in a way that your aligners no longer fit as intended.
If you want your alignment treatment to be as quick and smooth as possible, reducing the amount of hard and sticky foods you eat can prevent any potential complications.
Drinks to avoid during Clear Aligner Treatment
To no surprise, a big appeal of clear aligners is that they are clear. If you drink anything other than water while your clear aligners are in place, you run the risk of staining them, which, if discoloured, defeats the purpose of having transparent aligners.
Hot drinks can also affect your clear aligners as the high temperatures can warp or misshapen them, possibly leading to an extended treatment time.
In this case, ensure you are very disciplined when drinking drinks like cola, wine, and coffee, ensuring it is exclusively done around meal times when the aligners are removed to eat.
Clean your teeth after eating and drinking
You must clean your teeth properly after a meal to ensure no bacteria left that could get stuck underneath the aligners if placed back on too soon. We recommend both brushing and flossing to be certain that you have effectively removed unwanted food or drink particles.
The worst thing you want is to increase the risk of tooth decay by trapping bacteria between the teeth and the aligners, which could interfere with the treatment or lead to cavities.
Transform your smile today with Clear Aligners
Now you should better understand how to look after your teeth and clear aligners so you can eat responsibly during your treatment plan without putting your smile at risk.
If you’re interested to see if you’re a suitable candidate for the procedure, get in touch with a member of the team, and we can book you in for a consultation and get your perfect smile journey started!
