Invisalign is so different from traditional braces that you might assume that the usual rules do not apply. But don’t be fooled. You still need to be careful about the foods you eat.
Because you take your aligners out to eat, you can be more relaxed about what you eat than with braces. You won’t break a bracket. But some Invisalign patients have attachments that help their aligners stay in place. Those attachments stay in your mouth when you take your aligners out. So they are exposed to everything you eat.
Foods that Are Tough to Clean with Invisalign and Braces
Jelly beans, caramel, taffy, Skittles, and other sticky foods are hard to clean off your teeth. Having attachments gives them more places to hide. If you don’t get all of these sugary goodies off your teeth and attachments before putting in your aligners, you’ve got a breeding ground for tooth decay.
Sticky foods like jelly beans don’t pose the same kinds of dangers to Invisalign as they do to braces. But they can lead to cavities even if you don’t have attachments for them to hide in.
How to Protect Against Cavities with Invisalign
There are two ways to handle the decay danger posed by sticky candies, popcorn balls, or other sugary foods. The first is to avoid them like you would with regular braces. This is certainly the safest approach.
But one of the advantages of Invisalign is that you can take the aligners out to eat. So what you’re really dealing with is a dental hygiene issue. You should always brush your teeth after you eat and before you put in your aligners.
Eating sticky food makes brushing more important than ever. The stickier the food, the harder it is to get off, even if you brush well. Consider what it’s like to eat a caramel or a Snickers bar. How long after, even if you brush, do you still find a bit of candy stuck in a tooth?
Now imagine putting your aligners over those sticky bits and you can see the issue. If you can’t quit your candy habit, you must be sure to brush and floss thoroughly after you eat your treats.
Talk to us about foods to avoid with Invisalign, especially if you have attachments. Discuss any foods that might damage attachments. Then consider whether sticky foods are worth the risk of tooth decay.
Avoiding these foods is, for most people, preferable to the prospect of cavities.
