While one of the many benefits of having Invisalign is being able to eat whatever you want, a healthy diet is a key aspect to treatment.
Eating habits can affect your Invisalign teeth correction process. If your aligners get impaired and don’t work properly, it can impact your overall treatment.
Mint Dental Care shares a list of certain foods you may want to avoid as they generally have undesirable impact on your dental health, and they can also put your Invisalign aligners at risk of impairment.
Candy and Gum
Gum or hard candy can attach to the aligners and ruin them. They also leave a sugary residue on the teeth that feeds plaque and can lead to cavities.
In fact, not just gum but rather all sticky foods like jelly beans and caramel should be avoided. They can pull and tug at the aligners, possibly breaking or damaging them.
Jawbreaker foods
In general, any jawbreaker foods must also be avoided such as hard-shelled breads and uncooked carrots.
Eating more hard fruits and vegetables are a healthier option but should always be cut into smaller pieces. If possible, stick with softer options like bananas, grapes, and strawberries.
Sodas
Even if it’s light in color, soda can still leave heavy sugar residues on your teeth and because your aligners tightly fit your teeth, the sticky properties of soda mean that the sugar will cling to your teeth effectively and provide a food source for bacteria – feeding decay all day.
Soda is also found to be very acidic, breaking down your tooth enamel.
Coffee, Tea, Wine
It is important to note that drinks such as soda and coffee can be detrimental to both the health of your teeth and your overall health. Although it is fine to drink every once in a while, doctors at Mint Dental Care suggest to limit the amount of intake, and to always rinse afterward.
Dark liquids can quickly stain the aligners. This makes Invisalign extremely noticeable, defeating the point of having an invisible aligner.
Hot liquids
Hot drinks, regardless of whether they are light or dark liquids can make plastic aligners become sensitive. The high temperatures can warp or misshapen the Invisalign aligners, possibly leading to an extended orthodontic treatment time.
Even if through a straw, can cause melting of aligners.
Should you drink any of the abovementioned liquids, make sure to drink plenty of water as it helps in washing away bad bacteria, especially fluorinated water.
Myth: Drinkable alcohols don’t clean bacteria away. Protein drinks are fine in moderation along with good brushing. Protein provides bacteria with a slower food supply, so brushing after drinking is very effective in driving any leftover proteins away.
Icy foods
Ice and ice cream can break down teeth, either through grinding or cold shock.
Grinding happens when hard foods, like ice, are chewed on. Ice and ice cream can also cause cold shock. You may have heard of this phenomena, but the ultimate problem is that cold foods can actually crack teeth. It could be small ones or larger ones, but both can interfere with Invisalign treatment.
Spicy foods
Spicy foods are not off the menu, but they are often paired with acidic foods. Not only can the acidic sides break down teeth and gums, but most people pair it with something like milk or soda.
Brushing your teeth, cleaning your trays, and staying away from these foods will make your Invisalign process easier and faster. If you’re looking for the best Invisalign provider near Al Barsha (Tecom), Dubai, or have any questions about Invisalign, Mint Dental Care can help you.
They are equipped, trained, and certified as a Diamond Provider of Invisalign – the highest credential given to an Orthodontist or dental clinic based on their tier of expertise level of providing Invisalign treatments.
You can visit them at 1906, 19th Floor, Tameem House, Barsha Heights, Tecom, Dubai.
