Eating with Invisalign: A Guide to Food Choices

Blog Summary:

Eating with Invisalign can feel confusing at first, but it doesn’t have to be restrictive. With the right habits, you can enjoy your favorite meals while keeping treatment on track.

• Always remove Invisalign trays before eating to avoid staining or damage.
• Soft foods like bananas and mashed potatoes are ideal on sore days.
• Pizza, crunchy snacks, and full meals are fine. Just take trays out first.
• Rinse your mouth and aligners after meals to prevent bacteria buildup.
• Brush your teeth after eating and before putting aligners back in.
• Consistent wear (about 22 hours/day) ensures the best treatment results.

Invisalign makes it easy, discreet, and flexible to straighten your teeth without traditional braces. But what impact does it have on your diet?

Patients often ask us questions like: “What can you eat with Invisalign” and “Can I eat with Invisalign clear aligners in?”. Well we’ve got answers!

Can You Eat with Invisalign Trays In?

The short answer is no, you should never eat while wearing Invisalign trays, or other off-brand clear aligners for that matter.

Technically, while you could bite down while wearing Invisalign trays, you shouldn’t. That’s because chewing with trays in can crack or warp them. If food gets inside, it can also get pressed up against your enamel, upping the risk of decay and staining, especially if you don’t properly clean your teeth after eating.

The bottom line is this: Invisalign trays are made of strong plastic, but it’s still thin and flexible, and it’s simply not designed for the pressure associated with chewing.

What Can I Eat with Invisalign?

While you shouldn’t wear clear aligners while eating, once you take them out, you can eat pretty much anything you want (and can handle).

From pizza to hard candy, and even gum, it’s all fair game. The catch is that you should always make sure to rinse your mouth (and brush your teeth and floss if you can) before putting your Invisalign trays back in.

You don’t, for instance, want compacted tortilla chips or sticky hard candy residue stuck in your molars when you put your trays back in. Not only is food residue a breeding ground for cavity-causing-bacteria, but it also can make wearing clear aligners uncomfortable and even disrupt proper fitment.

The other important caveat is that, practically speaking, you should eat only what you can handle. Clear aligners can make your teeth and gums tender, so choosing soft, soothing foods on “new-tray days” like mashed potatoes, yogurt, smoothies, scrambled eggs, and banana is usually wise.

What Can I Drink with Invisalign?

You shouldn’t drink any liquids other than water with trays in. Hot drinks can distort aligners. Naturally and artificially colored beverages can stain trays. Meanwhile, sugary beverages including alcoholic drinks can increase your risk of cavities.

Looking for a longer list of dos and don’ts with more info about topics like why toothpaste can be too abrasive for aligner plastic? Check Out “The Do’s and Don’ts of Eating with Invisalign” by the Australia-based dental practice, The Orthodontists.

The Bottom Line

Consistency is everything with Invisalign. Removing trays to eat is part of the plan; cleaning and popping them back in right away is how you stay on track. For an overview of aligner care, attachments, and what to expect during treatment, reach out to Dentologie!

New to Invisalign or weighing braces vs. Invisalign? Feel free to book an Invisalign consultation with us now!