Living with Invisalign: the practical guide

Invisalign works because the aligners come out, and nearly every day-to-day question about living with them comes back to one rule: aligners in for 22 hours, out to eat, out to drink anything other than water, and back in after you have brushed. Get that routine right in the first week and the rest of treatment largely runs itself.

This page answers the questions our Invisalign patients ask most in the first month: eating, coffee, alcohol, taking aligners out, cleaning them, chewies, travelling, and what happens if you lose one.

Anything, as long as the aligners are out. That is the big advantage over braces: no list of banned foods, no popcorn or toffee rules. Take the aligners out, eat, brush or at least rinse thoroughly, put them back in. Chewing with aligners in cracks or warps them and traps food against the teeth, so there is no eating with them in, not even a snack.

In practice that means meals get a little more organised: three meals and fewer grazes, because every time you eat the aligners are out and the 22-hour clock is running. Most patients find they snack less, which is where the “Invisalign diet” idea comes from.

The question we get most is “can I drink alcohol with Invisalign?” You can; just not with the aligners in. On a night out, take them out at the start, keep them in their case, drink water in between, and put them back in before bed after brushing. A few hours out one evening is fine occasionally; a few hours out every evening is what puts treatment behind.

Taking them out: start at the back, on one side, and use a fingertip on the inside edge of the aligner to lift it off the back teeth. Work round to the other side, then lift the front last. Pulling from the front first flexes the plastic and can crack it, and tugging on an attachment can dislodge it. The first few days are the hardest; by week two it is a two-second job.

Putting them in: push the front teeth in first with your fingers, then press down over the back teeth. Never bite them into place; use chewies instead. A new aligner should feel tight. If it is sitting visibly away from a tooth after a couple of days, tell us.

Chewies are small foam cylinders you bite on for a few minutes after inserting a new aligner. They seat the aligner fully onto the teeth, which is what makes the planned movement happen. Use them with every new set, especially in the first day or two.

• ✓  Rinse aligners every time they come out, with cool water. Hot water warps them.
• ✓  Brush aligners gently morning and night with a soft brush and clear, unscented soap or an aligner cleaner. Toothpaste is abrasive and dulls the plastic.
• ✓  Cleaning crystals or tablets once a day are useful but not essential; a soft brush does most of the work.
• ✓  Brush and floss your teeth before every re-insertion. Plaque sealed under plastic for hours is what causes decay, bad breath and staining during treatment.
• ✓  Keep the case with you. Aligners wrapped in a napkin end up in the bin. It is the single most common way they get lost.

• ✓  Talking — a slight lisp for a day or two with each new set, then it goes. Reading aloud speeds it up.
• ✓  Work and meetings — aligners are near-invisible at conversational distance. Most colleagues never notice.
• ✓  Sport — fine to wear for most sport. For contact sport, swap to a mouthguard and put the aligners back in afterwards.
• ✓  Travel — take your current set, the next set and the previous set, plus the case and a travel brush. If you are away for longer, we plan the changes with you.
• ✓  Lost or broken aligner — tell us the same day. Depending on where you are in the series we will have you move to the next set early or go back to the previous one while a replacement is ordered.
• ✓  Discomfort — pressure for a day or two after each change is normal and is the teeth moving. Change to a new set at bedtime so the first hours pass while you sleep. More in does Invisalign hurt.

Invisalign is not a weight-loss treatment and we would never suggest it as one. Some patients do find they snack less, because every snack means taking the aligners out and brushing afterwards, and that habit change can show on the scales. It is a side effect of the routine, not a feature of the treatment, and it is not something to count on. What the routine reliably does is make you more aware of what you eat and drink between meals, which is good for your teeth whatever it does for your waistline.

Everything above exists to protect one number. Aligners only move teeth while they are in, and your plan assumes they are in for 22 hours out of every 24. Two hours out covers three meals and a coffee; it does not cover a long lunch, a night out and a lazy morning. Fall short regularly and the next aligner will not fit, treatment stretches, and refinements become more likely. Why the number is what it is, and how to track it, is in our 22-hour rule guide. Every Toothi package includes all your review appointments, so if you are struggling with wear, tell us at the next one rather than pushing through.

Not started yet? Our packages are a fixed £1,495, £2,495 or £2,995 with the scan, reviews, refinements, retainers, hygiene clean and whitening included. Full detail on our fees page and in our Invisalign cost guide.