Living with Invisalign: the practical guide

The aligners come out, which is the whole point. Nearly every day-to-day question about them comes back to one rule: in for 22 hours, out to eat, out to drink anything other than water, and back in after you’ve brushed. Get that routine sorted in the first week and the rest mostly looks after itself.

Below are 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’s 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 well) and put them back in. Chewing with them in cracks or warps them and traps food against the teeth, so no eating with them in. Not even a snack.

In practice, meals get a bit more organised. Three meals and less grazing, because every time you eat the aligners are out and the 22-hour clock is ticking. 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, have some water in between, and brush and put them back in before bed. A few hours out one evening now and then is fine. 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 fiddliest. By week two it takes a couple of seconds.

Putting them in: push the front teeth in first with your fingers, then press down over the back teeth. Don’t bite them into place. Use chewies instead. A new aligner should feel tight. If it’s sitting visibly away from a tooth after a couple of days, let us know.

Chewies are small foam cylinders you bite on for a few minutes after inserting a new aligner. They push the aligner fully onto the teeth, and that’s 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 help but aren’t essential. A soft brush does most of the work.
• ✓  Brush and floss your teeth before every re-insertion. Plaque sealed under plastic for hours causes decay, bad breath and staining during treatment.
• ✓  Keep the case with you. Aligners wrapped in a napkin end up in the bin. That’s how most of them 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 talking 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 one, plus the case and a travel brush. If you’re away for longer, we’ll plan the changes with you.
• ✓  Lost or broken aligner. Tell us the same day. Depending on where you are in the series, we’ll 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. It’s the teeth moving. Switch to a new set at bedtime so you sleep through the first few hours. More in does Invisalign hurt.

Invisalign isn’t a weight-loss treatment and we’d never suggest it as one. Some patients do snack less, because every snack means taking the aligners out and brushing afterwards, and that can show on the scales. It’s a side effect of the routine, and not something to count on. What the routine does reliably is make you notice what you eat and drink between meals. That’s good for your teeth, whatever it does for your waistline.

Everything above is about protecting one number. Aligners only move teeth while they’re in, and your plan assumes 22 hours out of every 24. Two hours out covers three meals and a coffee. It doesn’t cover a long lunch, a night out and a lazy morning. Fall short regularly and the next aligner won’t fit, treatment drags on, and refinements become more likely. Why it’s 22, and how to keep track, is in our 22-hour rule guide. All your review appointments are included, so if you’re struggling with wear, tell us at the next one rather than battling on.

Not started yet? Our packages are a fixed £1,495, £2,495 or £2,995 with everything included. Full detail is on our fees page and in our Invisalign cost guide.

To see how treatment works at our clinic, visit our Invisalign in Edgware page, with packages, patient results and booking.