Types of Foods to Avoid with Invisalign and Braces
Although braces may be a significant shift in your lifestyle, they don’t have to affect your diet as much as you think. There are certain foods to avoid with Invisalign and braces, but it isn’t a heart-stopping list. The good news is that once your treatment is complete, you will be eating all the “forbidden” foods with a healthy, perfect smile.
Why Avoiding Some Foods is Recommended
It may seem like we say this a lot, but it is one of the things that can never be said enough. We ask you to avoid certain types of foods while wearing braces to protect the hardware. For Invisalign wearers, the dietary restrictions are to protect your teeth during treatment.
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Both Invisalign and braces work by loosening your teeth slightly to shift them into new positions. Braces help your teeth remain in place while this process occurs. Invisalign, because you remove the trays, does not hold positioning while you are eating. Eating the wrong foods during your treatment can cause pain. Slightly loose teeth may tend to shift back into their previous positioning without the gentle nudging of the alignment trays.
We aren’t trying to make your life miserable by requesting that you avoid certain foods. We ask that you commit to assist the hardware in working its best during your treatment period.
Types of Foods to Avoid with Invisalign and Braces
The types of foods to avoid are similar with both Invisalign and braces. The difference is in why we ask you to avoid them. There are four basic types of foods to avoid: chewy, crunchy hard, and sticky. Although not in a class by itself, you should also avoid foods that you bite into. These would include tough, crusty, or chewy bread that requires a tearing motion using your teeth. Apples also should be avoided unless peeled and cut into small pieces.
With traditional braces, try to avoid food that may get trapped in the wires between your brackets. These include sticky items like taffy, licorice, bagels, gum, and other chewy things. Sticky and chewy foods can also pull the wires away from the brackets. With hard and crunchy foods, there is the potential of damaging your wires. The wires, although strong enough to move your teeth, are still quite fragile against hard foods.
Although there are technically no dietary restrictions with Invisalign, there is a valid reason to avoid some foods. Invisalign only works while the trays are in place. While you are eating without the trays in place, your teeth may be slightly loose due to the repositioning. Chewy and sticky foods may pull on those loose teeth causing pain or shifting. Hard and crunchy foods may also cause movement and discomfort.
Staying on a good diet with Invisalign or braces is more than memorizing a list of “forbidden” foods. Train yourself to think about how your treatment plan works. Deciding which foods to avoid with Invisalign and braces becomes a matter of thinking about how food choices will affect your treatment.
Oral Hygiene is Important with Invisalign and Braces
Although we always recommend that you stay away from overly sugary foods, you can eat almost all the pies this year. Avoid the pecan pie, but pumpkin, apple, and sweet potato are perfect.
Don’t forget to practice good oral hygiene during the holiday period. If you are traveling, please be sure to pack all your oral hygiene supplies.
Contact Hanson Place Orthodontics with any questions. Our staff is always ready to help.
Email: info@hansonplaceortho.com
Phone: (718) 622-2695
Text (24/7): (917) 601-8623
