Can You Drink With Invisalign? 

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Can you drink with Invisalign aligners? What are the potential consequences of drinking alcohol, coffee or sugary drinks during your Invisalign treatment?

In this article, we set out to answer all of the questions you might have about drinking while wearing your Invisalign aligners. 

Knowing what you can and cannot do while undergoing your Invisalign treatment is key, so you don’t end up unwittingly sabotaging your results. Achieving a straighter, healthier and more attractive smile is the entire point of wearing clear aligners, and naturally you want to avoid doing anything that may be detrimental to achieving that goal. 

Without further ado, let us get started. These are the beverages you should be avoiding while wearing Invisalign aligners, and why you should be avoiding them.

Drinking water with Invisalign

Water, good old-fashioned H20, is the only approved beverage you can have while wearing your Invisalign aligners.

Drinking cool water or room temperature water is going to be your go-to while undergoing the Invisalign teeth straightening treatment, since clean water is the only liquid that does not contain any sugars, any acids or anything else that can cause tooth decay or damage your Invisalign aligners. 

Water is always the best beverage when your aim is to maintain a bright and healthy smile, but other drinks including fizzy drinks, hot coffee and alcoholic beverages can usually be enjoyed in moderation. While wearing your clear aligners, however, you are going to have to be even more mindful of the foods and drinks you consume on a daily basis.

Drinking alcohol while wearing Invisalign aligners

Alcoholic beverages are among the worst drinks to consume if you want to preserve a healthy smile while undergoing Invisalign treatment. 

Clear drinks with alcohol content, such as white wine and vodka, are highly acidic and can damage the enamel on your teeth. Dark drinks including red wine and whiskey are even worse, as they stain your teeth as well as.

Drinking sugary beverages with Invisalign 

Sugar is just about as bad as acid as far as your teeth and clear Invisalign aligners are concerned. 

Sugary drinks include soda, fruit juice and energy drinks. 

Drinking coffee or tea with Invisalign 

All hot beverages, including tea, coffee, hot cocoa and even plain hot water, have a tremendously negative impact on your custom made aligners. 

Every pair of Invisalign aligners is made specifically to fit your unique teeth and are designed to shift them into better, pre-planned positions. If the clear plastic material that your aligners are made of comes into contact with any hot liquid, they can become warped and melted. Even a slight change can warp and mess with your teeth straightening results.

In other words, drinking coffee with Invisalign is a hard no, as is drinking tea, hot cocoa, or any other hot drink you can think of.

How to minimise the negative impacts of drinking on your clear aligners

If Invisalign drinking sounds like a bit of a mine field, the good news is that there are several things you can do to limit the negative effects of sugary and acidic drinks on your teeth while undergoing orthodontic treatment. To make life a little easier for you, we have listed them here.

Removing your aligners

Whenever you can’t resist a cup of hot coffee or tea, a dark beer or an energy drink, your best strategy is to simply remove your clear aligners and place them in their storage case.

Keep in mind that your Invisalign aligners have to be worn for 22 hours a day, so you should not remove your Invisalign aligners very often. If you can, stick to having one coffee or tea as well as fruit juce in the morning, rather than messing about with taking your Invisalign aligners in and out several times throughout the day.

Using a straw

A straw is going to be your new best friend when you are on the go and really can’t resist having an alcoholic or sugary drinks while still wearing your aligners.

Whenever you have the foresight to remember bringing your Invisalign aligner protective case with you, removing your aligners and placing them in it while drinking is best. However, in those spontaneous moments where you just simply don’t have the case with you, sipping your drink through a straw is an acceptable solution. 

Sipping alcoholic or soda drinks through a straw minimises the damaging contact between the acids and sugars in the drink and the aligner material. 

Brushing your teeth or rinsing your mouth

Removing your clear aligners in order to enjoy an alcoholic or sugary drink is one thing, keeping the alcoholic or sugary drink from transferring from your teeth to your clear aligners is another.

If you are out and about, you may not be able to stop and brush your teeth before putting your aligners back into your mouth – but if you are able to, you should. The next best option is to rinse out your mouth to get rid of as much of the acids and sugars as possible before reinserting your aligner trays.

Drinking with Invisalign aligners FAQ

What can you drink when wearing Invisalign?

You should only really be drinking plain water, which can be either cold or room temperature, during your Invisalign treatment. 

Of course, sticking entirely to water for months while your teeth are being straightened may be impossible to achieve, so your best option is to always remove your clear aligners before enjoying any drink other than water. 

Can I drink through a straw with Invisalign?

Yes, drinking alcoholic or sugary beverages with a straw while undergoing Invisalign treatment is your best option, if you are unable to remove your clear aligners while enjoying your drink.

Naturally, removing your aligners for a night out is not recommended, so sipping the beverages you want to enjoy through a straw is a good alternative, as it ensures less contact between the beverage and your teeth, or between the beverage and your aligners. 

Can I drink with Invisalign retainers?

The answer depends on what you mean by drinking. 

If you are referring to drinking alcohol, or really anything other than water, the answer is no. It is best to avoid drinking anything except water while wearing your Invisalign aligners, as various beverages can cause damage to your aligners and to your teeth.

While avoiding any other beverages than water for the duration of your Invisalign treatment may be unrealistic, it is certainly possible to limit your intake of hot drinks, alcoholic drinks and sugary drinks, and to remove your aligners when you do want to enjoy any of these.

Can I drink alcohol with Invisalign?

No. You should avoid alcoholic beverages while wearing your Invisalign clear aligners.

The good news is that you can still enjoy an alcoholic drink here and there during your teeth straightening treatment, but you need to remove your aligners from your mouth beforehand to avoid damaging either it or your teeth. At the very least, you should be sipping your drink through a straw to minimise contact between your aligners and the acidity of your beverage.

Takeaway

The easy answer to whether or not you can drink anything other than water throughout your Invisalign teeth straightening process is no. But, let’s face it, steering completely clear of alcohol, tea, coffee and soda for months on end is probably not realistic.

Fortunately, there are easy and actionable steps you can take to eliminate or reduce the negative effects of most drinks on your Invisalign aligners. 

The best approach is to always remove your aligners before enjoying any drinks that are not water – and you should always, without exception, remove your clear aligners before enjoying any hot beverages, as hot temperatures can quickly disfigure your aligners and negatively impact your teeth straightening results. 

Other tips and tricks covered in this article include using a straw to sip alcoholic or sugary beverages while out and about and rinsing your mouth out carefully before putting your Invisalign aligners back in.

Dr Febin Mary George - Editor

With more than 10 years as a dental surgeon, Dr Febin Mary George is passionate about educating consumers around the world to help look after their teeth.

She completed her Bachelor of Surgery at the Century Institute of Dental Science and Research Centre in 2010.

Alongside editing the International Journal of Dental Clinics she has also written for major publications including Thrive Global.