Coffee, Tea and Your Invisalign Trays
You don’t have to give up your favorite drinks during Invisalign treatment. However, you need to be careful because of two main issues that can affect your aligners:
- Heat can change your trays: Hot drinks can warp your Invisalign aligners, making them fit poorly. When the plastic changes shape, it won’t move your teeth in the right direction anymore. This means your treatment might take longer or not work as well as it should.
- Dark drinks can stain: Coffee and tea have strong colors that can turn your clear aligners yellow or brown. This makes them more visible in your mouth, which defeats one of the main benefits of choosing Invisalign – that they’re hard to see when you’re wearing them.
Simple Rules for Drinking Coffee & Tea
Follow these easy tips from Honey Orthodontics to protect your aligners while still enjoying your favorite drinks:
Take Out Your Aligners First
The best thing to do is remove your aligners before drinking coffee or tea. This keeps them safe from heat and stains. Store them in their case while you enjoy your drink to keep them clean and prevent losing them.
Clean Up After Drinking
After enjoying your drink, follow these steps:
- Rinse your mouth well with water to wash away any leftover coffee or tea
- Brush your teeth if you can, or at least swish water around thoroughly
- Check that your aligners are clean before putting them back in
- Make sure your mouth is clean to prevent trapping stains under your aligners
When You Can’t Remove Them
If you really need to drink with aligners in (though this isn’t ideal):
- Wait until your drink is completely cool to avoid warping
- Use a straw to direct the liquid past your front teeth and aligners
- Choose lighter drinks when possible (like white tea instead of black tea)
- Rinse as soon as you can after drinking
- Plan to clean your aligners extra well that evening
Wear Your Aligners Most of the Day
Remember, your Invisalign aligners need to stay in your mouth for 20-22 hours every day. This means you only have 2-4 hours total for:
- Eating all your meals and snacks
- Drinking coffee, tea, and other non-water beverages
- Brushing and flossing your teeth thoroughly
The more consistently you wear your aligners, the faster your teeth will move into place. Every hour without them slows down your progress.
Get Your Perfect Smile at Honey Orthodontics
At Honey Orthodontics in Gurnee, IL, our team knows how to give you a straight smile while still letting you enjoy your daily habits. We understand that small pleasures like coffee breaks matter to your quality of life during treatment.
Our patients tell us they quickly adjust to their new routines and find that the small changes are worth it for the beautiful smile they achieve.
Don’t wait for the smile you’ve always wanted! Contact us to learn how Invisalign can work with your lifestyle – including your coffee and tea habits!