Holiday Foods to Avoid with Invisalign

The most wonderful time of year is right around the corner! With it comes the seasonal food and drink that we look forward to all year round. But there are certain holiday foods to avoid with Invisalign! Our Gold Plus Invisalign dentists dive into which foods you can enjoy – and which to pass on this holiday season.

Foods to Avoid if You Have Invisalign

When you have Invisalign there are some precautions you may have to take during the course of your dental treatment. Don’t worry, you still have more freedom than you would have with traditional braces. Invisalign clear aligners can be taken out to eat and drink, so many of the foods that might damage the wires or get stuck in them won’t affect these invisible trays. 

Still, there are some foods that can be hard on your teeth and impede their progress, or whose high sugar content can be detrimental to the health of your teeth during your treatment. To avoid any unforeseen complications, try to stay away from the following foods at your big holiday party:

Hard Candy 

There seems to be a bowl of candy sitting on every counter and around every corner this time of year, from candy canes to peppermints, and even mini jawbreakers in Christmas colors. While these are festive and tempting, biting into some of these can impact the progress that your aligners have made. Try to stick to foods and candies that are easier to bite into. 

Toffee

Similarly, brittle and crunchy toffee is infamous for being tough to bite into, so be careful with this one especially. Plus, bits of toffee can get stuck in your teeth, leaving sugar behind that can get stuck on them—or on your aligners—and cause decay. 

Popcorn or Kettle Corn

When you have braces, popcorn is obviously a no-go. Hulls and kernels can easily get stuck in your teeth, even causing inflammation in the gums if they get caught there. When you have Invisalign, you don’t have to worry about popcorn damaging the wires of your braces, but you do have to be careful that you don’t have these little bits stuck in your teeth, where aligners can push them further into place and make them very hard to remove.

Drinks that Can Stain

Really, the only thing you should be drinking with your aligners on is water. During the holiday season—and at all other times of year—you should avoid drinking things that can easily stain your teeth. Red wine, for instance, or dark tea, can leave a stain on not just your teeth, but on your aligners as well. This can defeat the purpose of your invisible aligners, calling attention to them. 

Hard Fruit 

Biting into an apple or other hard fruit can have a similar effect on your teeth that biting into hard candy can. The force of that can undo some of the progress made by your aligners, setting you back in your treatment plan. These foods may also exacerbate any soreness that you experience when you first switch to a new aligner, so it’s a good idea to avoid them at the start of a new tray especially.

While it can be tough to avoid certain foods this time of year, keep in mind that it won’t be forever! You’ll only have to abide by these rules for the length of your treatment time, and at the end of the process you’ll have a beautiful new smile to show off—and can eat any snacks you want!

Mint Leaf Dentistry Invisalign Options 

If you’re looking to start your Invisalign journey sooner rather than later, contact us at Mint Leaf Dentistry, call us at  919-330-1710, or book with us online! Our Morrisville, North Carolina Invisalign dentists can guide you through your treatment plan to get you the smile of your dreams. 

Our Gold Plus Invisalign dentists near Raleigh and Morrisville are ready to help you get the smile you’ve always wanted!