How to Adjust Your Diet for Clear Aligners

Clear aligners aren’t like traditional braces, in that you don’t have to worry about popcorn kernels getting stuck in the brackets or the wires becoming a resting bed for sauces and stains.

However, just because your teeth aren’t permanently covered in metal, that doesn’t mean you won’t have to make some concessions to the new appliances. Here, we’ll look at how you need to change your diet when you wear Invisalign aligners in Shawnee, KS to avoid aggravating your oral health.

Eating with Aligners

You’re not supposed to eat with your aligners in, so you may assume that this means you don’t need to worry about what you eat. The truth is a little stickier, though, because your teeth are not only adjusting to the aligners, they’re also adjusting as you wear aligners. If you’re constantly eating crunchy or hard foods, it can delay your progress.

Also, there’s a chance that foods like nuts, popcorn, and chewy candies can get stuck in your aligners after you put them back in. If your teeth are more cavity-prone, you may increase your odds of tooth decay if you’re unable to clean your aligners after you eat.

The Ideal Diet

Your ideal diet with clear aligners is similar to that of a standard ideal diet: eat nutritious foods, preferably soft foods, like soups, yogurts, fruits, veggies, and lean protein. You certainly don’t need to blend everything up, but an orthodontist in Shawnee will tell you to up your intake of foods that are both easy to chew and are less likely to stick to your teeth.

If you have questions about clear aligners, whether it’s how long you need to wear them or what you can expect over the course of treatment, Bulleigh Orthodontics is here to help you get all your questions answered!