What can you drink without staining the aligners?

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#1 Post by **mydarktwin** » Tue Aug 05, 2008 11:35 am

I had an appointment with my orthodontist just over a week ago and was given my first four aligners.

My orthodontist told me that I would be able to drink lightly coloured drinks like white wine and lager without staining the aligners, but I know that the official booklet only gives water the OK.

What are your experiences of what drinks stain the aligners?

Thanks for sharing your comments!

#2 Post by **Wobblydeb** » Wed Aug 06, 2008 6:03 am

My understanding is that the reason you have to avoid any liquids other than water is because of the damage they can do to your teeth.

Your saliva cannot work as normal and the trays act like a bath holding whatever you've drank in contact with your teeth.

I'm finding drinks the toughest thing to accommodate - I never realised how long I used to make a cup of tea last!!

#3 Post by **Kez** » Wed Aug 06, 2008 6:51 am

The hygiene part is probably the most damaging as the previous poster said. I am quite relaxed about it all. I'd drink water and coffee & lager with them in. Only two cups a day (coffee) and brush them afterwards and so far I've had no staining and i'm on tray 4. I tend to think you get a little bit more lax as the weeks go on but so far I've had two ortho check ups and one dental check up and no problems whatsoever.

#4 Post by **mydarktwin** » Wed Aug 06, 2008 1:43 pm

I know about the problem with drinks being acidic, I'd obviously be brushing teeth afterwards but I'm just really interested in the staining at the minute. So you reckon that larger and white wine should be fine?

#5 Post by **Nanny** » Thu Aug 07, 2008 11:55 am

I think it is only important that you will clean them after drinking. It is also importan to brush your teeth, therefore this should be no problem. Then it is not that important what you are drinking.

What you can avoid is coffee, tea, coca cola. And yes, lightly coloured drinks are the best

#6 Post by **aussie** » Fri Aug 08, 2008 11:07 pm

dude i drink absolutely everything, beer, juice, cordial, soft drink et cetera...

just take them out when your done, rinse them & your mouth with water

i usually go out drinking beer/rum/vodka etc... all night at the club, then just rinse when i get home (if i remember) and i've never had any problems... however everyone is different so just be careful.

aussie binge drinkers for the win!!!!!!!

#7 Post by **RenaissanceGurl** » Sat Aug 09, 2008 3:01 am

Just like Aussie, I used to drink EVERYTHING with my aligners in. I never had any problems with staining, even though I didn't always rinse the aligners afterwards. (Yep, sometimes I even snacked, but please don't tell my ortho!)
If you really want to be on the safe side, rinse them or use a straw.
But then again, even IF they stained (which, in my experience, won't happen), you shouldn't be too worried, after all, you just wear them for about 2 weeks...

#8 Post by **Lilypad** » Sat Aug 09, 2008 10:07 pm

I even drank the Purple Zombies in New Orleans with the aligner in. Just rinsed and brushed both the aligner and my teeth when I was done. In all of my aligners, I never had anything stain them, I was more worried about what was eatin my teeth while i was drinking beer with them in...

#9 Post by **djrobsd** » Thu Aug 28, 2008 1:00 am

I was worried about this myself when I got mine. I drink every day when I come home from work, I like to have a couple glasses of wine, or a few ocean. Call me a nighttime alcoholic! LOL

I haven't had any issues so far. I've gone both ways. I've taken the trays out, and drank for 5 or 6 hours, and then put them back in - and still was able to stay on my regular schedule moving to the next aligner. I've also tried drinking white wine or vodka and oj with a straw with them in, and then just brushing and rinsing real good after. So far, so good, then again who knows if I'm getting any cavities, I'll be going to get my teeth cleaned next month and we'll see what the verdict is.

I've found actually that rinsing them with the hard water here in San Diego stains them more then any beverage I drink. I always get this white buildup on mine, especially when it's time to switch to the next tray, pretty nasty!

BTW, I do drink Starbucks iced coffee with a straw with them in. They do get a buildup of greyish gunk on them, but I just brush real good when i take them out and they are fine. The majority of my buildup issues have been on the back molars, which are NOT being moved at all with my invisalign, so the trays are loose fitting on those back teeth, which probably allows the beverages to get in.

Fri Sep 12, 2008 10:37 am

Sugar is what creates an acid bath and can produce cavities. I would stay away from drinking sugared beverages with your aligners in.

The only thing that I drink with my aligners in is water.

#11 Post by **John37** » Fri Sep 12, 2008 8:45 pm

The sugar feeds the bacteria that forms plaque. The bacteria on the lower layer of plaque next to the tooth doesn't get oxygen, so they use anaerobic respiration which produces acid. The acid demineralizes the enamel making it more brittle, so it wears down faster.

Acid in drinks directly demineralizes the teeth. Sugar indirectly leads to cavities.

#12 Post by **HeatherS** » Sun Sep 14, 2008 6:04 pm

I drink just about anything with my aligners in, mostly soda though. I've had light colored mixed alcoholic drinks and wine without any staining. I made the mistake of drinking a red "squeeze-it" I found at a gas station on a road trip and that turned my aligners pink. I also had the same problem with fruit punch and a few other dark drinks, however all it took was holding them under the sink faucet for a few moments to get the color off. If you drink something dark just make sure you rinse them off right away before it permanently stains them.