Metal Mouth Message Board

Hi everyone,
I just got my Invisalign uppers (I have fixed braces on the bottom) and my ortho told me to try eating with the tray in. He said if I can manage this, I can have each tray in for only 10 days instead of 2 weeks. This runs contrary to just about everything I've read about Invisalign, but I've been trying it for two days now and everything seems fine. I am on really soft food anyway because my bottom teeth are still sore. Of course, I am taking the tray out to clean it (and my teeth) every time I eat.
Does anyone have an opinion about this? I'm grateful for any feedback!

A lot of orthodontists are starting to encourage this. After I received my aligners, I was sent home with an information sheet stating, in a bullet point, "You CAN eat with your aligners in!" A week later I was back getting an attachment replaced, and I heard the hygienist next to me sternly telling her patient NEVER to eat with them in.

Anyway, I've tried eating with them in. Although I didn't personally have issues with tearing or breaking the aligners (they're made of implantable grade plastic) I wouldn't recommend it, for a couple of reasons:

· Chewing anything with the aligners scuffs them and makes them rough immediately. You have to live with that for ten days, and it's the most annoying thing ever.

· Most importantly, I find eating with them in to be practically impossible. It is strange feeling and incredibly unsatisfying. Absolutely everything you eat can, and WILL get stuck in the trays - I guarantee it. It's quite embarrassing the first time you try it in public and twenty minutes later, you pass a mirror and realize how disgusting they look.

In my opinion, not worth the trouble!

I'm on aligner number 9 on top, havent started the bottom ones yet. My ortho told me to eat with my aligners on as well. From her exp, the treatment works better the more time you spend with them on. I trust her judgement. I found it hard at the beginning, but quickly adjusted to them. The only time I dont eat with them is when I have coffee or soup or anything hot. I don't find it a big deal, i just pop them out to rinse them and brush my teeth.

Weird - I didn't think it was possible! I forgot once and popped a piece of cake in my mouth. The stickiness pulled the liners off my teeth.

I ate a sweet (candy) with my aligner in once and that felt soooo wierd!!

I got my first set of aligners today. My doctor told me to try and eat with them in. Well, I tried and was totally grossed out. Food got stuck everywhere and I couldn't really taste the food! Very strange sensation. I don't think I will try this again.

It's really not that bad. I was hesitant at first because I felt I'd break them. My ortho reasssured me that they were super durable. So I gave it another try. I think I wear my aligners 23.5 hours a day now. Super discipline, can't wait to start my bottom aligners.

dont think i could do it, i dont think its to much hard work to pull your aligners out then eat food and pop them back in, pretty cool about the time difference it would take to change trays though, but i think id rather wait a couple of days extra.

Frankly i think this is crap advice, and you can and will crack the aligners if you eat something hard. They will stain, scuff and get crap stuck all under them. Having them on those extra couple of hours is probably of no consequence and i've read orthodontic appliances that CAN be removed for up to 4 hours a day are better for your roots because they allow them to recover and heal a bit.

I'm not an orthodontist tho.

Thanks, everyone, for your responses. It's good to know other orthodontists are recommending this too -- I was beginning to think mine was some kind of maverick!
I am now on aligner 2 and still eating all my meals with my aligner in. Aligner 1 got a little scuffed at the back, but it didn't bother me at all. I actually feel better eating with them in than out now -- taking them out is still uncomfortable (probably because I have attachments top front and center and it feels like my teeth are being ripped out when pull the aligner off!). Maybe it's easier for me because I only have invisalign on top and a fixed appliance on the bottom, so it's not like plastic is making contact with plastic every time I chew (that would probably be a little weird).
Thanks again for all your comments and opinions. This place is such a valuable resource, I really appreciate having found it.

That doesn't seem to be very good advice. My ortho said to never ever do this because it can damage your trays. Plus it seems like it would be very uncomfortable to eat with them in.

My ortho told me not to eat with them in. To only drink water and the occasional glass of white wine with them in, and definitely not to drink anything hot as this can warp the trays.

My ortho was very specific about not eating with them in, and kept stressing water was the only thing allowed with them in. I have on occasion forgotten that they are in and put something in my mouth and it felt quite revolting, but I'm sure it is something you can get used to. So is the idea that as soon as you have finished eating you take them out, brish, floss and stick them straight back in? Only on the very odd occasion where I couldn't brush straight after eating they got pretty gross, and needed sterilising once I got home.
Interesting that quite a few ortho's are suggesting this though. maybe it will become new best practise. This is after all still a fairly new treatment so you would expect it to evolve.

You should have been given an official Invisalign starter guide with your first trays. This would explain how to insert, remove, clean and care for your aligners. Anything hot in your mouth is a NO NO, biting down hard is a NO NO! This should tell you already that eating is a NO NO, but that's also explicitly stated, don't eat with them in.

I have a feeling these instructions to eat with them in are being given by old traditionalist orthos who have little care to work with invisaligns pros and cons. They're probably the same who order attachments on just about every tooth so they look like shrink wrapped train track braces.

I've eaten with my aligners in, i've done it a couple of times in the past 6 months, but it's never a good idea and usually ends in a horrible mess in your mouth.

Hi PaulInc, thanks for your comment. It's great to have a discussion about this and I really appreciate and value everyone's opinions.

PaulInc wrote:You should have been given an official Invisalign starter guide with your first trays. This would explain how to insert, remove, clean and care for your aligners. Anything hot in your mouth is a NO NO, biting down hard is a NO NO! This should tell you already that eating is a NO NO, but that's also explicitly stated, don't eat with them in.

Yes, I have read all the Invisalign literature, as I said in my original post, but I have great respect for my orthodontist, so I have been following his advice, even though it runs contrary to the 'official' line. I have been pleased to read that some other orthodontists have been saying the same thing recently and also that others have different opinions. That's why I brought the subject up in the first place, as I know many people on this board have been at this aligner business for a lot longer than I have! All information I can get on this subject is great!

PaulInc wrote: I have a feeling these instructions to eat with them in are being given by old traditionalist orthos who have little care to work with invisaligns pros and cons. They're probably the same who order attachments on just about every tooth so they look like shrink wrapped train track braces.

Actually, my orthodontist is a Premier Provider and one of the top 100 Invisalign providers in the whole of the U.S! (And, boy, do you know it by his prices!)

PaulInc wrote: I've eaten with my aligners in, i've done it a couple of times in the past 6 months, but it's never a good idea and usually ends in a horrible mess in your mouth.

Fortunately, this hasn't been my experience. I have had no trouble eating with my aligner in, I very rarely get any food stuck in it and I always take it out immediately after eating to give it (and my teeth) a good clean. My last aligner was in for two weeks and I didn't notice any warping, cracking, staining or anything like that. The only thing that happened was the molars on the left-hand side were a bit scuffed, as that is where I do most of my chewing. I'm not eating anything like pretzels or apples with them in of course! That would be a challenge, for sure.