Alcohol and invisalign

Discussions about treatment with invisible braces that use clear aligners, such as Invisalign, OrthoClear, the Red White and Blue system, etc.

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djrobsd
Posts: 56
Joined: Thu Apr 24, 2008 10:05 am

Alcohol and invisalign

#1 Post by djrobsd »

I got my impressions yesterday and will now anxiously await for my Clincheck and the first set of trays to arrive!

I have a question about removal. My dentist told me I need to take them out whenever I drink any fluids or eat food. Is this really true?

The reason I ask is that I love to drink wine, I usually have a couple glasses at night while watching TV, so you figure that's about 3-4 hours of sipping wine and watching TV.

If I remove them, it seems like 3-4 hours will be too long to have them out. What would happen if I just leave them on and have my wine or ocean?

John37
Posts: 327
Joined: Wed Mar 12, 2008 3:38 am

#2 Post by John37 »

One problem is some drinks can stain the aligners. Also your teeth will be dirty while the trays are on for a few hours and your saliva won't naturally wash your teeth off, so it could increase your chances of getting decay. I would think acidic drinks would be the worst.

I only drink things other than water if I'm going to take the aligners out to eat anyway shortly after.

djrobsd
Posts: 56
Joined: Thu Apr 24, 2008 10:05 am

NO FUN!

#3 Post by djrobsd »

Ugh, I hope that I can figure out how to properly manage it... Either that, or maybe my liver and my waistline will be a lot happier from the reduction in drinks consumed!

LOL

Luella
Posts: 273
Joined: Sat Apr 19, 2008 9:11 am
Location: Fort Worth, Texas
Contact:

#4 Post by Luella »

Drink your wine through a straw! That might keep it off your teeth more, but then you wouldn't be able to taste it as much... I'd talk to the ortho about it!
~ Luella ~
Oral surgery assistant, Registered Dental Assistant, OMAAP Certified

youngone22
Posts: 13
Joined: Fri Sep 28, 2007 8:35 am

#5 Post by youngone22 »

I may not be the "model" invisalign patient, but I do wear my trays 22 hours or more a day...I'm an active 24 year old, and I go out to bars/clubs all the time, especially on the weekends, and I drink wine, and shots without straws and mixed drinks (with a straw) with my trays in. Just make sure to rinse with water (and your trays!) once you are done drinking and wait a bit to brush your teeth and you should be okay...I've never had a problem with staining. I tend to be more lax with the whole not drinking with a straw thing during my second week bc I know they will be coming off.

Let me know if you have anymore questions...my drinking habit hasnt suffered since I got Invisalign....I'm on tray 8 of 24 as of tomorrow!

SmiingsMyFavorite
Posts: 22
Joined: Mon May 28, 2007 6:35 pm

drinking

#6 Post by SmiingsMyFavorite »

Hi all,

I'm on tray 22 of 32 and I have been very lax w/ the whole drinking thing too. I usually take them out for 3-4 hours when I go out drinking on the weekends, unless it's the last couple days of a tray - because then I don't have to worry about stainage.

Weeknights = 22 hours a day, weekend nights = more like 18-20.

Everything is going very well and I am 2/3 done:)

kenkwiat
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu May 29, 2008 8:25 pm

#7 Post by kenkwiat »

I too was worried about this when I first started with my aligners...right after I started, I was going on vacation. I started out drinking beer and cleaning after I was done; not an issue. After a few weeks of figuring out how my teeth moved with each aligner, I would take them out when I had a drink. Now, I have them out for a good portion of the day; basically b/c I have a good deal of "talk time" at work and prefer to leave them out (this I do after the first 3 days of a new set of aligners). After the first 3 days, I am slightly more lax with the amount of hours per day; and I'm sure this may vary per person since everyone is different. However, I did notice that the last set I put in seems to be a bit more painful but could be the way the teeth are being moved this time.

Also, I've seen many questions re: attachments; I must say that while I hate having them, I love them just the same. My Ortho is going to start pushing that everyone gets them, as they seem to help move the teeth quicker; which may be why I don't seem to need to stick to the 20-22 hour rule as much as others??? But I really should be more strict with it! Anyway, while you can kind of see the attachments when you are face to face to someone, they aren't really that noticeable unless you tell someone you have them.

Hope this helps someone!
(14 top/18 bottom; end in October; can't wait)

aussie
Posts: 28
Joined: Wed Apr 30, 2008 6:17 pm
Location: Australia, NSW

#8 Post by aussie »

i drink alot. being a 21 yr old aussie male im out every weekend with fella's partying.
last weekend i went up to visit a mate that goes to a uni about 5.5 hrs north of me (for those aussies here i live on the central coast just north of sydney & my mate goes to UNE in Armidale).
it was a road trip up with friends, alot of drinking in the nights... alot! while i mainly stick to beer, i enjoy a dabble in rum or even a little vodka, i just make sure i rinse my mouth out a couple of times over the night & brush/floss etc them when we get home.

my ortho says they look great & as long as i keep rinsing/brushing when getting home i'll be fine.
started treatment 6 May 2008.
All up 34 Upper & 20 Lower.
Loving the invisalign, a great choice for correcting my teeth.

Kez
Posts: 12
Joined: Wed Jun 18, 2008 6:36 am

#9 Post by Kez »

aussie wrote:i drink alot. being a 21 yr old aussie male im out every weekend with fella's partying.
last weekend i went up to visit a mate that goes to a uni about 5.5 hrs north of me (for those aussies here i live on the central coast just north of sydney & my mate goes to UNE in Armidale).
it was a road trip up with friends, alot of drinking in the nights... alot! while i mainly stick to beer, i enjoy a dabble in rum or even a little vodka, i just make sure i rinse my mouth out a couple of times over the night & brush/floss etc them when we get home.

my ortho says they look great & as long as i keep rinsing/brushing when getting home i'll be fine.
That's great news - I like a few beers in the evening a few night a week but determined to try and keep them in as much as possible so would prefer to have a beer or two with them in. I'll see how I get on.

Lilypad
Posts: 198
Joined: Fri Jul 27, 2007 8:03 am

#10 Post by Lilypad »

I drank beer for 3-4 hours at a time 2-3 nights a week with my aligner in during my 10 month treatment. I just made sure I brushed my teeth and the aligner right after I was done. Just went for my exam and the funny thing is......I had one small cavity on a bottom tooth where I didnt have an aligner. So, I say........PARTY ON! LOL :lol:

aussie
Posts: 28
Joined: Wed Apr 30, 2008 6:17 pm
Location: Australia, NSW

#11 Post by aussie »

Lilypad wrote:I drank beer for 3-4 hours at a time 2-3 nights a week with my aligner in during my 10 month treatment. I just made sure I brushed my teeth and the aligner right after I was done. Just went for my exam and the funny thing is......I had one small cavity on a bottom tooth where I didnt have an aligner. So, I say........PARTY ON! LOL :lol:
most definitely! :D
started treatment 6 May 2008.
All up 34 Upper & 20 Lower.
Loving the invisalign, a great choice for correcting my teeth.

djrobsd
Posts: 56
Joined: Thu Apr 24, 2008 10:05 am

#12 Post by djrobsd »

I've been drinking white wine with a straw. It sucks, the flavor and the taste are completely gone (it's true, your nose is what give the wine its fine flavors and complexity).. On the other hand, I do get more of a buzz drinking the wine from a straw. LOL!

Anyway, I usually will drink a couple glasses and then take my aligners out and clean my teeth and the aligners real good... That's key, don't just rinse them off.

Sometimes I'll also have a ocean this way as well, but I am a bit paranoid about the sugar causing cavities.

Rio UK
Posts: 59
Joined: Thu Aug 14, 2008 1:54 pm
Location: England

#13 Post by Rio UK »

When I first got mine I was taking them out on saturday nights when I went out drinking. Then I was having to wear them for an extra day or 2. I figured this to extend my treatment by a couple of months!
So from now on I'm going to drink white wine/soda or vodka/sprite through straws and rinse out my brace everytime I go to the bathroom and then make sure i clean my teeth properly before going to bed ;)
Invisalign upper teeth on July 16th 2008: 14 aligners.
Fixed brace bottom teeth 8th October 2008!


Image


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djrobsd
Posts: 56
Joined: Thu Apr 24, 2008 10:05 am

#14 Post by djrobsd »

I think the key question is ... How long does it take before it does damage to your teeth? 5 minutes? 1 hour? 4 hours? If it's 4 hours, then definately I would think you could drink and every hour or two just wash them out.

I've been going out to clubs and having a couple of drinks since I started my treatment, and haven't noticed any problems, i'm probably out for about 3-4 hours and then I come home and brush and clean real good.

We'll see next month when I get my checkup and cleaning. ;)

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