Iced Coffee Through a Straw?? Also 22 hours a DAY!!

Message

#1 Post by **Wildewoman** » Mon Nov 24, 2008 11:35 am

Hi all ~

I just started on my 2nd tray last week & I have been sneaking coffee through a straw. The dentists said NO COFFEE as it will stain - so I figured a straw wouldn't hurt? I know the hot coffee could warp the trays - so I am drinking iced or blended drinks.

Am I going to be in trouble later on if I keep this up? I do brush as soon as I can when I am done. . . .but I am addicted to Peet/Starbucks!!

Also - is 22 hours a day IN a hard & fast rule?? I was told that on my initial appointment - then when I went back & she asked me how many hours have a worn them - I said 22 per day & she goes Really!?? That's great!! And I said - why - that's what you said?? Then she said that that is the rule - but a lot of folks only wear them 20 or even 18.

So what is the absolute minimum I should have them in??

Thanks!
Linda

#2 Post by **PaulInc** » Mon Nov 24, 2008 12:30 pm

You get a new set of aligners every 2 weeks, so if one stains it's not the end of the world. Your teeth might stain tho!

22 is the goal, but very hard to keep to 100% of the time, and especially if you eat like me.

I'm happy with over 20 hours a day, and i haven't had any problems with my aligners fitting, or any pain after the first 3 days of a new aligner.

"What is the minimum i can have them in", is entirely the wrong attitude tho. You should be asking yourself what is the maximum i can possibly have them in and still maintain a healthy diet.

#3 Post by **Wildewoman** » Mon Nov 24, 2008 12:55 pm

Thanks so much!! I actually got a count up clock & track the time I have them out. It just seems so stringent!!

I just really enjoy/need coffee!!

Linda

#4 Post by **ILoveNiceTeeth** » Mon Nov 24, 2008 2:07 pm

this is interesting because my ortho said I could drink with the aligners in but I tend not to (because of things I've read on the forum plus it's kinda common sense)... other than after work beers that are hard to get out of... (once or twice a month)... my teeth wont fall out due to this will they? I swish water around my mouth at the end of the drink session though... you dont want to be brushing in a pub/bar toilet... they are GROSS!!!

#5 Post by **Wildewoman** » Mon Nov 24, 2008 2:15 pm

That IS interesting!!

She told me - water -plain old water.

I then started with a list - what about diet 7-Up? NO- water.
I asked about the cold coffee througha straw & she gave me this heavy sigh . . .& started to tell me that the invisalign rules state tha only plain water can be consumed when wearing the aligners.

But I got such headaches - due to lack of coffee - that I started to drink them through a straw.

I too am wondering if I will get soft teeth or a lot of decay??

Truth is - I'm brushing & flossing a LOT more now then before I had the braces!!

Thanks again!!
Linda

#6 Post by **Wildewoman** » Mon Nov 24, 2008 3:09 pm

That's a great idea!! I'll add that to my routine.

One last thing - would it be so terrible if I had them out just 3 hours day - an hour per meal?

Right now - with only 2 hours out - I set the timer when I get up - then stand at the kitchen sink & drink coffee as much & as fast as I can. This takes the joy out of my morning as I'm constantly looking at my timer - when it gets to 39 or 40 minutes - I run & put the aligners back in - thinking I only have 80 minutes for the rest of the day.

I know I'm trying to push the rules & I know they said 22 hours a day - but would 21 mean I have to wear the braces for another month of 2 or longer??

Thanks again!!
Linda

#7 Post by **ILoveNiceTeeth** » Mon Nov 24, 2008 3:51 pm

this is funny... I tend to set the meal at the table, take them out... eat then put them back. Eating takes no more than 15mins (maybe 20 if I'm watching TV or reading) so I think I'm doing ok. Lunch is the quickest... at my desk for about 10mins (just a sandwich). Although I must say I have just two meals a day... quick lunch and big dinner... however i dont think I'm losing weight just yet...

I remember forgetting to put them in in the morning before leaving for work... about half way to the station, I realised my teeth felt bare... damn!!!! Went back home, missed the train and got to work late... what we do in the name of perfect teeth!!!!

#8 Post by **Wildewoman** » Mon Nov 24, 2008 4:04 pm

How funny we are all the same!

I do the same thing!! Get everything ready - have my salad all made & tossed - my water out & open - then I dash to the bathroom - take them out - start my timer - sit down & eat (fast!!) Then go brush & floss & put them back in.

STOP THE CLOCK!!

I think the coffee is the only thing I am missing. I use to slowly have a few cups in the moring - over an hour or hour and a half just hanging out. I miss that!!

Linda

#9 Post by **PaulInc** » Mon Nov 24, 2008 6:07 pm

You will go easier on yourself the longer you're used to them and get a feel for how your teeth are progressing. I was watching the clock at first, but after about 2 weeks i started going easier on myself.

Your diet and nerves are very important too. It's very easy to get stressed out, malnourished and cranky if you dont take care of yourself as a whole, not just your teeth. I actually made this mistake and injured myself repeatedly due to poor diet.

#10 Post by **John37** » Sun Nov 30, 2008 4:36 pm

Whenever I use a straw the drink ends up swishing around my mouth and on my teeth anyway. I can't just have it go straight down my throat. So I'm not sure how it helps.

#11 Post by **Steve700** » Sat Dec 06, 2008 6:38 am

When I picked mine up, the Dentist sid that I should aim to keep them in for 23.5 hours a day.

That made mealtimes interesting as I used to make a cup of coffee, let it cool for 5 minutes, start my main course, eat my pudding and then drink my coffee - all in the space of about 20 minutes - Not a good idea because I tended to bring half of it back up as I cleaned my teeth before putting the Aligners back in

.

Nowadays, nearly at the end, I know that they are in for probably 22.5 hours a day minimum and I'm quite happy with that.

Steve

#12 Post by **djrobsd** » Sat Jan 31, 2009 2:42 am

I can certainly say a LOT about this subject since I am a heavy coffee and alcohol drinker... I am half way done with my treatment, and everything seems to be going fine.

I do drink vanilla iced coffee from Starbucks with a straw. I will usually take my trays out no later then 1 hour after drinking the coffee and brush both my teeth and the trays thoroughly.

I also drink beer, ocean, etc with the aligners in, and just rush to take them out when I'm done and clean really good.

I can say that my hygenist noted my teeth had a lot more plaque build up on them, so I would say avoid drinking anything with the aligners in at all costs, but if you must do it, don't wait too long before brushing.

I actually have decided for the second half of my treatment to just keep the aligners out when enjoying alcohol or coffee. On my worst days, the aligners are probably out for 6 hours, so I'm getting 18 hours of wear time, on my best days when I can go without all the indulgences, I have them out for probably 1 hour per meal, so 3 hours a day.

I'm doing just fine, but I can tell you, the first couple days when you switch trays you HAVE to wear them the max possible, as this is the most crucial time for your new aligner to shape your teeth. After that you can ease off, and towards the end when it's time to switch you can definately get away with them being out for a few hours at a time for coffee and booze.

Just remember the longer you have them out, the more painful the next switch will be. If you are in full compliance, your mouth will reward you by not fighting back when you switch trays, but if you're not in compliance, your headaches and pains will be much more severe!

#13 Post by **Alex2411** » Wed Feb 04, 2009 6:38 am

cant you just take your aligners out and drink coffe brush your teeth then put them back in?

invisalign has been great for me because usually i drink so much pop/soda that it cant be good for me but with invisalign im only drinking water and fruit juice now and again.

great stuff

will have straighter and whiter teeth soon enough

#14 Post by **Wildewoman** » Wed Feb 04, 2009 11:32 am

You could do that - take them out - but since I can only have them out for 2 hours per day - it cuts into my time.

Here is how my routine has progreseed:

I get up - tkae them out & begin drinking coffe (I am a caffien addict - & I don;t like to eat in the morning)

I leave them out for about 40 minutes - then brush, floss & in they go!1

At work - about 10 am - I take them out for only 7-10 minutes for a breakfast bar & maybe some oatmeal. Then bush, floss, & back in they go.

I try & keep them in until I get home - the make a salad & something else to eat - out they come for about 40 minutes - then back in for the night.

It was hard at first - but I have gotten use to it.

I wish they had said 21 hours a day to wear them - that would be an hour per meal.

Can anyone tell me if there is a definite rule?

Last time I was in to the orthodontist & received trays 6- 10 - they said that one of my bumps wasn't "perfectly centered" - she told me to chew on the little plastic stick for a minute or two each time I went to put the tray back in. This would help this tooth "catch up"

She also said that if I DON'T wear them 22 hours per day - that I will need to wear them an extra WEEK per tray!! EEK!!

Thanks!!

Wed Feb 04, 2009 3:00 pm

I'm not sure exactly how long mine are out each day to be honest, but i think certainly nearer three hours than 2.

I can't believe the 23.5 hours suggestion! That would be almost impossible.

I actually find it really hard when I am cooking for the whole family and can
t taste the food to check whether it is ok, I have been known to slip my aligners out and then put them back in until I finished cooking. Very rarely though.

I don't eat or drink anything but water with them in though. I would be seriously concerned about the sugar in contact with my teeth after all the dire warnings I have read on here. Having said that I do have very weak teeth which were full of fillings even before I started.