Can I Drink Coffee at the Local Diner When Wearing Invisalign Clear Aligners?

Coffee is one of the most popular beverages on Earth, and many people rely on this peppy preparation to help them wake up in the morning for a productive day ahead. However, drinking this dark beverage can pose a variety of hazards for your oral health if you don’t practice oral hygiene properly and keep your Invisalign aligners clean. Here’s a brief guide to how you can drink coffee during Invisalign treatment without any problems.

How Can Coffee Affect My Invisalign Treatment?

It’s important to always remove your Invisalign clear aligners when eating or drinking anything but liquid water to protect them from damage and accumulations of food debris that can cause infections and stains. Drinking coffee while wearing your Invisalign aligners will allow some of the dark liquid to seep into the space between your teeth and your appliances. This will protect this residue from the mouth’s natural cleaning process and allow unsightly stains to form on your teeth and aligners.

To make matters worse, coffee is slightly acidic, so exposing your teeth to it for long periods in this manner can also lead to accelerated tooth decay that leaves your smile vulnerable to injuries and infections.

How Can I Drink Coffee Safely During Invisalign Treatment?

It’s perfectly safe to drink coffee in moderation during Invisalign treatment, but you may not be able to drink as much as you are accustomed to since you will need to wear your aligners for at least twenty hours daily. It’s best to only remove your aligners for oral hygiene sessions and when eating or drinking anything but liquid water, and you’ll need to brush and floss your teeth and rinse your aligners thoroughly before putting your appliances back in. This does not leave much time for snacks and non-water beverages between meals.

In addition to removing your aligners before drinking your java, a few great ways to prevent coffee from complicating your Invisalign treatment include:

• Enjoying a tall glass of cold water alongside your coffee to help flush the dark liquid away from your teeth.
• Enjoying your coffee with meals so the chewing process and additional saliva production can help minimize how much the beverage makes contact with your enamel.
• Drinking coffee through a straw to reduce contact between your teeth and the beverage.

Don’t let your coffee habit get in the way of your Invisalign treatment. By complying with your dentist’s instructions, you can keep your orthodontic process brief and comfortable so you can enjoy having a beautifully straight smile sooner.

About the Author

Dr. Hiren H. Shah earned his dental degree at New York University and has completed more than one thousand hours of continuing education coursework. He is proud to be a member of the American Dental Association and the New Jersey Dental Association. His office in Edison provides general, restorative, cosmetic, and emergency dentistry as well as Invisalign services. To learn more about how you can keep your Invisalign treatment on track, contact his office on the web or dial (908) 834-8448.