If you are planning on getting invisible braces to straighten out your teeth, you will soon discover that water is the only thing your cosmetic dentist will recommend drinking while wearing the clear aligners. If you prefer drinking other beverages, you may wonder what will happen if you consume them while wearing your clear braces. Here are three things you should know about the effects of beverages on invisible braces.
Water is clean
Water is the best thing you can drink to stay hydrated and for health reasons, and this is primarily because your body needs water. When you have invisible braces, drinking water will not cause any damage whatsoever. Drinking enough water while wearing your aligners will actually be beneficial for you.
The first reason is that water cleans your teeth. When you drink water, it helps rinse the bacteria and food off your teeth. It has the same effect even while wearing the clear aligners. The second reason is that it keeps your mouth moist. Failing to drink enough water can lead to dry mouth, which can be uncomfortable and can cause bad breath.
Other beverages can leave stains
While the aligners you will wear should be snug against your teeth, there are still gaps. These gaps will allow some of the beverages you drink to get behind your aligner trays. This can lead to staining of your teeth, and it may also stain the aligners. While having stained aligners is not a big deal, because they will be replaced every few weeks, having stained teeth might bother you.
In addition to staining your teeth, beverages you consume can also lead to decay on your teeth. If sugar from the beverage gets behind the trays and remains on your teeth for hours, it could lead to the formation of decay on some of your teeth.
Any colored beverages can stain your teeth, including cola, coffee, tea, and wine. If you want to drink these beverages, select a time to remove your aligners for a few minutes so you can consume them without the aligners in. After consuming them, brush your teeth before placing your aligners back in your mouth.
Hot beverages can warp the trays
Any hot beverage you consume while wearing your aligner trays could potentially cause the trays to warp. The heat from hot coffee or tea is strong enough to cause this to happen and having warped trays will defeat the purpose of wearing invisible braces.
If you would like to learn more about the effects of beverages on clear braces, or if you have other questions about invisible braces, contact a cosmetic dentist in your area (such as one found through http://accentdentalnwi.com/).
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