One of the best things about getting Invisalign, rather than braces, is that you don't need to change as much about your routine. You can keep eating the foods you love, and you can brush your teeth like normal. There are, however, a few habits that you are going to have to break before you get Invisalign, if you happen to engage in such habits.
1. Drinking coffee all day.
While you can eat or drink anything when you have Invisalign, you have to take the aligners out before you do it. The only exception is if you are drinking water. So clearly drinking coffee all day is not going to fly! Not only would the coffee stain your teeth, but the sugar in the coffee could get trapped under the aligners and contribute to tooth decay. Start weaning yourself off of coffee now so you don't go through caffeine withdrawal at the same time that you're adapting to Invisalign.
2. Biting on your pens.
Biting on pens and other items is not good for your teeth even without Invisalign. But it is a much bigger deal if you are wearing aligners since chewing on your pen could break the aligners. Breaking this habit can be difficult. Start by doing something else every time you feel the urge to bite on a pen. Squeeze a stress ball, roll some sticky tack between your fingers, or tap your fingers on the desk.
3. Falling asleep without brushing your teeth.
It's so easy to drift off on the couch in the evening, then wake up and crawl into bed without brushing your teeth. Again, this habit is a bad one even without Invisalign, but it will be particularly dangerous once you get your aligners. With the aligners sitting over your teeth and trapping bacteria against them, it will be even more important to brush your teeth -- so make sure to focus on your brushing habits in the days leading up to your Invisalign appointment.
4. Chewing gum.
You can't chew gum with Invisalign on. It will stick to the aligners and ruin them. If you only chew gum occasionally, this is probably not something you will miss. However, if chewing gum is a bad habit of yours, you will need to work on breaking that habit now.
To learn more about Invisalign and proper use of your aligners, speak with your dentist.
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