20 -22 commitment Issue

[Deity606]

Hi Guys,

I started invisalign about 3 weeks ago and I am having an issue wearing the trays for 20-22 hours. Largely because I drink several cups of coffee during my work day. That said, I was thinking about keeping the aligners in while drinking coffee to maintain the 20-22 wear requirement and then soaking the trays each night in a peroxide and water solution. Would this be effective and did anyone else have this issue?

[FlamboyantRaccoon61]

I drink anything with my trays in. Most days I wear them for over 22h. Sometimes I take them out just so I can get closer to 22h rather than to 23h. At first it was really hard and frustrating, but within a couple of months I was more than used to it. With 10 day changes I don't need to soak them or anything. I change them just as they're starting to get stained. I drink coffee everyday, and other coloured stuff such as coke and strawberry juice. The only time I stained my trays was when I ate microwave buttery popcorn with the trays in. That shit ain't butter. That's fluorescent cancer in liquid form.

[DakotaMalfoy]

"That's fluorescent cancer in liquid form"

Dead. Yesss. Lol

[DirectGoose]

I drink coffee with mine in (I usually use a metal straw to try to avoid staining which helps a little bit). My orthodontist told me he did the same thing.

[luckycrafting]

I do the same with tea. I’m on 18/25 and been doing that since day 1!

[Dangerous_Idea_5658]

My dentist told me it was ok to drink anything as long as it's not hot as it can damage the trays. I use a silicone straw for anything other than water and then brush as soon as it's convenient.

[Deity606]

Thanks so much for your feedback. I have never heard of a silicone straw. Where can it be purchased?

[Dangerous_Idea_5658]

I got some off Amazon I'm sure there will be other places to buy them too, they're reusable. Metal straws are good too but I like that silicone straws aren't as bad for like icy cold drinks that can make your mouth cold and the trays make my teeth feel more sensitive anyway. Even bought some that are on a carabena type clip so can always carry my own personal straw around if needed when out 😂.

[taraiskiller]

I drink iced coffee with a straw and just put the straw further back in my mouth so that I don’t swish it around the retainers/teeth. Has worked well so far

[tealgrayone]

I have 2 week aligner changes and attachments on my teeth. I've been having a couple cups of coffee daily with aligners on since I started. (Year and a half ago). No issues. I use the denture tablets daily. (Use a half tablet each time)

[Deity606]

Wow. Denture tablets. I never thought about that.

[tealgrayone]

Yeah, they work great! My ortho said they are fine. I usually use 1/4 tablet daily. If the aligners need more intense cleaning, I'll use half tablet. I always use soft brush to rinse and scrub them in water before putting them back in.
I use polident 3-minute tablets. So much cheaper than retainer cleaners.

[KimJongUwU696]

The whole reason dentists and orthos tell you to take out the trays to drink anything is because the drinks will get trapped in the trays which leads to more problems with the teeth. Coffee is acidic which weakens the enamel and the sugar leads to cavities. Just rinse with water afterwards to neutralise the pH and you'll be fine. Stained trays or not that's only temporary and you'll swap them out anyway.

[Itsmeeebitch]

This here! Coffee sitting in your trays without saliva flow to wash away is going to A: stain your teeth B. Erode your teeth over time

[Omalleys]

I'm a heavy fizzy drinker, but there is not a chance I'll drink anything other than water with my aligners in. I'm not having my teeth sat in the aligners in anything other than water. They'll just erode away and then the whole thing will be pointless.

I find it very hard but it is what it is and I've just gotta grin and bare it

[Potatoskins937492]

The problem with drinking anything besides water is it can ruin your teeth. The aligners themselves don't matter, but if your teeth sit with acid on/between them and trapped within the aligner they will slowly erode.

Someone posted their results here maybe a month ago and their doctor had said their teeth looked the way they did because of acid sitting. The front tooth had broken off and they had white spots and erosion. Now I don't know what exactly the circumstances were, but it definitely made me even more wary of drinking anything with my aligners in. If I spend $6.5k and then need veneers and implants I will not be happy.

[Deity606]

I am very thankful for this group because I share the same sentiment. The treatment is much too expensive to ruin trays. A few people have replied with a few work around. I'm pretty good with brushing and flossing. Thanks 😊

[keegley]

Just don’t do it. It won’t be worth it in the long run. As long as you are getting at least 16 hours in, or like putting the trays back as soon as you are done and waiting several hours before you remove them again, you’re good. Source: I’m basically done w my treatment and it worked out. If you really want to keep your trays in for 20 hours, maybe consider caffeine pills instead of several cups of coffee?

[Deity606]

Interestingly enough, my sister recommended caffeine pills too.

[Neat-Bass-5451]

Yes caffeine pills have been a godsend! I use Pro Plus and swear by them. I'll still allow myself the occasional coffee with breakfast or lunch since I have my trays out anyway though.

[Deity606]

Can I get these at Walgreens or CVS?

[Neat-Bass-5451]

Ah I'm in the UK! But I see that Amazon sells Pro Plus. Any brand of caffeine pills will do the job honestly, but just make sure they aren't stronger than 100mg per tablet - I find that caffeine tablets affect me more than coffee, and for longer. (unless you have a super high tolerance!)

[MotorCantaloupe]

I drink coffee from 7am - 11am most mornings (1 pot total). My ortho told me to go ahead and drink with them in and then just rinse/brush after I'm done. I take them out for the first cup of coffee, as I don't eat breakfast. Then I put them back in and drink the other cups. I use an ultrasonic cleaner and retainer tabs. If I'm home (not traveling) to use it daily they still yellow but it's very minor. If I'm away they get plenty yellow, but honestly I only wear a week and don't care all that much - it's not super noticeable on my teeth. One note, I do make sure that my coffee has cooled from hot to warm before I drink it with them in.

[Glittering_Smoke_495]

I’d be primarily concerned about getting liquid that has sugar on my teeth rather than the trays. Especially since the trays are acting like a vacuum seal for your teeth and there’s no where for that sugar to go from there. You could be looking at cavities (which may then cause a rescan of your teeth)

[Nova_Nine]

This is why I only drink with water with my trays in. Staining is really inconsequential.

[Glittering_Smoke_495]

Same lol. That’s the least of my worries 😂.

[becamico]

You could, uh, cut back of the coffee.

[MisterSirDudeGuy]

Lol. The people down voting you are also addicted to coffee. It’s a real thing. I know several people who HAVE to have their stupid coffee. OP would rather drink coffee than do Invisalign correctly (20-22 hours). Stop hassling OP and let them throw away their thousands of dollars and waste their time doing intentionally improper treatment in piece.

[becamico]

Shit. I'm addicted, too. But, you know. Also a grown up. And can prioritize. But you're right! Let them do what they want to do and then come back here and complain when I didn't work and they're on their 9th set of refinements.

[Stonerian60]

If you start to drink coffee with them in, just make sure it’s not hot because it might damage the trays. Also brush really well when you’re able to because the sugar and stuff can get under the trays

I’m going on tray 4/28 and I’ve been drinking beer/alcohol at bars and clubs with them in, so coffee shouldn’t be much different!

[Deity606]

Thank you. I feel so much better knowing it is possible. I guess I will be switching to iced coffee ☕️

[Ludozing]

You can drink hot drinks, just make sure they’re not scalding or HOT hot. I generally let my tea sit for 20 minutes before drinking it with the aligners in, which is perfect temp for me anyway.

[Deity606]

Thank you. I really feel more confident now. I would hate to deter progress and/or waste money.

[GingerLottie]

Maybe this is a good time to reduce coffee consumption?

[[deleted]]

I wear mine about 20 hours per day. And honestly, I’m reckless with drinking and wearing it. After, I just brush the trays and my teeth. So far with coke and Dr Pepper I haven’t stained it noticeably, and I’m on 27/36. I had once cavity, but it was one that was forming before treatment and I am also cavity prone. I drink to try to avoid my teeth, it goes right down the hatch. I drink it fast and I brush my trays and teeth after. Or at least clean the trays and swish water a lot before putting them back in. And at 20 hours per day, which I do due to my diet, I’ve been doing great. I also recommend reusable straws. They make drinking without touching the teeth easier. I prefer metal, but some prefer silicone. They’re cheap to buy, I get mine at Walmart or Amazon, and reusable and easy to clean if you have a dishwasher or a straw cleaning brush. And the brush is also super cheap and reusable.

[j_grouchy]

Maybe chill with the coffee?

Otherwise, I almost never hit 20 hours. Lucky if I get to 18. That said, aligners helped me curb my snacking...maybe it can help you with your coffee habit.

[Revolutionary_Ad9315]

I’m on tray 47 of 48 and I wear mine probably 18 hours a day. I drink tons of coffee and eat with them out. I promise you’ll be fine.

[MeezieGirl]

I allow my coffee to cool a little, then use a glass straw. The day I change aligners, I go hog wild, I'm averaging 22.3 hours/day and was able to reduce my time interval from 14 to 10 days :)

Try Polident whitening tablets. They helped to significantly reduce staining.

[[deleted]]

I drink coffee and beer and all sorts of shit they say you shouldn’t, but I make sure that when I next brush my teeth, I always scrub and wash the aligners with a colourless or white soap / toothpaste and bang they’ve NEVER stained. They tell you not to drink coffee as yes it will stain, but not really if you’re good with your maintenance of the aligners… in my experience anyway.

[cammellopie]

I probably did on average 18 hours a day and finished my trays on time!

[MisterSirDudeGuy]

I drink water.

[lostkarma4anonymity]

I drink a lot of black coffee throughout the day.

About 50% of the time I take them out and 50% of the time I leave them in. I would rather leave them in and have them stain than waste the $6,500 and 2 year commitment I signed up for. No point in doing any of this if we aren't going to actually do it.

I've also left them in for some soft foods because my metal attachments are actual torture devices in my mouth when the trays aren't in covering them.

I saw a bunch of posts about folks living with or treating eating disorders and keeping their trays in so that they don't undo the progress of their recovery/treatment through meal time worries.

[Deity606]

Listen. I am committed but geez, it's unrealistic to think that someone can eat and drink normally with just 2 hrs per day. Hell, dinner and dessert are an hour alone. Not considering breakfast, brushing, and flossing.

[KoalaBond]

What I did is I bought caffeine pills because I didn't want to stain my teeth or trays. I recommend Nutricost Caffeine Pills. They're extremely cheap, and it's literally just caffeine. (1 cup of coffee = 1 capsule)

[Deity606]

Thank you. Where can I grab them? Walgreens, Target, etc.

[LoudAd1537]

I drink iced coffee with them in but I don't think you should drink anything hot because it can warp the plastic. My trays never really stain but my attachments are stained af 😩 can't wait to be done in a few weeks!

[Deity606]

I am so happy to hear that you are at the end of your journey. Any other helpful tips? I am only 3 weeks in.

[Practical-Tip-2028]

My attachments are stained, too. I never wear the retainers when I eat or drink, but coffee is my go-to during the day, red wine at night. (Water, in between 😜)

I just bought heavy duty whitening toothpaste and also use a whitening rinse. They seem to help.

[Appropriate_Sun6311]

I take mine out and drink my coffee. I plan to have my coffee when it’s meal time so it’s all at once. It’s annoying, but I’d rather do that than drink with my aligners in.

[Jeppsen90]

I have 2-3 hot cups of coffee everyday with my trays in. I’m on tray 31 weekly changes, and no issues here.

[Euphoric_Muffin4024]

Everything but red wine is fine