Foods to Avoid This Holiday Season with Invisalign
The list of foods to avoid this holiday season with Invisalign is pretty short. You should avoid eating Santa’s cookies. The reasoning behind this is that Santa goes through a lot of effort to earn those cookies. He flies through the cold night air around the world, then squishes himself down the chimney. After that, he generously sprinkles toys and gifts around under the tree and fills all the stockings before taking a break! Leave Santa’s cookies alone!
Seriously, though, there is more.
Foods to Avoid This Holiday Season with Invisalign
One of the primary advantages of Invisalign treatment is that there are no dietary restrictions. Why are we changing the rules on you now? The blessings of Aunt Susie’s holiday baking are begging you to eat them all. Unfortunately, Aunt Susie included nuts, hard candies, and other wonderful things in her holiday spread.
But it isn’t the end of the world. You don’t have to avoid anything. However, we want to remind you to be safe in consuming those delectable delights.
How Invisalign Works and Why It Matters
To gently move your teeth into the correct positions, Invisalign applies constant pressure to your teeth. One of the side effects of this process is that, during treatment, some of your teeth may feel slightly loose. Although this is entirely normal, you should be aware of it.
Grab that enticing piece of ribbon candy out of grandma’s candy dish and chomp down on it. You might feel pain as one of those loose teeth shifts against the unforgiving strength of that rock-hard, sweet goodness. Ouch. Not only will you feel that instantaneous jolt of, “OMG! Why did I do that?” but you could shift your teeth in the process. That may delay your treatment, and no one wants that.
We get it. It’s the holiday season, and your sweet tooth is in high gear. That is 100 percent normal. Feel for the kids with traditional metal braces because they can’t even think about ribbon candy without breaking a wire!
During this period, what we ask of you is not to limit what you’re eating but to be aware of how it may affect your treatment. We are celebrating the holidays, too, so we don’t want any emergency calls from patients.
Be Aware of What You Eat
Even with no actual dietary restrictions, we urge caution in paying attention to what you are eating.
If you have the pecan pie, chew carefully. The same can be said for the brownie ends with the crispy bits and walnuts. Eat all you want, but chew carefully. If your family has the traditional bowl of nuts, eat them sparingly and cautiously. While nuts are awesome, they can be hard and unyielding too.
Although not hard, that blueberry cheesecake can cause staining of your teeth that will be visible through your clear aligners.
If you must have that ribbon candy, try not to chew it. The same goes for candy canes, rock candy, and other hard tidbits of deliciousness.
Chewy candies can also pose problems. With semi-loose teeth, the taffy, caramels, and other chewy candies can pull and tug on teeth causing them to shift. If anyone offers you those black and orange wrapped peanut butter taffy things leftover from Halloween, please avoid them altogether. They’re hard as rocks when you buy them fresh — by this time, they have petrified and could be used to build a brick retaining wall around your property!
You want to enjoy the entire holiday season, so please eat responsibly.
Be Aware of How Long You Leave Your Trays Out
You should wear Invisalign aligners between 20 and 22 hours each day to be most effective. Realistically, that probably won’t happen every day during the holiday season. There will be office parties, family gatherings, church functions, and PTA pot luck dinners. With everything going on throughout the season, you may be out more than usual.
Depending on how far into your treatment period you are, this may impact your treatment plan. If you expect a lot of time spent not wearing your trays, speak with your orthodontist. They may have suggestions to keep your treatment on track and on schedule.
If it is only one or two days of wearing your trays for less than 20 hours, you will probably be OK. You may also experience additional discomfort when reinserting your trays during this period. The reason is that the longer you have your trays out, the longer your teeth have to “relax” and begin shifting back to their original positions.
If the discomfort is more than a mild and temporary annoyance, don’t hesitate to contact the office to let the doctor know. They may recommend shifting back into the most recent previous tray set or have another solution. If you experience severe pain at any time during the holiday season, please get in touch with the office immediately.
Remember to Keep up with Oral Hygiene
Your oral hygiene routine is crucial with all the candies and sweets you will be eating. Remember to brush your teeth before reinserting your tray aligners. Leaving sugary residue on your teeth and inserting your trays without brushing can accelerate tooth decay.
Be sure to floss thoroughly at least once a day and more if you are able. Flossing removes plaque buildup between your teeth and at the gum line. It is vitally important to maintain optimum oral hygiene.
Don’t forget to keep your trays clean too. It would be best to brush them lightly with a mild soap at least once daily and soak them. You can soak trays in the morning or evening. You should use Invisalign cleaning crystals, a denture tablet, or a natural baking soda and water solution and soak trays for 10 to 20 minutes. Soaking, or deep cleaning, removes bacteria and keeps your trays from developing an odor.
#6 – Check the cost and payment methods.
In orthodontic treatment, the cost is a big factor. Ask the orthodontist Roseville CA about their cost and payment options to ensure that you get orthodontic services within your budget. Most orthodontists provide flexible payment methods and payment plans that can make orthodontic services more affordable.
If you have an insurance plan, you may also check if the orthodontist Roseville CA is in network with your insurer. This could help you save money on orthodontic treatments.
Don’t Eat Santa’s Cookies
Holt Orthodontics wishes all our patients a very happy and healthy holiday season! If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to phone the office:
Rocklin: (916) 435-8000
Folsom: (916) 983-5321
Roseville: (916) 786-9282
Sacramento: (916) 481-6424
Please stop by and like our pages on Facebook and Instagram for fun stuff, contests, and other holiday happenings! Don’t forget to wear your ugly sweater!
