Can You Chew Gum With Invisalign In North Tampa?
We get asked by patients at Miller Orthodontics if you can chew gum while wearing Invisalign. Many people chew gum to freshen their breath, satisfy a craving or just stay busy. The good news is that Invisalign is more flexible than regular braces because you can take them off. But you should think about a few things when it comes to chewing gum while you’re in treatment.
The short answer is no, you shouldn’t eat gum while you have your Invisalign aligners on. Gum is sticky and will stick to the plastic aligners making a mess that’s hard to clean up. Gum can get stuck between your teeth and the aligners and getting it out can be hard and take a long time. Gum clinging to your aligners can be annoying and can also damage them or make them fit poorly which can slow down your treatment. Braces for Teens provide reliable correction during the critical years when teeth and jaws are still developing.
Invisalign aligners can be taken off though so you can chew gum. One of the best things about Invisalign compared to regular braces is you can chew gum with them. With regular braces you can’t chew gum at all because the sticky stuff can get stuck in the brackets and wires which can damage the hardware. You can take out your aligners, chew your gum and then put them back in when you’re done with Invisalign.
If you do decide to take out your aligners to chew gum there are certain rules you need to follow. The most important thing to remember when it comes to Invisalign is you need to wear your aligners for 20 to 22 hours a day for them to work. This means you can only take the aligners out of your mouth for eating, drinking anything other than water and cleaning your mouth for about 2 to 4 hours a day. If you take your aligners out a lot during the day to chew gum you’re making them work less to move your teeth which could slow down your treatment or make your results less good.
At Miller Orthodontics in North Tampa we tell our patients that wearing their braces for the right amount of time is very important for their treatment to work. You should keep track of how long your aligners have been out every time you take them off. You shouldn’t go beyond the 2 to 4 hour window for the whole day. If you chew gum a lot during the day you’ll need to plan when you do it or think about if it’s worth making your treatment last longer.
When you take out your aligners to chew gum it’s important to keep your mouth clean. You should clean your teeth or at least rinse your mouth well before putting your aligners back in. Sugar containing gum can leave a film on your teeth and keeping that film under your aligners for hours can make you more likely to get cavities. Even sugar free gum can leave some residue that needs to be cleaned off before you put your aligners back in. Braces for Adults deliver proven orthodontic results at any age, helping improve both function and appearance.
Some people in North Tampa say that sugar free gum can actually help with Invisalign treatment in certain situations. If you can’t brush your teeth after eating and before putting your aligners back in, chewing sugar free gum for a few minutes can help clean your teeth a little by making more saliva and breaking up food particles. This should just be a temporary fix though and you should still clean your teeth as soon as you can.
Some people also chew gum to ease jaw pain or strain which is something else to consider. If that’s the case for you, you may find that the pressure and discomfort from new aligners makes you want to chew gum less. If jaw exercise is important to you though, talk to us about it during your treatment so we can help you figure out how to do it without slowing down your Invisalign progress.
The most important thing to remember is you can technically chew gum while wearing Invisalign by taking off your aligners but you need to be mindful of how often and how long you take them off. Taking your aligners out often or for a long time to chew gum can make your treatment less effective. If you chew gum often please tell us about it during your consultation. We can help you figure out how to deal with this habit during treatment or recommend other options that might work better for you while still keeping your Invisalign treatment on track.
At Miller Orthodontics we want you to feel comfortable during your treatment while still getting the results you want. Knowing how your daily habits fit into your treatment plan will help you be successful and happy with the process.