You can drink coffee while wearing your clear aligners at MacKenzie Orthodontics. For your aligners to work as intended, we ask patients to wear them a minimum of 22 hours a day. Given that requirement, we do not ask you to remove your aligners every time you want a cup of coffee or tea. Many patients, including those in professions such as nursing who may only have a few minutes between patients during a shift, need to be able to drink coffee without removing their aligners repeatedly throughout the day.
The following guidelines help protect your teeth and your aligners while you do this:
- Drink water between cups of coffee or tea. This helps rinse sugar and acid away from your teeth and your aligners.
- If you take your coffee sweetened, use a non-sugar sweetener or a sugar-free syrup. Sugar that sits against your teeth for extended periods increases your risk of cavities.
- Drink your coffee at a temperature that is comfortable for you. If it is not too hot for you to drink, it will not distort your aligners.
If you are concerned about staining, keep in mind that you change to a new set of aligners approximately once a week, so no single set is in use long enough to stain appreciably. Angel Aligner material resists staining more than Invisalign material, if staining is a particular concern for you. We also offer take home whitening options, both during treatment and after, if you would like to brighten your smile further.
I am Dr. MacKenzie, an orthodontist with over 20 years of experience serving Saint John, the Rothesay and Quispamsis area, and Charlotte County, New Brunswick. I have offices in uptown Saint John, Quispamsis, and St. Stephen. To schedule a free consultation, visit our free consult page.
Learn more on our Oral Hygiene During Orthodontic Treatment page, and see our Invisalign and Clear Aligners page for related information.