I’m not going to lie: everyone wants their teeth to be straight and white! But it’s not easy to keep that up! If you have braces for crooked teeth but can’t give up your old coffee habit, this can be even more difficult!
Table Of Contents
−- Traditional braces vs. Invisalign: When can you have coffee?
- Reasons why you should not drink coffee while wearing Invisalign trays:
- The effects of drinking coffee while wearing braces
- How to drink coffee while wearing braces
- Beverage recommendations for Invisalign patients
- Beverage recommendations for traditional braces
- What drinks should you avoid when wearing braces or Invisalign?
- Easy tricks to drink coffee and avoid stains
- Can I drink iced coffee while wearing braces?
- Does it hurt to drink coffee when wearing braces?
- Wrap up
Can you drink coffee while wearing braces? What happens if you consume coffee every day? Do Invisalign and regular braces operate in the same manner when it comes to coffee? What exactly is tea?
Don’t be concerned if you have braces! You should avoid coffee, but there are ways to enjoy it! Allow us to spill the COFFEE and explain to you how, as a coffee addict, you can take care of your braces!
Traditional braces vs. Invisalign: When can you have coffee?
Coffee and traditional braces
Traditional braces are the first thing that comes to mind when we talk about braces. Yes, we’re talking about the fairly common ceramic or metal braces; maintaining these is more difficult.
If you wear these, you may suffer consequences if you consume any dark-colored beverage. Because coffee is a dark-colored beverage, you may stain your teeth if you drink it. The brackets on the braces, like the teeth, can become discolored.
While we’re on the subject of dark-colored beverages, tea is also dark! So, can you drink tea while wearing braces, or would it stain your teeth? It most certainly will!
Coffee, tea, soda, red wine, and any other dark-colored beverage can make your teeth look worse!
- Dark-colored drinks, such as tea, coffee, red wine, and soda, tend to stain the brackets and bands of your braces as well as your teeth if you have traditional braces.
- If you must drink coffee, tea, red wine, or soda immediately after, rinse your mouth with water or mouthwash.
- Using a straw to drink iced coffee or iced tea will assist in reducing discoloration. If you notice stains from coffee or other beverages after removing your braces, you may want to consider teeth whitening at home or in a dental facility.
Coffee and Invisalign
Invisalign, on the other hand, is a bit different. These are made so that you can take them off when drinking or eating. When you remove them, you can eat practically anything you want.
However, in this situation, ensure that you are brushing your teeth before reapplying the Invisalign. The trays can be destroyed if you keep them in your mouth while drinking a hot beverage.
The reason for this is that the trays are constructed of plastic, and, as you may be aware, plastic can easily become heated and burn.
These braces are nearly invisible to the naked eye. However, if you drink a lot of coffee and don’t brush your teeth before putting on the trays, there will undoubtedly be stains.
The Invisalign will eventually be visible to the outside world. So, what’s the point of having Invisalign or clear braces?
Reasons why you should not drink coffee while wearing Invisalign trays:
- Your trays could warp
This is applicable to hot coffee and other hot beverages. Invisalign trays are made of thermoplastics; thus, these are heat-sensitive and can warp when exposed to heat.
The trays, once exposed to heat, could start loosening and will fail to perform their function of holding your teeth tight together.
- You could be at risk of tooth decay.
Sugar and acid are the culprits of tooth decay. Coffee, being acidic, plus the extra cream and sugar in it, is the perfect ingredient for tooth decay.
This can even worsen if you drink coffee with an aligner as these sugar and acid can be trapped between those trays.
- You’ll be more prone to bad breath.
If you drink coffee while wearing your Invisalign tray, particles could get stuck in those trays. This can be a breeding ground for bacteria which will lead to bad breath.
- Coffee, tea, red wine, and soda all have the potential to stain your trays.
These stains negate the objective of using Invisalign, which is practically invisible to the naked eye.
The effects of drinking coffee while wearing braces
In the case of Invisalign, the plastic brace trays can become damaged. Because coffee or tea is hot, any liquid that is too hot will damage the brace tray.
If the braces or trays are exposed to heat, they will gradually loosen, and eventually, they won’t fit tightly enough on the teeth. How can braces straighten your teeth if they are not tight enough?
How to drink coffee while wearing braces
Many people are perplexed as to how they can drink coffee while wearing braces. There is a technique to consume coffee and tea that will prevent discoloration and injury.
- Steps: Avoid drinking too-hot coffee or tea, and use low-sugar sweeteners.
- Steps: Use a straw when drinking any form of coffee, juice, or alcohol.
- Steps: After finishing, brush and floss every nook thoroughly.
Beverage recommendations for Invisalign patients
While Invisalign is a much more adaptable and convenient orthodontic treatment, it might cause complications when eating and drinking. You can’t possibly remove your personalized aligner every time you need to drink because aligners are worn for 22 hours a day.
Here are some recommendations to help you choose your beverages more easily:
- Hot beverages, such as coffee and tea, can cause your custom aligners to distort. Because each aligner results from a 3D-generated model of your teeth, you will not get the required or desired correction if they do not fit securely.
- Coffee, red wine, tea, and soda can all discolor your clear aligners. This defeats the goal, and possibly the most important benefit, of using the Invisalign system, the practically invisible aligners.
- If you wish to drink the liquids mentioned above, remove the aligners before drinking and replace them soon after rinsing.
- Using a straw to drink cold drinks can help to reduce discoloration.
Beverage recommendations for traditional braces
Traditional metal braces, unlike Invisalign aligners, cannot be removed for eating and drinking. This necessitates a little more restraint when it comes to beverage selection.
Here are some important considerations to make while selecting your beverages:
- Sugary drinks can increase plaque accumulation in and around your brackets, resulting in tooth decay and cavities. After drinking sugary beverages, rinse your mouth with mouthwash to prevent buildup.
- Dark-colored beverages, such as coffee and tea, can cause discoloration of traditional braces, brackets, and bands. They can also cause tooth discoloration.
- Using a straw to consume cold drinks reduces the danger of discoloration.
What drinks should you avoid when wearing braces or Invisalign?
You don’t have to stop taking any drink totally while getting your teeth straightened; drinking with Invisalign or braces won’t be much different than it was before you had an appliance.
However, to avoid cavities and maintain a healthy smile, you should limit and consume certain beverages in moderation. Beverages such as:
- Sports drinks – Sports drinks, like soda, are high in sugar and acid.
- Energy drinks — Most popular energy drinks, both regular and sugar-free, are extremely acidic and harmful to dental enamel.
- Commercial iced tea and lemonade – Commercial iced tea and lemonade, particularly those in cans, are acidic and sweet.
- Fruit juice with additional sugar — Many fruit juices with added sugar has relatively little real juice. While they taste fantastic, they are bad for your teeth, especially during orthodontic treatment.
- Other sweet beverages — If anything contains a lot of sugar, such as hot chocolate or certain adult beverages, you should save it for a special occasion.
Easy tricks to drink coffee and avoid stains
So, how will the coffee addicts sip coffee while wearing braces? Let us show you a few tips for keeping your brace and teeth stain-free while also enjoying a wonderful cup of hot coffee.
1. Brushing teeth after a cup of coffee
First and foremost, brushing is essential! Yes, we brush twice a day, but brushing your teeth is the greatest way to keep them stain-free if you have braces and want to drink coffee or tea.
After you’ve finished your cup of coffee, head to the restroom and brush your teeth. Brush your teeth thoroughly and rinse your mouth with water. You can also use mouthwash to achieve a better effect!
2. Using a straw for coffee
We don’t always carry toothbrushes and toothpaste in our backpacks, just like coffee lovers carry hot and cold brew coffee makers. We should, but we don’t!
So, what can you do when you don’t have the option of brushing your teeth after a cup of coffee in a coffee shop or at your campsite when traveling?
The simple solution is to carry a straw with you. You may simply limit the possibility of stains by drinking coffee using a straw. The teeth will be discolored, but only to a lesser extent, using this procedure. You can brush your teeth later when you get home!
3. Adding milk to coffee: Brace yourself with coffee.
Another fantastic thing you can do if you like coffee is to add milk to it. Yes, we know this isn’t what you’re looking for, but the best thing is that you can keep your braces in place while drinking coffee!
Because the entire stain story revolves around the dark-colored drink, why not lighten it up?
That is exactly what milk will do to your coffee! The addition of milk lightens the color of the coffee. As a result, you no longer consume dark-colored beverages that stain your teeth. However, you must still rinse your teeth after drinking coffee!
4. Iced or cold-brewed coffee
The brace trays can be loosened with hot coffee, and if you want to avoid that, you may always settle for something colder. Instead of hot coffee, drink iced coffee or cold-brew coffee during treatment. This will deliver caffeine to your body while also protecting your braces.
5. The last resort
When it comes to coffee and braces, the last thing you should do is whiten your teeth. You might opt for home-whitening kits to complete all of this work at your leisure.
Alternatively, you can go out and schedule a teeth whitening appointment with a dentist. If you have braces, we urge that you contact the doctor regularly, whether your teeth are stained or not. This will protect your braces and keep your teeth white!
Other tips and tricks
- Remove your aligners. This is the most important step. Never drink coffee with your Invisalign trays on.
- After removing your aligners, rinse them and place them in a secure location.
- Make sure to put your aligners in their case rather than wrapping them in other materials such as napkins.
- Do not drink hot coffee. Let it cool first.
- Cut back on sugar and cream in your coffee to minimize the risk of cavities.
- You can make your coffee lighter by adding a little bit of milk. This way, coffee stains will be minimized.
- Drink your coffee in no more than 30 minutes. It is essential to put back your aligners as soon as you can. For you to maximize the result, you should wear your aligners for at least 20 to 22 hours a day.
- Brush your teeth before wearing your aligners again to remove the excess sugar and coffee stuck in your mouth.
- Drink water after putting it back on your aligners. This is added protection for your tooth enamel
Can I drink iced coffee while wearing braces?
In most situations, patients wonder if they may drink iced coffee while wearing braces. Iced coffee is fine to drink, but use a straw to protect your brackets and wires; iced tea is also available, and if you enjoy it, drink it through a straw.
Dark colors are not recommended for orthodontic treatment. It will discolor the wires and teeth of your braces; however, if you consume it, you must wash and floss your teeth thoroughly and rinse your mouth thoroughly to avoid dental decay concerns.
Many people wonder if they may drink iced coffee while wearing braces if they brush their teeth first. After that, if you keep cleaning your braces, it’s fantastic, but you must contact your dentist every six months to confirm it’s operating well.
Does it hurt to drink coffee when wearing braces?
No! It doesn’t hurt to consume coffee while wearing braces. If you take excellent care of your teeth and braces, you will not experience any pain.
Rinse your mouth and floss thoroughly after each cup of coffee to have a pleasant experience with your braces. Then, either remove the tray or abandon the hot coffee.
Wrap up
So, whether you have traditional braces or Invisalign, you now know how to deal with braces. We cannot deny that coffee is bad for your teeth from the start.
But we can’t agree more on how coffee enhances our energy and keeps us awake and alert throughout the day! If you can’t live without coffee and can’t live without braces, you can have both! All you have to do is follow a few simple rules. Examine them!
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Disclosure: No compensation or free products were received in exchange for writing this review.
Editorial Staff
The editorial staff at Crazy Coffee Crave is a team of coffee enthusiasts & Baristas who enjoy the one thing we all think about as soon as we get up in the morning. Trusted by thousands of readers worldwide.
