You know Invisalign as one of the fastest and most convenient ways for adults and teens to straighten their teeth. But did you know there are even more benefits – beyond straighter pearly whites – that Invisalign can offer? I’m nearly done with my 38 weeks treatment – yes just 38 weeks to straighter teeth! I started with 28 aligners and then had another 10 added on to fine tune a few teeth. Since I used the AcceleDent along with my Invisalign, I was able to speed up my treatment and change my aligners every week. The straighter teeth are nice, but my Invisalign treatment provided even more bonus benefits I didn’t even expect! If you’re on the fence about getting Invisalign, maybe these added benefits will make the decision a little easier.
Less mindless snacking
You can’t eat with your aligners in, so you very quickly become much more aware of your snacking habits. You might be used to mindlessly grabbing a handful of this or a few of those throughout the day. But when a snack at 10:30 a.m. and 1:45 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. means taking out your aligners each time, you might think twice. I definitely found having Invisalign made me be more mindful about my snacking habits. I ask myself, Am I really hungry right now? While I have heard some stories of Invisialign helping people lose weight, I didn’t have dramatic results. Still, I wouldn’t be surprised if it helped me drop a pound or two.
Lots more water
The only thing you are supposed to consume with your Invisalign aligners in is water. Since I couldn’t mindlessly snack throughout the day, I found I was drinking a lot more water. Like a lot. Any time I thought I was hungry but was feeling too lazy to take my aligners out, I’d down a glass of water of water instead. Once I started keeping track, I realized I was adding 4-5 more cups of water to my day!
Whiter teeth
Invisalign helped me whiten my teeth in two ways. First, you have weeks and weeks worth of custom fit trays for your teeth. You can easily pop some whitening gel into the tray and whiten your teeth while you straighten them. One my favorites is this Dr. George’s Dental White Gel,which is affordable, effective, and doesn’t make my teeth sensitive.
The second way Invisalign helped me keep my teeth whiter was by protecting them from my daily coffee. Let me be clear — Invisalign does NOT endorse you drinking anything other than water with your aligners in. Red wine and coffee can potentially stain your aligners, and some of the liquid may get between your aligners and your teeth and then sit there all day. That’s especially bad if you’re talking about fruit juice, sodas, or sugary coffee drink concoctions.
But I DID drink coffee with my aligners in. Thanks to my AcceleDent, I was able to change my aligners every single week so they didn’t have time to get stained before I was on to my next set of trays. Second, after I was done with my coffee, I took out my aligners and brushed. That got rid of any drops of coffee that might have snuck between my aligners and teeth, and let’s be honest, I needed to get rid of coffee breath. Doing this allowed me to linger over my morning cups of coffee while still reaching my daily goal of 22 hours of Invisalign wear-time! Plus, even my ortho said he does this with his aligners. ?
Share a smile
So, are you ready reveal your best smile? Visit www.invisalign.com to find an Invisalign provider near you. Then join me in sharing your smile with the hashtag #4millionsmiles. Invisalign will donate $1 to Operation Smile for every public share of a photo of a person’s smile on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. So start straightening — and start smiling!
Disclosure: Products were provided for this review. Feedback is my own.