help - invisalign is not conducive to my grazing lifestyle
June 15, 2018 6:25 AM Subscribe
Grazers, active people, and graduates of invisalign/dental aligners, please help me cope with the changes. I'm on Day 10 and the struggle is real.
I am on Day 10 (2 week trays), and while I’m going a good job of keeping them on 21-22 hours a day (including all the time it takes to brush, rinse, & floss), I feel like I’m either hungry all the time, or totally stuffed. I also feel very cranky and miss tasting stuff throughout the day.
Before aligners:
- slowly sip coffee (w/ cream, no sugar) for 1-2 hours
- graze all day, small bits of things here and there, all day long
- one large meal (dinner) w/ some grazing after until bedtime
Now:
- 30 mins for coffee in the morning
- Two 15-20 minute snack periods during the day
- 60 mins at night to go all out, cram everything possible into my face, leaving me stuffed and feeling sick
I dislike feeling full. I’m also a pretty active person, and prefer exercising on an empty stomach (some days in the morning, some days in the evening). At night I’m also cramming non-water liquids in my face, which contributes to the making me feel sick to my stomach fullness during my nightly hourly binge. Clearly I need some help adjusting.
is it bad to take them out more than 4x a day? What If I broke it up to 6-7x, provided I’m still keeping them on 21-22 hours? is it bad to brush/floss that many times?
I’m struggling with also just missing tasting things throughout the day. My dentist told me it’s safe to drink seltzer, but is there any wiggle room? Sugar-free vitamin water? Zevia (which is clear)? An electrolyte/Nuun tablet (not 100% clear, and does contain a small amount of sugar, but I dilute it to twice the amount of water). The first few days were fine, but now I find myself feeling cranky and tired and annoyed.
If you are/were a grazer who successfully completed dental aligners/invisalign, please share with me your tips to adjust. Or tell me to suck it up, if that's really all one can do.
I am on Day 10 (2 week trays), and while I’m going a good job of keeping them on 21-22 hours a day (including all the time it takes to brush, rinse, & floss), I feel like I’m either hungry all the time, or totally stuffed. I also feel very cranky and miss tasting stuff throughout the day.
Before aligners:
- slowly sip coffee (w/ cream, no sugar) for 1-2 hours
- graze all day, small bits of things here and there, all day long
- one large meal (dinner) w/ some grazing after until bedtime
Now:
- 30 mins for coffee in the morning
- Two 15-20 minute snack periods during the day
- 60 mins at night to go all out, cram everything possible into my face, leaving me stuffed and feeling sick
I dislike feeling full. I’m also a pretty active person, and prefer exercising on an empty stomach (some days in the morning, some days in the evening). At night I’m also cramming non-water liquids in my face, which contributes to the making me feel sick to my stomach fullness during my nightly hourly binge. Clearly I need some help adjusting.
is it bad to take them out more than 4x a day? What If I broke it up to 6-7x, provided I’m still keeping them on 21-22 hours? is it bad to brush/floss that many times?
I’m struggling with also just missing tasting things throughout the day. My dentist told me it’s safe to drink seltzer, but is there any wiggle room? Sugar-free vitamin water? Zevia (which is clear)? An electrolyte/Nuun tablet (not 100% clear, and does contain a small amount of sugar, but I dilute it to twice the amount of water). The first few days were fine, but now I find myself feeling cranky and tired and annoyed.
If you are/were a grazer who successfully completed dental aligners/invisalign, please share with me your tips to adjust. Or tell me to suck it up, if that's really all one can do.
I am similar to you - a grazer who decided to do Invisalign.
A lot of people even report weight loss ('the Invisalign diet') because they can't snack like they used to.
The way I thought about it was that if I didn't brush my teeth directly after eating or drinking something, then my teeth were stewing in any product left on my teeth, since the aligners trap/cover that residue against your teeth. I mostly erred on the side of at least using a toothbrush and water to free my teeth of residue, if not actually using toothpaste.
I agree with skewed that I was much more hesitant to take off the aligners when my teeth were super sore or they were latched on really tightly, but that does change over time.
I don't think it matters at all how many times you remove them, as long as your cumulative time is still ~22 hours per day.
posted by rachaelfaith at 6:43 AM on June 15, 2018
A lot of people even report weight loss ('the Invisalign diet') because they can't snack like they used to.
The way I thought about it was that if I didn't brush my teeth directly after eating or drinking something, then my teeth were stewing in any product left on my teeth, since the aligners trap/cover that residue against your teeth. I mostly erred on the side of at least using a toothbrush and water to free my teeth of residue, if not actually using toothpaste.
I agree with skewed that I was much more hesitant to take off the aligners when my teeth were super sore or they were latched on really tightly, but that does change over time.
I don't think it matters at all how many times you remove them, as long as your cumulative time is still ~22 hours per day.
posted by rachaelfaith at 6:43 AM on June 15, 2018
I got really good at pouring coffee straight down my throat.
posted by DoubleLune at 6:55 AM on June 15, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by DoubleLune at 6:55 AM on June 15, 2018 [4 favorites]
Yeah, get that yerba mate metal strainer straw thingie and get your coffee through that. I would never consider going without constant coffee infusion.
posted by Don Pepino at 7:42 AM on June 15, 2018
posted by Don Pepino at 7:42 AM on June 15, 2018
If you decide to reduce your caffeine intake, I've found it very helpful (no headaches) to do it in controlled quantities and gradually reduce the amount. My thing was loose-leaf tea, pre-measured in a weekly pill dispenser (MTWThFSS) in gradually smaller quantities, but just drinking an increasingly smaller amount of liquid would work also.
It's OK to throw out the part you don't drink, if you're reducing intake intentionally -- you'll get more benefit, in that case, from drinking less and throwing some out than you would from drinking the whole thing (this is avoiding the 'sunk cost' fallacy).
Anyway, good luck.
---
One other thing: if you eat proteins, they break down slower than other food types, so you'll maintain your energy better.
posted by amtho at 8:42 AM on June 15, 2018
It's OK to throw out the part you don't drink, if you're reducing intake intentionally -- you'll get more benefit, in that case, from drinking less and throwing some out than you would from drinking the whole thing (this is avoiding the 'sunk cost' fallacy).
Anyway, good luck.
---
One other thing: if you eat proteins, they break down slower than other food types, so you'll maintain your energy better.
posted by amtho at 8:42 AM on June 15, 2018
I'm finishing Invisalign after a year and a half and I did lose 10 pounds but gradually gained it back while I figured out the eating thing. What's hard for me is not that you need to be eating for four hours; just, sometimes it's hard to get away and clean your teeth and put the trays back in. Early on, I noticed something on the case that said "optimal wear 20-22 hours." I had been told 22 but I had gotten them right before the holidays and I jumped on this. I talked to the orthodontist and he said "Yeah, you can titrate it." Which I took to mean "half-ass it on some days." And it's been fine; although often I don't get the full 22 hours, I almost always get 20.
But I'm burying the lede here, because I sprung for the Acceledent device which was $700, and I think that has helped a lot. It's supposed to cut down on your treatment time by half or something. But for me, it means wearing a tray for 10 days, not 14. (Probably the above-mentioned half-assing.) I use it every day, twice if I haven't worn the trays as long or there is discomfort. It helps hugely with discomfort when starting a difficult tray.
Other things: I carry around toothbrushes. The orthodontist gives out pre-pasted, disposable ones and I hate the waste but keep a few in my bag for emergencies. I got permission to suck on xylitol hard candies; a few flavors of Dr. John's sugar-free do not stain your trays. (Peppermint and spearmint; stay away from lemon. But ask your doc about this.)
When I first got these, I was like holy shit this was a mistake. After a couple of months it was really fine.
posted by BibiRose at 9:11 AM on June 15, 2018
But I'm burying the lede here, because I sprung for the Acceledent device which was $700, and I think that has helped a lot. It's supposed to cut down on your treatment time by half or something. But for me, it means wearing a tray for 10 days, not 14. (Probably the above-mentioned half-assing.) I use it every day, twice if I haven't worn the trays as long or there is discomfort. It helps hugely with discomfort when starting a difficult tray.
Other things: I carry around toothbrushes. The orthodontist gives out pre-pasted, disposable ones and I hate the waste but keep a few in my bag for emergencies. I got permission to suck on xylitol hard candies; a few flavors of Dr. John's sugar-free do not stain your trays. (Peppermint and spearmint; stay away from lemon. But ask your doc about this.)
When I first got these, I was like holy shit this was a mistake. After a couple of months it was really fine.
posted by BibiRose at 9:11 AM on June 15, 2018
Stainless steel straws for coffee, and you can soak your trays if they start looking dingy.
posted by Iris Gambol at 10:50 AM on June 15, 2018
posted by Iris Gambol at 10:50 AM on June 15, 2018
This is the hardest part about Invisalign. I usually sip slowly on coffee all morning and eat several meals throughout the day. In talking to my ortho, he said if some days are 18 hours, that is okay. I followed that, with an average of 16-20 hours per day of wearing them, and my teeth still got straight. Of course, YMMV and I am sure the best results are obtained through wearing them as much as possible.
Some tricks that I had as well... I had a kit in my office at work with a water spray bottle for quick cleaning, wipes, disposable tooth brushes, and mouthwash. I also found that cleaning them with foaming hand soap and a paper towel after meals, if needed, worked fine and was a lot faster than having to brush them.
posted by peach23 at 11:01 AM on June 15, 2018
Some tricks that I had as well... I had a kit in my office at work with a water spray bottle for quick cleaning, wipes, disposable tooth brushes, and mouthwash. I also found that cleaning them with foaming hand soap and a paper towel after meals, if needed, worked fine and was a lot faster than having to brush them.
posted by peach23 at 11:01 AM on June 15, 2018
Yeah, I wore the trays 18-20 hours a day and also took them out whenever I wanted to snack. I did end up grazing less on the first couple days of a new tray, but the first tray really is the worst.
My coffee habits are like yours, maybe worse for stain potential because I drink black coffee. After the first few trays I just started sipping my coffee throughout the morning with the trays in, alternating with sips of water. I brushed my teeth and the trays mid-morning and soaked them in Efferdent every few days. The trays didn’t seem to stain and neither did my teeth, but I definitely didn’t tell my orthodontist about it.
posted by kiripin at 1:45 AM on June 16, 2018
My coffee habits are like yours, maybe worse for stain potential because I drink black coffee. After the first few trays I just started sipping my coffee throughout the morning with the trays in, alternating with sips of water. I brushed my teeth and the trays mid-morning and soaked them in Efferdent every few days. The trays didn’t seem to stain and neither did my teeth, but I definitely didn’t tell my orthodontist about it.
posted by kiripin at 1:45 AM on June 16, 2018
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I took off my aligners basically whenever I wanted to, and found it was easy to stay at 20 hours a day, but on the rare occasion where I thought it'd be a hassle (dinner party or whatever) I'd just go without for an extra 4-6 hours as necessary, and as long as I put them on at night I was fine. Keep in mind this is something I only did 1-2 a month, if that.
posted by skewed at 6:39 AM on June 15, 2018 [2 favorites]