If you’ve considered orthodontic treatment with traditional braces, you may have noticed that one of the inconveniences or braces is that you can’t eat many of your favorite foods. Some orthodontists recommend that you avoid all of the following:

• Apples, carrots, and other crunchy fruits and vegetables
• Bagels, pretzels and hard rolls
• Pizza
• Corn chips or other crunchy snacks
• Nuts
• Meat on the bone, such as chicken wings or ribs
• Corn on the cob
• Hard candy
• Hard cookies

Now, I don’t know about you, but if you take away my ginger snaps, hot wings, and pizza, you’ve taken most of the joy out of eating. And when you add to that list apples, carrots, and celery, you’ve also removed most of the healthy snacks I enjoy. This makes braces a major sacrifice for a year or more.

Invisalign®, on the other hand, allows you to get orthodontic treatment without giving up the foods you love. You simply remove your aligners before you eat and enjoy anything you want. Of course, you should still avoid nonfoods such as ice, pens, and pencils, but otherwise you are free to enjoy your standard diet.

The tradeoff is that you have to brush your teeth before putting your aligners back on. Every time you eat, you must brush. This is not only good for your oral hygiene, but gives you great incentive to cut down on snacking between meals, which can improve your waistline as well.

To learn more about this and other benefits of Invisalign® orthodontic treatment, please contact Dr. Howard Perlmutter, cosmetic dentist, serving patients throughout Bergen County, NJ.