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Invisalign braces fit over your teeth and provide gentle pressure to move them into a more regular alignment. For best results, you should wear your aligners for as many hours a day as possible. However, there are certain times when you should take your aligners out. Here are a few situations in which you should remove your Invisalign braces.

1. Mealtimes

Eating while wearing your Invisalign braces not only feels weird, but it can also lead to your aligners developing stains. Even worse, tiny scraps of food could get under your aligners and put your teeth at risk of decay if you do not clean them right away. You can prevent all these problems by taking your aligners out before you eat.

You don't have to take your aligners out to drink water. For other liquids, you need to be aware of the risk of staining the aligners if you leave them in your mouth while drinking. If you prefer not to remove your aligners, then you can limit their contact with stain-causing liquids by using a straw to drink through.

2. Cleaning

Every morning and evening, you should remove your Invisalign braces so that you can brush and floss your teeth as normal. During this time, you should also scrub the aligners and rinse them well with cool water. Keeping your teeth and aligners clean reduces the risk of developing tooth decay during your treatment.

3. Sports That Require Mouthguards

You can run, swim and cycle while wearing your Invisalign aligners, but if you are playing a contact sport that requires you to wear a mouthguard, you should take the aligners out so that the mouthguard fits properly. Wearing a mouthguard over aligners is likely to feel uncomfortable and won't give a good fit.

Don't worry about leaving your Invisalign braces out of your mouth during your training. As long as you put them back in soon after, you won't be compromising their impact on straightening your teeth.

4. Important Events

If you haven't yet gotten used to your Invisalign braces, you might feel a bit awkward speaking while wearing them. If you have a job interview, public speaking engagement or another important event during the first couple of weeks of your treatment, it is fine to take your aligners out so that they don't distract you. As long as you wear them overnight and for most of every day, they will be able to do their job of moving your teeth into the correct positions.

Contact a local orthodontist or dentist to get more tips about wearing Invisalign braces.