CAN I SMOKE OR CHEW GUM WITH ALIGNERS?
CAN I SMOKE OR CHEW GUM WITH ALIGNERS?
TROUBLE SHOOTING From DIGITAL ORTHODONTICS - Solo Edition by Dr. Bak Nguyen
Let's start with the easy one, chewing gums. Yes, you can but you won't have any satisfaction out of it. First of all, it has to be sugar-free gums to not cause decay. Then, chewing on aligners is a weird feeling and the gum will stick to the plastic itself. You will quickly come to your own conclusion on that matter.
Now, about smoking, within 17 years plus of experience, I had people smoking with their aligners in. What I can tell you is that their aligners did not stay invisible for long. They turn brownish pretty quickly. Smoking is bad, that you know.
Well, I cannot promise this, but I had patients who quit smoking after seeing how quickly the nicotine stained their aligners. Again, this is a side effect and is not even part of the treatment. I just like to share the story about stains and the life-changing effect on a few individuals.