Scrutiny by the Masses: Invisalign Mom Advisory Board

Every time I eat popcorn, I have a flashback to the time(s) that I wore braces. Popcorn was, and still is, a forbidden food to those in traditional braces. So is gum. And caramels, and anything else sticky or sharp or, you know, yummy.

Not so with Invisalign - a fact that had completely skipped my mind until the day I took my kids to a theme park. My daughter wanted to have a caramel dipped apple and it didn't even occur to me that she shouldn't because of her braces. She wanted popcorn, and chewing gum, and none of these foods were off limits to her with her Invisalign - she just took the aligners out and enjoyed her foods. When she was finished, she brushed her teeth and put the aligners back in.

Easy peasy, lemon squeezy. No forbidden foods, nothing off limits - just remove your trays, eat your foods, clean your teeth and go on with life.

Except for the time that she, you know, didn't put the aligners back in - because she'd wrapped them in a napkin and tossed them in the trash with her leftover lunch. She realized while we were hunting for a bathroom so that she could brush her teeth, and all of a sudden, her aligners were just gone.

Poof. We did get them back after digging through the garbage - a job which I do not recommend to anyone. Thank goodness her dad was there.

Invisalign understands how teens can be a bit, shall we say, shortsighted in their personal care and allows for six sets of replacement trays. This can be a great consolation to the mom and dad who are really tired of hunting through the garbage can to find those trays again.

When you are given your trays, you are also given a couple of containers in which you should store your trays when they are out of your mouth. However, if you wear them the recommended amount of time - 22-23 hours a day - they really shouldn't be in the container.

You can't lose the aligners when they are in your mouth.

I am a member of the Invisalign Mom Advisory Board. My daughter will receive complimentary Invisalign treatment, but as always, I'm sharing my own personal thoughts and opinions.