So Which Halloween Treats Do You Have To Avoid With Invisalign?

Yesterday was Halloween. Halloween for me has always been about the candy. OK, most holidays for me are about the candy. I can’t imagine Thanksgiving without mashed potatoes and stuffing. Christmas without cookies. Easter without a chocolate Easter bunny. July 4th without…a whole lotta food, eaten in somebody’s backyard. And for me, Halloween is about the candy.

When I was little, it was about getting the candy. Now that I’m a grown-up and too old to trick-or-treat, it’s all about what candy I’m going to buy to hand out, hoping that we have leftovers. And sometimes, if my kids got a good haul, they’ll donate some of their candy to me out of pity.

Jake gave me a 100 Grand bar last night, a huge sacrifice since he’d just tried his first one and loved it. But knowing how much I love them, he gave up his other one. I’m saving it for tomorrow’s breakfast (long story). I’m almost six months into my Invisalign treatment (I’m a member of the Invisalign Mom Advisory Board, and am receiving complimentary treatment), and I can’t help but think that if I’d gone the braces route, I’d be waiting a lot longer than a couple of days for that candy bar. I can’t even imagine what it would take to clean the caramel and crunchies out of traditional braces.

My favorite thing about Invisalign is that there are no forbidden foods. Not a single one. As long as I slip my aligners out – which takes just a few seconds – I can eat absolutely anything I want.

I have learned that if I’ve changed to new aligners as recently as a few days ago, it helps to take them out a few minutes before I want to eat something really hard, like a carrot, or dense and chewy, like a bagel. My teeth tend to ache a little bit in those first few days, just for a few minutes right after I take my aligners out. But if it’s softer than a carrot, it doesn’t really matter – I can remove my Invisalign and bite into something right away.

Fiona’s getting closer to being ready for Invisalign (my orthodontist wants her molars to at least be loose first before he starts treating her). And I’m really glad that when we start that process with her, we won’t have to deal with any food restrictions. (Although, her gum-chewing habit might need an adjustment!)

I sincerely hope none of my friends’ kids with braces had trouble last night. Candy apples, popcorn balls, nougat…it must have been a culinary minefield.

I am a member of the Invisalign Moms Advisory Board. I am receiving complimentary Invisalign treatment as part of this program. All opinions are my own and based on my own treatment experience. Full disclosure can be found here: http://shout.lt/ggGP

Originally posted on Selfish Mom. All opinions expressed on this website come straight from Amy unless otherwise noted. This post has a Compensation Level of 1. Please visit Amy’s Full Disclosure page for more information.