An eight-hour wedding and an aligner plan that asks for 20 to 22 hours of wear a day can sit together without much fuss. What makes it work is planning the day: keep the trays in for as long as possible before the event, so the hours they spend in the case go on the meal and the drinks that matter. Everything other than plain water is drunk with the trays out.
Written by Dr James Tran, BDent (University of Sydney), MICOI, GradDip (Oral Implants), general dentist at Lumi Dental in Melrose Park.
Why water is the only drink that stays in with the trays
An aligner fits snugly over every tooth. Saliva, which normally rinses away sugar and buffers acid, cannot get underneath it easily. So a mouthful of wine, champagne or a mixer taken with the trays in does not wash away. It stays trapped against the enamel until the tray comes out.
Orthodontics Australia advises taking aligners out for anything except water, noting that hot drinks can distort the plastic and coloured drinks can stain it. Alcohol adds another layer. The Australian Dental Association points out that it dries the mouth and lowers saliva, that many drinks carry a fair amount of sugar, and that most are acidic or are mixed with something that is. Held under a tray, those effects are concentrated, and over time this can contribute to chalky white spots on the front teeth.
A straw does not get around this. Liquid still seeps under the tray edges.
Plan the hours out before the day starts
Think of the time your trays can spend out of your mouth as a daily allowance of about 2 to 4 hours. On a normal day most of it goes on meals and a coffee. On the day of an event, move it.
Keep breakfast and lunch short, brush afterwards, and leave the trays in through the afternoon. By the time you sit down for dinner you have a full allowance to spend.
Dinner or drinks with friends
Take the trays out when the first drink arrives and leave them in the case through the meal. When the plates go, rinse with water, brush if you can, and put the trays back. Have your last drink before they go back in, then switch to water.
A wedding
Weddings are the long ones. Trays can stay in for the ceremony and photos. Take them out for canapés and the first round, then back in between venues if there is a gap. Out again for the main course and toasts, and back in before the speeches and dancing. Cake is where many people run over. Either skip it or eat it with the main course while the trays are already out.
How common drinks affect trays and teeth
All of these come out of the mouth with the trays out. The table is about what goes wrong if they are drunk with the trays in.
| Drink | What it does to the tray | What it does to the teeth if trapped |
|---|---|---|
| Water, still or sparkling | Nothing | Helps rinse the mouth |
| Champagne and sparkling wine | Stains less than darker drinks | Acid and sugar held on enamel |
| White wine and clear spirits with mixers | Looks harmless but still pools under the tray | Wine is acidic; tonic and soft drink mixers add sugar |
| Red wine | Can stain the plastic | Acid plus staining |
| Beer and cider | Darker beers may tint the tray | Acidic; cider is often sweet |
| Cocktails, spirits with cola or juice | Coloured drinks can stain the plastic | Often high in both sugar and acid |
| Tea, coffee and other hot drinks | Heat can warp the tray; colour stains it | Staining, and decay risk if sweetened |
Sipping water between drinks, which the Australian Dental Association recommends whenever you drink alcohol, keeps the mouth moist and rinses some of the sugar and acid away. For more on stains, see our article on red wine and your teeth, and for day-to-day rules, our guide to eating and drinking with clear aligners.
If the night ran long
A single evening with the trays out for several hours is a setback, not a disaster. Many dentists will suggest wearing that tray for an extra day before moving on, and checking that it sits fully down with no gap at the biting edges.
Several long nights in a week, or a night slept without the trays, is different. Teeth can drift enough that the next tray will not seat properly. Go back to wearing your current tray and call the practice before changing. The same principle applies when you are travelling with aligners or wearing them through a cold: what counts is the total time in.
If the evening ends with vomiting, take the trays out, rinse your mouth with plain water, and hold off brushing for around an hour. The Australian Dental Association gives this advice because stomach acid softens enamel and brushing straight away can wear it.
Photos, speeches and a new tray
The trays themselves are hard to pick in photos. Attachments, the small tooth-coloured bumps on some teeth, are what occasionally show, mostly in flash close-ups.
A fresh tray can bring a slight lisp and tender teeth for a day or two. If you are giving a speech or standing in a bridal party, change trays a few days beforehand rather than that morning.
Do not wrap a tray in a serviette
Trays lost at restaurants and receptions are often folded into a serviette and cleared away with the plates. Take the case with you and use nothing else.
If one does go missing, check the table, ask staff before the bins are emptied, and look through your bag and car. If it is gone, wear the previous tray if you kept it, or the next one if the dentist agrees, and call the practice the next working day. Our guide to a lost or damaged aligner tray goes through the options, or you can contact us to check what applies to your plan.
Cleaning up before bed
Orthodontics Australia suggests brushing each time the trays come out, or at least rinsing well with water if a toothbrush is not handy. Rinse the trays under a cold tap, not hot. Sugar-free gum is fine while the trays are out, never with them in.
However late you get home, brush with a fluoride toothpaste, clean the trays and sleep with them in. A night without them is the largest single loss of wear time most people have.
At Lumi Dental, aligner treatment is planned from a 3D intraoral scan and reviewed by a dentist at set intervals, with tray fit checked at each visit. Our oral health therapists can help with cleaning routines. Read more about clear aligners at Lumi Dental.
Common questions
Can I keep my trays in for a vodka soda?
No. Clear drinks still contain acid, and often sugar from the mixer, which pools under the tray. Take them out. Our article on alcohol and your oral health covers the dry mouth effect in more detail.
My trays were out for six hours at a wedding. What now?
Put them back in, wear them well for the next few days, and check that the current tray sits fully down before you change. If it does not, call the practice before moving to the next one.
Can I take the trays out for formal photos?
Yes, if you want to, though they rarely show. Keep the case handy and put them straight back afterwards.
Thinking about clear aligners?
If you would like to know how aligners might fit around your work and social life, the team at Lumi Dental in Melrose Park can talk it through after a scan. Book an aligner consultation or read about clear aligners at Lumi Dental.
Sources
- Orthodontics Australia: All about clear aligners
- Australian Dental Association, teeth.org.au: Alcohol and oral health
About the author
Dr James Tran is a general dentist at Lumi Dental in Melrose Central, Melrose Park. He holds a Bachelor of Dentistry (BDent) from the University of Sydney and a Graduate Diploma in Oral Implants, and is a Master of the International Congress of Oral Implantologists (MICOI).
This article is general information only and is not a substitute for an examination and individual advice from a registered dental practitioner. Suitability for any treatment varies from person to person.
