When you were young, do you remember all the nerves you had when thinking about who’s going to be your first kiss and how exactly it’s going to happen? Kissing is already an intimidating part of any young person’s life, but it’s a lifelong skill that can help you create an intimate bond with someone and provide you with additional benefits.
Kissing doesn’t always come so easy for everyone and it can take practice. As a kid, or even an adult, the loving touch can become more challenging or easily interrupted especially if you’re in the process of straightening your teeth.
As it becomes a more preferred and popular treatment for realigning teeth, Invisalign® is making everyone’s journey towards a beautiful, straight smile more enjoyable and less embarrassing. Although, just like with traditional metal braces, many are unsure how or if they’re able to kiss with them in.
If you recently began treatment with Invisalign and want to ensure you’re keeping things passionate in your relationship, explore this guide on how to kiss with your trays in.
Can I Kiss With My Invisalign Trays In?
Wearing your new Invisalign trays may feel a bit uncomfortable for the first few weeks. They may seem awkward when trying to speak and sometimes you might even feel a little embarrassed when you have to remove them to eat.
Another factor most Invisalign wearers of Invisalign don’t think about when initially receiving their trays is how to kiss with them. The good news is, kissing is still 100% possible with your trays in and many of the times the other person hardly notices. However, orthodontist Dr. Stephen Grussmark does say that patients mention that it feels a little odd, especially at the beginning of your treatment.
Whether you’re going on a first date or want to make sure your affection with your significant other isn’t affected by your Invisalign treatment, you may want to follow these few tips.
Take Things Slow
When you kiss someone, it’s a romantic time that releases several happy hormones that can get you excited and make you want to speed up your moment of intimacy. Although it might be hard for some people, simply slow down and take things easy, especially if your Invisalign treatment is still new to you.
Going at a steady pace with the person you’re kissing will help you get used to the sensation while wearing your clear aligners. Sometimes, when french kissing, your mouth will become dry much quicker and you might feel like your partner’s tongue will knock off your trays, so it’s a good idea to keep things basic for now.
Do Your Best to Avoid Taking Them Out
Midway through your heated moment, you might consider briefly taking out your aligners so you can enjoy the passionate time. Although this may seem like your best option, the only time you really should be removing your trays is for eating, brushing, and flossing, says Dr. Timothy Kosinski.
Removing your trays can also shock the person you’re being affectionate with because your aligners hook onto attachments that are on your teeth. These attachments can feel a bit sharp to someone else and potentially scratch their lips or tongue as you’re getting real close while kissing.
Let Them Know Ahead of Time
Talking about your Invisalign process or even making jokes about your new smile with someone new will help take off the edge when approaching your period of intimacy. You may think it’s embarrassing to talk about your teeth on the first date, but if you’re hitting things off and you slowly start to worry about your “first kiss” with Invisalign, then it might be best to just let them know.
Once you get that out of the way, it might make them a little more cautious and comforting towards you while you two kiss. This can even help you two build a stronger, genuine relationship because it shows you aren’t afraid to talk about anything.
Kissing with Invisalign vs. Braces
One major advantage of kissing with your Invisalign trays is that they’re much more subtle and discreet than the traditional way of straightening teeth– metal braces. If Invisalign is your second round of treatment for aligning your smile, and you’ve worn braces in your past, you know how uncomfortable they can be and how easily things can get stuck in them.
Since braces consist of metal wires, brackets, and rubber bands, the sensual touch of your lips with another person’s lips can be extremely awkward, especially when your tongues are involved. It’s easy to get caught on braces because they’re sharp and have intricate metal attachments that your lips or tongue can get hooked to.
Invisalign provider, Dr. Eugene Stanislaus, says this solution can eliminate the discomfort and self-consciousness associated with kissing with braces. Although they may feel off when you first begin wearing them, you won’t have to deal with cutting your partner or even clinking your braces with theirs if you both have them.
Stop Worrying, Start Kissing!
If you’re going through Invisalign treatment, you shouldn’t be afraid to kiss your crush or keep the spark alive between you and your significant other. Kissing is a natural instinct that everyone enjoys, and a thin, invisible aligner shouldn’t stop you from enjoying it, too. Stop worrying about what your kissing partner will think about your Invisalign tray because, in reality, they probably won’t notice it at all.