It might seem like candy and Invisalign treatment are completely incompatible. After all, we’ve heard dentists and orthodontist warn us about the dangers of eating too much sugar — especially while straightening your teeth with Invisalign. However, many aren’t aware that xylitol candy exists. So what is it, and why do many dentists and orthodontists recommend it for conditions like Invisalign dry mouth?
Xylitol is a sugar free sweetener that is naturally occurring and offers oral health benefits. Though it sweetens like sugar, xylitol can actually improve your dental health. That’s why we created Movemints as the ideal xylitol candy to seat your Invisalign. Keep reading to find out the benefits of using Movemints to seat your clear aligners!
What Are Xylitol Candies?
Let’s learn a little bit more about xylitol candies and how they’ve become so popular among orthodontists
Xylitol candies like Movemints help eliminate harmful bacteria.
Before we find out how Movemints work, let's find out exactly how xylitol candies manage to taste sweet and help dental health. Xylitol is defined as a sugar alcohol, which means that your taste buds recognize the substance as sweet. The chemical is naturally found in certain fruits and vegetables, so it is often considered a natural ingredient.
If you haven’t heard of xylitol before, you have likely tasted it before in the form of a sugar free gum or another type of sugar free candy. Xylitol also contains fewer calories than sugar, but maintains a similar sweetness, making it a good alternative for candies and chewing gum production. Now that we know a bit more about what Xylitol is, let's find out how it helps promote a healthy mouth.
How Does Xylitol Promote Dental Health?
If you have a sweet tooth and are using Invisalign to straighten your teeth, xylitol candy is a great compromise
Finally, a sweetener that improves your smile!
Candy, gum and other sweets are generally to be avoided while wearing Invisalign. That is, however, with the exception of xylitol candy. Candies made with xylitol actually help prevent tooth decay and are recommended often by dentists.
The reason why eating sugar is bad for your oral health is because plaque-causing bacteria feeds off of sugars. Thus, eating excessive amounts of sugar leads to plaque formation on your teeth — which can lead to tooth decay or gingivitis. If you replace sugar with xylitol while you are wearing Invisalign, harmful bacteria will not be able to grow as easily.
Not only does xylitol prevent bacteria from growing, it can actually kill bacteria as well. After bacteria encounters xylitol, it is unable to consume further glucose. This means that harmful bacteria will end up dying as it is no longer able to consume any sugars. By preventing bacteria from growing in your mouth, xylitol is a rare example of a sweetner that improves oral health.
What Makes Movemints the Perfect Xylitol Candy to Eat With Invisalign?
Though regular chewies get the job done, we wanted to find better ways to seat your Invisalign
Movemints are designed to fit perfectly with your Invisalign clear aligners.
If you are a current clear aligner patient, then you know how important Invisalign tracking is for effective treatment. Before Movemints, the only way to properly seat your aligner was by using a foam or rubber chewie. Patients complained that chewies were unnecessarily expensive, tasteless, and difficult to clean. That’s why we created Movemints, an alternative to Invisalign chewies and a superior way to seat your aligners and keep your breath fresh.
Finding Solutions for Better Invisalign Chewies
Our founder, a practicing orthodontist, wanted to give patients whose Invisalign was not tracking an easier way to seat their aligners, so he began experimenting with edible alternatives to Invisalign chewies. Rather than reshape the foam, he wanted to create something that tastes great but would also fit between the aligners. His result was the patented shape of Movemints, which allows patients to place a mint in between their aligners and have it fit snugly. Biting gently on the mint helps the trays seat correctly and generates blood flow to the gums to alleviate Invisalign pain.
A Hands Free, Breath Freshening Mint That Also Seats Your Invisalign
Not only do Movemints have an intuitive and ergonomic design that ensures a perfect fit, they're also breath freshening mints flavored with xylitol. That's right, Movemints help seat your aligners, freshen breath, and prevent plaque buildup - the perfect xylitol candy for Invisalign patients! When you are finished seating your aligners with our patented shape, you can enjoy the fresh taste and breath-freshening properties of Movemints clear aligner mints, wherever the smile journey takes you. Movemints are more sanitary than old-fashioned chewies, making them the perfect complement to your Invisalign accessories kit.
And there you have it, ever since its invention in 2016 Movemints has remained the perfect xylitol candy to eat with Invisalign. Not only is it a delicious breath freshening mint, but it also helps you seat your aligners while on the go. For more Invisalign tips and tricks, check out our Movemints blog to answer every question you have about straightening your teeth with clear aligners!
