Can You Play Sports with Clear Aligners?

Contact sports, swimming, martial arts, wind instruments: find out how to enjoy your favourite activity during your clear aligner treatment.

One of the great advantages of clear aligners over traditional braces is their compatibility with an active lifestyle. But questions remain: should you remove them for sport? What about swimming or contact sports? This guide answers all your questions.

Non-contact sports: keep your aligners in

For running, cycling, gym, yoga, dance or team sports without direct impact on the face, you can — and should — wear your aligners. They do not impede breathing and integrate perfectly into physical activity. Removing your aligners during sport reduces your effective wear time and slows treatment.

Contact sports: remove and protect

For sports with risk of facial impact — boxing, judo, rugby, American football, martial arts — remove your aligners and wear a suitable mouthguard. A direct hit with aligners in place can break them and injure your gums. Keep your aligners in their case during the session and put them back in immediately after.

Swimming and water sports

You can swim with your clear aligners — they do not dissolve in water. However, chlorinated pool water can slightly degrade the plastic over time. The simplest approach is to remove aligners for long swimming sessions and put them back in afterwards. For surfing or short water sports sessions, keeping them in is reasonable.

Wind instruments: a quick adaptation

Playing a wind instrument (flute, trumpet, saxophone, clarinet) with aligners requires a short 1 to 2 week adaptation period. Most musicians report getting used to it quickly with no significant impact on their playing. If discomfort persists, remove the trays only during important rehearsals or concerts.

Conclusion

Clear aligners adapt to all active lifestyles. For the vast majority of physical activities, they can be worn without issue. Only contact sports require temporary removal. Your Infinity Aligner treatment is not a barrier to your sporting life — it is one of its greatest strengths.