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Originally posted by Glitter Star:
ok so I am a week in to it. I went yesterday for my attachments and it is much harder to get them out. I guess I will get used to getting them out. It's just worse now because I have a bad sore on the inside of my mouth. I to have noticed them being a little less tight in the back on top. I guess that is normal once you've worn them a little while. I will really be losing weight. I have already droped 4lbs since I am doing only low carb when I do eat. Also I do not look forward to taking them out so I put off eating. I guess a good mutivitimen is in order. I am doing about 22 1/2 hours a day. My doc says we should have a really good outcome. I am in the Jacksonville Fl. area so if any wants a good dentist just let me know. I really like him he is a real perfectionist. He really takes lots of time with me. I am no longer afraid of the dentist thanks to him and his staff. he says in 3 weeks he will see me to do some slinderizing. YIKES!!!!!!!!!!!!! Does anyone want to tell how that is. I am so nervous. I had a dream last night that my front teeth feel out and my trays were the only thing holding them in. So I wouldn't remove them. I am so silly!

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Originally posted by Mon:
Hi Chuck, I had the same experience as you. It took me the whole night to take it off on the 1st day. I even took the 2nd day off work, because I was so worried what's going to happen at work with the aligners on ..... I had the feeling I would take my whole teeth out. I am so surprised that Invisalign company doesn't provide some kind of tools to take the tray out of mouth?

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Originally posted by Invisalign:
Okay, now I'm worried! I think I'll be getting my trays right before Thanksgiving. I had no idea they were "that" difficult to remove. yikes! I suppose I should be happy that most likely I'll lose weight.

I'd like to ask everyone, how long did it take between the time you had your invisalign molds made and receiving your trays? Did anyone get rejected at first. They took my bottom mold twice because the tech said if it wasn't perfect, it would be rejected. This meant redoing the mold and sending it in to wait another 8 weeks.

Can anyone tell me what a "button" is?
Nervous,
Debi

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Originally posted by >Mush<:
Hello, I'm considering Invisalign and wondering if anyone from Australia, particulary Perth could give me a rough estimate of costs for 1 set of teeth. Has anyone finished treatment? If so how effective is it. Thanks!

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Originally posted by Lien:
My two front teeth aren't midline to my face-actually about 3 mm away from it...I forgot to mention it to my invisalign orthodontist when he did the intitial check, he wasn't very thorough in the first place, at least compared to another orthodontist I got a quote from...I don't remember if my front teeth move much on my "clin-check"...is it too late to ask my orthodontist if he overlooked it? The office has recieved my trays, I have an appointment to get them in a few days.

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Originally posted by Chuck:
I am on day 3 of invisalign and I have had a nightmare of a start. I am not sure how much to blame on Invisalign and how much to blame on my dentist. My first day of wearing Invisalign, I thought it was very easy and was surprised how little it impeded my speech. Until 3 hours later when I tried taking them off before a business dinner. I sat in the bathroom of the restaurant trying to take them off and couldn't! My nails bent backwards and gums were bleeding trying. I called my dentist in a panic (who blew me off until the next day). I couldn't eat dinner with the invisalign on and, the worst part, had to tell my business colleagues why I couldn't eat with them (sort of defeats the purpose of Invisalign now...). The next day, when I went to see my dentist, he laughed and tried to pull it out. He did wrestle it out (pretending to do it effortlessly) but it even took him a couple of minutes and I swear I thought he was going to break it or pull out my front teeth with it. I have since learned to take it out on my own, but it still takes me on average 2 minutes to take them out (with paper towel). It's too late to turn back on the expensive commitment, but I would have thought twice had I known how difficult this would be. My dentist claims that no one has had problems taking them out and that I'm being too "tender" - but if I could video tape how it looks when even he tries to take it out of my mouth, anyone could see that this is anything but easy. I may be a unique case, but as my dentist said, my teeth are not that crooked (I had braces when I was younger but it got crowded upon my wisdom teeth coming in) and if I'm having these problems, I've got to imagine I am not the only one. Please be careful and be selective about the dentist/orthodontist you choose. I am writing Invisalign a letter of complaint and inquiry about their procedures (or lack thereof) for allowing Invisalign practitioners. My dentist, for example, didn't even have me try to take off my trays on my own before I walked out the first day.

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Hello,

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Originally posted by Chuck:
I am on day 3 of invisalign and I have had a nightmare of a start. I am not sure how much to blame on Invisalign and how much to blame on my dentist. My first day of wearing Invisalign, I thought it was very easy and was surprised how little it impeded my speech. Until 3 hours later when I tried taking them off before a business dinner. I sat in the bathroom of the restaurant trying to take them off and couldn't! My nails bent backwards and gums were bleeding trying. I called my dentist in a panic (who blew me off until the next day). I couldn't eat dinner with the invisalign on and, the worst part, had to tell my business colleagues why I couldn't eat with them (sort of defeats the purpose of Invisalign now...). The next day, when I went to see my dentist, he laughed and tried to pull it out. He did wrestle it out (pretending to do it effortlessly) but it even took him a couple of minutes and I swear I thought he was going to break it or pull out my front teeth with it. I have since learned to take it out on my own, but it still takes me on average 2 minutes to take them out (with paper towel). It's too late to turn back on the expensive commitment, but I would have thought twice had I known how difficult this would be. My dentist claims that no one has had problems taking them out and that I'm being too "tender" - but if I could video tape how it looks when even he tries to take it out of my mouth, anyone could see that this is anything but easy. I may be a unique case, but as my dentist said, my teeth are not that crooked (I had braces when I was younger but it got crowded upon my wisdom teeth coming in) and if I'm having these problems, I've got to imagine I am not the only one. Please be careful and be selective about the dentist/orthodontist you choose. I am writing Invisalign a letter of complaint and inquiry about their procedures (or lack thereof) for allowing Invisalign practitioners. My dentist, for example, didn't even have me try to take off my trays on my own before I walked out the first day.

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Hello,

I am so happy to be getting these braces. Honestly speaking, it is like a dream come true for me. I am 19 years old, and I have hated my teeth all my life. I have a big gap in between my two front teeth, and my bottom teeth have very small spaces between them as well. I can't wait until the day that I will be able to laugh and smile without covering my mouth, talk to people without looking at the floor, and overall, just feel more confident and secure. My teeth have honestly ruined my childhood. I remember many times where I would exclude myself from everyone because I was ashamed of my teeth.

My mom has made it very clear to me that she is not helping me pay for these braces at all. I know it is going to be a bit of a struggle for me being that I am a 19 year old college student with no job, but I don't care because it is something that I have to do. They're costing me about $6500.I also need to get surgery because in between my gap, I have this extra hanging skin(there is a dental term for it, but I don't speak "dentist") that needs to be removed, costing about $400 more. It's now or never, the way I see it. I am depending on my scholarship money to assist me in paying for these braces. I'm hoping everything will go smoothly.

He said something like 3 months for the bottom (9 trays i think) and uhm...I forgot about the top (something like 8/9 months - 18? or 20? trays)

With a good quality paper towel (one that does not tear easily, such as VIVA)I place a towel in my left hand and grap the right rear top brace and pop it loose. Then, I place the same towel in my right hand and grab the top left rear brace and pop loose. The it comes out quickly. Do the same for the bottom. Works great!

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Originally posted by Robin:
Can anyone tell me what the cost range is in NYC for invisalign? I realize that there are different lenghts of time for treatment, etc but that it is between 1 and 2 years. Would appreciate some ballpark figures if you've been treated in NYC recently. Thanks

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Well I'm in NYC and mine is costing $6500 for 18 months.

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Originally posted by Robin:
Can anyone tell me what the cost range is in NYC for invisalign? I realize that there are different lenghts of time for treatment, etc but that it is between 1 and 2 years. Would appreciate some ballpark figures if you've been treated in NYC recently. Thanks

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i'm in nyc, my treatment was quoted to be 14 months, but, i only have 13 aligners so it's a 7 month treatment in actuality. i was quoted 4900. another ortho in a more upscale office quoted me 6000... depends where you go.

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Originally posted by Pluey:
What do you find is the best way to clean your Invisalign? I'm on tray 2 of Invisalign Express (of 8 on the top, 9 on the bottom) and have been brushing them when I brush my teeth and soaking in mouthwash in the morning. I read somewhere that mouthwash isn't good for them and my last trays started feeling pretty gross by the end of the 2 weeks, so I'm looking for a better way without having to buy the cleaning system.

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Originally posted by InvisalignGal:
I'm currently on tray #9 (I have 32 uppers and 9 lowers). I've definitely seen improvement over the four months I've been using invisalign. At my last visit, my orthodontist told me he wanted me to speed up my aligner wear from the typical 14 days to 9 days. Sounds great, but I've also read about the risk of bone loss and nerve issues with shorter wear-time and discussed this with him. I was told as long as the aligners fit "correctly" at day nine that it was ok to move on. Has anyone else had such recommendations by his/her ortho? While it would be nice to finish sooner, I don't want to jeopardize the health of my teeth! Any advice would be appreciated!

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I had a similar problem, was on tray 10 out of 20 and had to back to 7. But things work out, you have to keep them in as much as possible. I do recall having this issue while I was taking them out alot and forgetting to put them back in.

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Originally posted by Pluey:
What do you find is the best way to clean your Invisalign? I'm on tray 2 of Invisalign Express (of 8 on the top, 9 on the bottom) and have been brushing them when I brush my teeth and soaking in mouthwash in the morning. I read somewhere that mouthwash isn't good for them and my last trays started feeling pretty gross by the end of the 2 weeks, so I'm looking for a better way without having to buy the cleaning system.

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Originally posted by Pluey:
What do you find is the best way to clean your Invisalign? I'm on tray 2 of Invisalign Express (of 8 on the top, 9 on the bottom) and have been brushing them when I brush my teeth and soaking in mouthwash in the morning. I read somewhere that mouthwash isn't good for them and my last trays started feeling pretty gross by the end of the 2 weeks, so I'm looking for a better way without having to buy the cleaning system.

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I take my aligners out in the morning and soak then in peroxide.

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Originally posted by slowdive:
Just wanted to ask some of you to tell me honestly...do you ever really get used to them? I know there is pain the first 2-3 days of new aligners but do you ever get used to there being plastic on your teeth? Do you ever just go several hours or days without even knowing they're there? Are there some of you that are just always contantly feeling uncomfortable or unable to function? Everyday just longing for the few minutes that you can take them off and have a break for a while? I know I'm being dramatic but i feel i will be this way. I'm about to get mine in a few weeks and I'm kind of worried.

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Originally posted by slowdive:
Just wanted to ask some of you to tell me honestly...do you ever really get used to them? I know there is pain the first 2-3 days of new aligners but do you ever get used to there being plastic on your teeth? Do you ever just go several hours or days without even knowing they're there? Are there some of you that are just always contantly feeling uncomfortable or unable to function? Everyday just longing for the few minutes that you can take them off and have a break for a while? I know I'm being dramatic but i feel i will be this way. I'm about to get mine in a few weeks and I'm kind of worried.

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Originally posted by slowdive:
Just wanted to ask some of you to tell me honestly...do you ever really get used to them? I know there is pain the first 2-3 days of new aligners but do you ever get used to there being plastic on your teeth? Do you ever just go several hours or days without even knowing they're there? Are there some of you that are just always contantly feeling uncomfortable or unable to function? Everyday just longing for the few minutes that you can take them off and have a break for a while? I know I'm being dramatic but i feel i will be this way. I'm about to get mine in a few weeks and I'm kind of worried.

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I was the only girl in my family who didn't get braces and I was so upset about it. I have always been self conscious about my teeth. Now, I am on tray 10 of 20. I see a huge difference, but it took 9 months to get this far. I ran into a lot of problems:

-- my "incisors" aren't moving like they should be, so it seems like every other tray the orthodontist has to put in an attachment and give me rubber bands. Then, I have to wear the single tray for about 6 weeks, instead of 2-3 weeks.

-- I have a super sensitive tooth, as a result of changing from a mercury filling that was leaking, to a composite filling. Whenever the ortho puts an attachment on, or has to drill (polish) the tooth after taking the attachment off, the pain is so excruciating I am sweating afterwards and ready to collapse.

-- I was hoping I would be done by next month, but it doesn't look like I will be done until this summer at the earliest.

I am excited about this but wasn't thinking there would be so many obstacles. It is true that invisalign doesn't move your teeth as well as braces do. I am told over and over by the orthodontists at the U that they hate them. They don't work as well, etc. But when considering I am a business woman and need to look professional, I didn't want braces. I also have the most sensitive teeth ever, and having metal attachments on, would just about kill me.

My teeth are starting to look nice. I really am enjoying them. They hurt only for the first 2 days after I get a new tray. Usually my orthodontist gives me 2-3 trays at a time. I have seen my last tray and when I look at what my teeth will look like I get so excited. I think it is well worth the money I have paid.

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Originally posted by Walkthelign:
I completed Invisalign treatment about a year ago. At the time of my teeth were pretty tightly aligned with the exception of my front two teeth which still had a gap. It probably closed about 70% from using Invisalign. Seems like they were really working but needed a few more aligners to finish it off. The whole purpose of me getting Invisalign was to close all the gaps especially the front two teeth. I was sent the completion letter and was advised my treatment was complete. I complained about the gap and asked if I can get a few more retainers. they gave me these retainers with wires instead and go in for adjustments as they are to close the gap. Well almost a year later the gap hasn't moved and I'm being told the same thing that they take time for certain teeth. Seeems as though i'm wearing these metal retainers in vain. Nothing is happening. Any dentists or patients out there that can provide me some answers to my scenario? I'm pretty P.O.'d about it because I paid how much for it to be done 70% of the way. Dentists, why can't re-molded to get a few more aligners to finish it off? What action should I take? Patients, if you had this scenario resolved, what were the actions and end result treatment?

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Originally posted by Karen:
I am on my fourth week of Invisalign. My experience here in the Denver metro region is as follows: total cost of services for both upper and lower aligners less than $4000. Dentist can do teeth whitening, if I choose, at additional cost, by using same aligners. Even the dental staff agree my aligners are about the tightest fit they have seen in their practice but even given that, I can get them on and off. Granted, the first couple days of each aligner have been the hardest but I have managed to figure out how best to tackle it for me. Removing is a tad longer than popping them in and it sometimes feels like I am going to pull my teeth out! I brush, floss and rinse religiously. I wear them 22ish hours or more. I eat pretty quickly and schedule meals and special outings so as to not interfere with the timing as best as I can. Had 2 buttons applied and one minor shaving- feels odd but not a show stopper. I do NOT have high correction but do have crowding and small off bite that is causing the teeth to begin rotating in a way I don't want to worsen as I get older. My dentist said that Invisalign would not necessarily be the correction of choice for all cases but was confident it would work for my case. I am 53 and never wore braces before and have noticed the change in teeth over the past 10 years. I am committed to making this work - a quality I think everyone needs who commits to Invisalign or even conventional braces. As for side effects, the biggest problem I am having is incredibly dry mouth but generally while at work only or when in lengthly social conversation. I talk to the public constantly and the dryness is very annoying. My lisping is improving and I seldom spit at people any more (for which they are VERY grateful!). To you women, for me the first 2 weeks felt like a very tight bra you squiggled in and could not wait to get off. That feeling is reducing. Actually, at home they are pretty much problem-free and after the first 2 weeks have become comfortable - it is ONLY at work (or long social get togethers), with all the talking, that they have been annoying. I have found that removing them for just a few minutes, chewing on something hard or crusty, then cleaning my teeth and getting the aligners back in to be VERY helpful. I have also bit both my inside cheeks 3 times now, which has been very painful and can add to the overall discomfort. Once a small piece of plastic bent and it was a day before I realized that was the cause of some further discomfort (I was able to bend it back in shape, with some strength). It is my hope that as my mouth becomes further desensitized to the plastic they will become more comfortable at work and the dryness problem will diminish. Yes, I had been shown the digitized version of the change in teeth - it was pretty cool. I hope this info helps anyone else experiencing similar. Another patient was leaving as I came in for my last appointment who had just finished her Invisalign. When asked is she was satisfied, I overheard her to say yes, very much so, and that she admitted she was skeptical at first but and was happy to see it work. Finally, there ARE some side benefits to Invisalign which may be of interest to some: I am incredibly well-hydrated (with all the water I am drinking), I am saving at least $70 a month that otherwise went to support by Starbucks habit (I was a 5-7 day regular for the past 10+ years - a real addict) and I have not had any withdrawal symptoms, AND I have lost almost 4 pounds (no more in-between meal snacking and I now eat a small breakfast to make sure I have energy to get me thru until lunch). Good luck to all of you!

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