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Originally posted by johnmarks:
yes, i just got my first trays today and am having exactly the same problem. i am constantly sucking saliva out of the aligners but it just seems to build back up. the trays definitely fit but when i try to suck the saliva out, it feels like they momentarily have a more snug fit.

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What can I say except that Invisalign has been one of the best investments I've ever made. My teeth weren't perfect before but my main motivation was to decrease grinding my teeth so my insomnia problems might decrease

Since I was a child I've had a nervous, habit of chewing my fingernails to nubs. More often then not I was doing it without even realizing it. Not only has this been very painful but I always felt extremely self conscious about it. Since I couldn't effectively chew my nails while wearing the trays I finally started catching myself making the attempt and with a little willpower, have able to stop all together, even when I'm not wearing the trays. Last week I got my first manicure EVER and I am so thankful not to feel embarrassed by my hands for once in my life.

Also, since being on Invisalign I substituted the sodas I was drinking for water, and of course was far less prone to snacking during the day. Losing weight was a nice fringe benefit

I've had absolutely no problems with the Invisalign trays. Never needed any special adjustments, Never had any bad breath problems with simple daily care. Lastly, I am indeed sleeping a little better than before.

For cleaning and to control breath issues with the trays, my dentist recommended using Crest Pro-Health rinse, diluted with 80% water (i.e., 1/2 capful of rinse mixed with 2 capfuls of water)

After brushing the trays with my sonicare each morning, I put them in the solution for about 5-10 minutes while dressing. Don't leave them in for a long time or the blue rinse color will transfer.

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Originally posted by BigDog3030:
Ok....week two of Aligner 1, and here are my thoughts.

Nobody can tell that i have them in which is why i got them. I have a pretty visible job, and at my age (35) im still relatively young for my position, so I needed something inconspicious.

Havent had too much pain, i feel a little pain when i take them out, which makes a little sense. As for taking them out and putting them in, Ive had no problem with this. The inside of my mouth was a bit raw for the first couple of days, but is fine now. I do experience the CONSTANT dry mouth, but am drinking water all the time. It is annoying, hopefully my mouth will get used to it.

Now here is where I have questions and concerns. My biggest is this...please tell me if anyone has experienced this....when I have them in, i get sort of a throat irritation, almost like a sore throat. Im always clearing my throat. I really find it uncomfortable. It immediately goes away when I take them out. Im assuming it is because of the kind of plastic used, but it is really bothering me.

If any dentists read this...please respond!!!!

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I was wondering what the absolute MINIMUM hours a day are for wearing Invisalign. My dentist told me that one can get away with 16-18. I'm wondering if you can get away with anything less than that, or even if his estimate is too LOW.

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Originally posted by MarkD:
I was wondering what the absolute MINIMUM hours a day are for wearing Invisalign. My dentist told me that one can get away with 16-18. I'm wondering if you can get away with anything less than that, or even if his estimate is too LOW.

Also, a second question...does anybody know the absolute earliest time to switch aligners? I just switched to my second set, after 10 days instead of 14. Was this okay?

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You should be not want to wear them less since that can only cause problems, why risk it? The recommended daily wear is 20hrs/day, so try to keep to that as much as possible, especially the first few days of a new aligner set, thats the critical period when the teeth are moving.

The rest of the two weeks are important for the teeth roots to heal. Do not try to move to a new aligner set sooner, since that can risk damage to the roots if they haven't healed completely from the last movements. Usually you can't get a new set of aligners from the doctor later until the proper time anyway.

I used to find great difficulty removing my aligners once I got the 'buttons' or attachments, or whatever you call them.

However, I found that it's so easy if I removed them from the inside and back of my teeth. So, I'll grab the inside of last or 2nd last molar on the top, and just lift them out.

For the lower it's a bit more complicated, as my front bit are crowded, however, I lift the inner part of my molars up and outwards, and it's just domino all the way through. My upper ones I can removed in 5 seconds or less.

The lower ones slightly longer, perhaps 10 seconds or so.

Please note however, I do not have any attachments on my upper molars, and only 1 attachment on my lower molar.

I've got 8 attachments in total, 3 pre-molars upper have these buttons,

and on the bottom, 2 canines, 2 pre-molars, and 1 molar have buttons.

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Originally posted by BadBoy:
You should be not want to wear them less since that can only cause problems, why risk it? The recommended daily wear is 20hrs/day, so try to keep to that as much as possible, especially the first few days of a new aligner set, thats the critical period when the teeth are moving.

The rest of the two weeks are important for the teeth roots to heal. Do not try to move to a new aligner set sooner, since that can risk damage to the roots if they haven't healed completely from the last movements. Usually you can't get a new set of aligners from the doctor later until the proper time anyway.

Don't rush it, for safety reasons.

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Really? I read most of the posts in this thread, and from what I gathered, no one came close to 20 hours a day or waited 14 days for switching...I see absolutely no point in it.

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Originally posted by MarkD:
Really? I read most of the posts in this thread, and from what I gathered, no one came close to 20 hours a day or waited 14 days for switching...I see absolutely no point in it.

And I don't carry around a toothbrush and toothpaste with me, so it's impossible for me to keep Invisalign's RIDICULOUS 22 hour standards.

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Originally posted by MarkD:
Really? I read most of the posts in this thread, and from what I gathered, no one came close to 20 hours a day or waited 14 days for switching...I see absolutely no point in it.

And I don't carry around a toothbrush and toothpaste with me, so it's impossible for me to keep Invisalign's RIDICULOUS 22 hour standards.

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What is ridiculouss is what you just said.

Why spend so much money on something if you're not going to follow the guildlines and mess it all up?
In fact what's the point in going through this is you're not going to do it right?

Personally i have my aligners in pretty much 23 out of the 24 hours of the day, i would never dream of switching early and always carry a toothbrush & toothpaste around with me.

I am spending a hell of a lot of money to get this done so it makes sence i'm not going to be ****ing around, keeping them out for longer than suposed to be, not cleaning them etc..
Like i said to my farther who asked me to leave them out for a day "I'm not paying all this money for them not to work"

Commitment with all types of orthodonics (invisalign or braces) extends indefinitely after the main series is over too. Retainers are required to be worn nearly 20hrs+/day for 6months-one year after and then regularly overnight.

Its not that hard to do 22hrs/day with invisalign most days, thats 2 hours for all 3 meals which is doable if you plan ahead, prepare and take aligners out just prior to eating. The commitment requires some sacrifice but its not that hard. Many have managed to do it, including me.

The first few days of each aligner set is the critical teeth moving time and is when some pain or discomfort will be felt if you remove the aligners after too short of a time. That is when its best to keep them in as long as possible, at least the 22hrs/day and for long stretches. The second week of the two weeks can be a bit less down to 20hrs/day I found. I wouldn't recommend going below that. Also some doctors have patients wear an aligner set longer like 3+ weeks especially if they aren't compliant and wearing them over 20hrs/day regularly.

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Originally posted by HappyHeart:
I has a sore throat in the beginning but it went away after a few days. Seemed to happen after each new set. Dunno why? but it did.. and it went away.

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Originally posted by HappyHeart:
I has a sore throat in the beginning but it went away after a few days. Seemed to happen after each new set. Dunno why? but it did.. and it went away.

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Originally posted by BigDog3030:
Ok....week two of Aligner 1, and here are my thoughts.
Nobody can tell that i have them in which is why i got them. I have a pretty visible job, and at my age (35) im still relatively young for my position, so I needed something inconspicious.

Havent had too much pain, i feel a little pain when i take them out, which makes a little sense. As for taking them out and putting them in, Ive had no problem with this. The inside of my mouth was a bit raw for the first couple of days, but is fine now. I do experience the CONSTANT dry mouth, but am drinking water all the time. It is annoying, hopefully my mouth will get used to it.

Now here is where I have questions and concerns. My biggest is this...please tell me if anyone has experienced this....when I have them in, i get sort of a throat irritation, almost like a sore throat. Im always clearing my throat. I really find it uncomfortable. It immediately goes away when I take them out. Im assuming it is because of the kind of plastic used, but it is really bothering me.

If any dentists read this...please respond!!!!

I used to experience the same then when first changing my trays. What I've found is that my mouth doesn't like whatever initial coating is on the plastic. So to minimize dry mouth and a sore throat, I soak my trays before putting them the first time with Denture cleanser, then following that up with a quick scrub with toothpaste and a toothbrush. That helps to get most of the coating off the trays and my mouth stays happy.

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Originally posted by Pricey102:
You make a commitment to yourself when you start with Invisalign. You may not see any reasons to follow their standards, but they are there for a reason. You have no idea what the long term issues could be - Those extra days aren't meant for your teeth to move - they are there for the roots to heal so you don't end up with weak and brittle teeth in the end. Why spend so much money on perfect teeth to just have them all break and fall out when you get older..... Thats just my opinion, whats a few extra hours/days and a tooth brush in your back pocket in the long run.

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Originally posted by Maz:
What is ridiculouss is what you just said.

Why spend so much money on something if you're not going to follow the guildlines and mess it all up?
In fact what's the point in going through this is you're not going to do it right?

Personally i have my aligners in pretty much 23 out of the 24 hours of the day, i would never dream of switching early and always carry a toothbrush & toothpaste around with me.

I am spending a hell of a lot of money to get this done so it makes sence i'm not going to be ****ing around, keeping them out for longer than suposed to be, not cleaning them etc..
Like i said to my farther who asked me to leave them out for a day "I'm not paying all this money for them not to work"

Follow the 'rules' and let the aligners do their job because otherwise that would be money and time wasted.

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Originally posted by BadBoy:
Very well said, Maz.
Invisalign is a commitment and is not for everyone if they can't handle the requirements of that technique, it requires personal compliance to work properly.
If one is not committed enought to comply, they should consider other fixed bonded on braces that will be on 24hrs/day and cannot be removed, forcing total compliance.

Commitment with all types of orthodonics (invisalign or braces) extends indefinitely after the main series is over too. Retainers are required to be worn nearly 20hrs+/day for 6months-one year after and then regularly overnight.

Its not that hard to do 22hrs/day with invisalign most days, thats 2 hours for all 3 meals which is doable if you plan ahead, prepare and take aligners out just prior to eating. The commitment requires some sacrifice but its not that hard. Many have managed to do it, including me.

The first few days of each aligner set is the critical teeth moving time and is when some pain or discomfort will be felt if you remove the aligners after too short of a time. That is when its best to keep them in as long as possible, at least the 22hrs/day and for long stretches. The second week of the two weeks can be a bit less down to 20hrs/day I found. I wouldn't recommend going below that. Also some doctors have patients wear an aligner set longer like 3+ weeks especially if they aren't compliant and wearing them over 20hrs/day regularly.

Invisalign works well IF the rules are followed closely. Be patient and good results can be achieved, I know from personal experience.

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Look, I'm sorry, but I'm going by what my dentist says. He says that most of his patients, during work/school, wear their aligners until lunch, take them out, and then keep them out for the 3-5 hours from lunch until they get home. And he says advancing your treatment on the 11-13th day is very popular.

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Originally posted by jadeyjade07:
I just finished my invisalign treatment. I had 20 upper and 17 lower. I got my invisalign retainer today and I dont know if I like it that much. I expected it to look basically like a regular tray, but a little thicker. Then I put it in my mouth and it only covers half the length of my teeth and goes higher in the back. Its making me have a lisp like crazy. Im kind of considering getting a regular retainer. Does anyone have any opinions on the differences and maybe the price of getting a regular one? Also If I do decide to change, do I have to go to an orthodontist because I didnt go to one for my invisalign treatment.

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Originally posted by straightteeth14:
I'm a newbie with the invisalign process. I'm on my second tray uppers and lowers (2 out of 14). the first set of trays fit perfectly but when putting on the second set this morning (after an early large breakfast because i knew my teeth would be too sensitive to eat for the day) I noticed that the back molars would not fit snugly until i clenched a few times throughout the day. Is that normal?

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Originally posted by Annie:
I just got my second set of trays...and things are much better the second time around. The initial appointment two weeks ago was horrific...I had no idea about the buttons or the big space he would be shaving between my front teeth! I left his office near tears, and looking like Madonna...they hurt like hell, and getting them out was awful...my mouth was all chewed up inside, I really thouught I had made a terrible mistake. Now, two weeks later, I'm sane again...the pain went away, I figured out how to get them in and out, and when I leave them in no one sees the huge gap between my front teeth. More reason to leave them in! Thanks to all of you for your posts....they got me through! I think it's interesting in a "they know if they tell people, people won't do it" kind of way that none of us knew about the buttons or shaving teeth ahead of time....

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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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Regarding your "Invisalign" retainer - is it stamped with the brand name? Something's not right - if it is indeed an authentic Invisalign product, it will be labelled as such.

Unless you've signed up for the Vivera yearly prescription, it will be stamped with that name. Either will be EXACTLY like your last regular trays except made of a thicker plastic & will fit exactly the same as your regular trays did.

It sounds more like an Essix-type, made at an independant lab...

From my own experience, the Vivera plan is a necessity as these type do deform somewhat over time & can allow some relapse. If you've not had any problems with your bite at the end of your regular treatment, the "settling" issue that Hawleys allow, shouldn't be a concern.

As to the price of a "regular one" - it depends on which type you mean exactly (Essix, Hawley or bonded) & if your Invisalign doc can provide it.

AnneC

(A hint, all - if you want to get more attention to your post, try to put it in a more specific thread - either a new one or one who's topic is the same. This one's a killer...& has been for some time now. 99% of the past threads all concern some aspect of Invisalign)

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Originally posted by jeffm:
Hi All! I'm doing a survey on Invisalign products right now. If you are using, have used, or are seriously considering using invisaligners, send me an email and let me know. We're paying a $35 Honorarium (a way to say thanks!) to everyone who completes the survey. (Though we [b]will be screening for fraud, so don't even think about trying it!) When the survey is done, I'll post some of the highlights up here for your information. Thanks![/B]

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I never had braces until now. I had a large space between my front teeth, and my canines had not come down all the way, and stuck out. I also had overcrowding on the bottom, as well as an open bite. My original dentist consult said that Invisalign was not an option, that I needed jaw surgery. Yeah... whatever. I went to my kid sister's peds orthodontist, and he gave me the option of Invisalign followed by trad. braces for a few months if the canines didn't come down, or straight traditional braces. Of course this single 20-something chose the invisalign. I originally got 23U/14L. The first week was absolutely horrible. I got 11 attachments, and shredded my fingernails every time I tried to wrench them off. Once you get past that first week, you never have trouble again. I use denture cleanser every morning and night, and brush them when they get placque-y. (It amazes me how much placque I accumulate!) I usually brush my teeth 5-6 times a day, and my teeth are dazzling white. People keep asking me if I'm using whitestrips or got my teeth whitened, but it's just from brushing.... I go in every 6 weeks for a visit where my spaces get enlarged, so my teeth move easier... it is weird at first, but you get used to it...

Anyway, I got lazy like some of you toward #14-15, at which my teeth had come amazingly far, and my ortho decided I could go all the way on Invisalign, and avoid the trad braces. I would also be done 1 1/2 years sooner! BUT...I started getting lazy and leaving them out for hours at a time. I'd eat lunch and then not put them back in until after dinner. My teeth constantly felt loose because they were moving back and forth all the time. My aligners started fitting worse and worse, and finally it got to the point where my teeth on the bottom had reset to their original position, and I had to start ALL OVER AGAIN>>>> with another attachment added. I got a set of "refinement" aligners at #15, and now have 12U/10L. I am wearing them 22-23 hours a day, and they fit great all the time. I am still on track, despite having to wear the same set of aligners for 3 months while we tried to correct it. My advice is to FOLLOW THE RULES. I've had to give up soda, gum, snacking, etc.... but my teeth are looking great, and it's worth it.

Look at this picture: