Dental Forum - Dentistry.com®

Dental Forum & Message Board - Dentistry.com

Dental Braces

Invisalign Braces Cont'...How about a new thread? (Page 10)

profile | register | preferences | faq | search

Email This Page to Someone!
This topic is 16 pages long: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

Author	Topic: Invisalign Braces Cont'...How about a new thread?
SANDiEGOGiRL Junior Member	posted 12-19-2007 06:36 PM it is a definite motivating factor to quit cigs. luckily i already went through that hell in the end of august. nicotine free since! invisalign would have really helped the snacking and overeating most people, including myself, go through during the quitting process. i tend to smoke some marijuana once in a while, i guess i will take out the trays before i do. no resin mouth for me. lol. my friends back home are very heavy pot smokers, i will probably join in on some holiday herbs but after a week, the pressure feeling is subsiding... thankfully!! i miss my snacking though. .
jil Preferred Member	posted 12-20-2007 01:21 AM OK. I thought, hoped, I'd be done with it today.. I'm wearing my last trays for almost 3 weeks/2 months lower/upper. My dentist wants me to keep them in for a few weeks more. I can understand why, the lower teeth still are slightly movable. One of the upper teeth is also VERY slightly movable. I wanted to have Xmas free of them.. but I supposed I can hold out for a few more weeks. I wish more people who are as advanced in their treatment as I am or have finished would write in the forum. They all disappear after a while. It's also a good sign, because it means they have adjusted to their lives after treatment very well, and are no more preoccupied with it. On the other hand, sharing their experience would have been appreciated. My dentist suggested to fit me retainers to the back of the teeth, to be worn after treatment ALL THE TIME. The alternative are 2 new trays, similar to the ones I have in right now, to be worn at night only. They will create them themselves, not through Invisalign. I think I prefer the second option, but would like to hear more of people who have some experience with that. .
BadBoy Preferred Member	posted 12-20-2007 02:44 AM This week I am now 3 months wearing my invisalign retainers. I wear them about 16hrs/day mostly and plan to drop gradually down to about 12hrs/day (nighttime only) over the next few months. .
Geena Preferred Member	posted 12-20-2007 10:22 AM "The alternative are 2 new trays, similar to the ones I have in right now, to be worn at night only. They will create them themselves, not through Invisalign." This is what my ortho does with all their patients, both Invisalign and traditional metal braces. If you have any dental work done (crowns, fillings, whatever), you can easily have new retainers made to fit - they only take a few hours to make. My son wears these now that he has finished wearing his braces, and I will be too once my Invisalign treatment is done. Also, cheaper to replace if lost, one day service to replace. My ortho offers insurance at a very reasonable cost too. .
arch712 Preferred Member	posted 12-20-2007 01:20 PM quote: Originally posted by lemongrass11: ^ maybe this is a good time for you guys to quit smoking. you're aware that your trays will turn yucky when you smoke w/ them in. I actually been smoking with mine in and they haven't changed colors at all. I'm easing my way down over treatment, and I hope to be smoke free by the time I'm done. quote: sigh it hasn't even been a week yet since i got my first tray! i don't know HOW i'll be able to go through 12U and 16L! many of you say it goes my fast...but for me i count by hours almost until i can take those things out for a short period of relief. Most people feel the same way at the beginning, but it does go a lot faster as you go. It feels like I'm changing to a new set every week, and I just put in my 9th set. Feels like the next time I blink I'll be done. .
jil Preferred Member	posted 12-20-2007 04:26 PM Thank you Geena and Badboy for your answers. I have never read about anyone who has had permanent retainer attached to their teeth to be worn all the time, so I really wonder about that. Wow 3 months AFTER treatment you are still wearing the retainers most of the day? I didn't think it would take so long. I am willing to accept wearing them at night, but at day time as well.. It is disturbing me in social circumstances, especially if I'm thinking of getting to know someone new .. I wouldn't feel like explaining him the history of my teeth just because I'd like to have a kiss.. .
BadBoy Preferred Member	posted 12-20-2007 05:45 PM Yes 3-6 months is the typical time after finishing invisalign that daily wear of retainers are recommended by most doctors. Mine told me I could go to nighttime only wear after 6 months, so I've been gradually reducing the daily wear time to reach that point. You can tell if after several hours out if its a bit harder to get in again afterwards. For me right now thats after about 5 hours, so I have two or three several hour breaks in the day. I didn't want the fixed wire bonded retainers behind the teeth since it makes it hard to clean the teeth around that. Also some have told of them breaking off after several months. I'd rather have something non-permanent even if you have to buy new ones every couple years or so as needed. I have the clear invisalign-made retainers that are just like the regular aligners except a little thicker more durable material that is supposed to last for 2 years of wear. I tried one temporary dental lab clear retainer many months ago but it wasn't as good as the invisalign-made type. The lab made one had a lot of extra overhang material and wasn't as comfortable. If somebody wants to try that type, I'd advise having them make only one to test it out first to be sure. With the invisalign retainer type, you don't have to get new impressions made since they make it exactly as the final aligners in your final series. That worked perfectly for me. .
SANDiEGOGiRL Junior Member	posted 12-20-2007 06:02 PM im curious about the permanant retainer. i hate having to wear a retainer, and when i am done with treatment i would love to not have to worry about my teeth shifting. i never heard about them breaking right away? thats scary! and how do people floss like that? and around how much do they cost? .
Geena Preferred Member	posted 12-20-2007 06:43 PM As for retainer use, I have heard many different ways that orthos suggest. One friend who just had their metal braces removed told me they were told to wear their retainers full-time for a year and then wouldn't have to wear them at all. My ortho suggests night-time use forever. As for permanent retainers, they only suggest them for people who can't or don't want to be compliant with removable ones. .
BadBoy Preferred Member	posted 12-20-2007 10:20 PM You have to use a retainer indefinitely, but eventually at night only or down to a few nights a week. The teeth will eventually shift if you stop wearing a retainer (fixed or removable) completely. Many have posted they stopped using a retainer after wearing braces when they were younger and now have to pay for invisalign as an adult to get their teeth straightened again. After paying so much to get them straight, I'm sure not going to let them get crooked again. So I plan on keeping with a retainer forever, but perhaps after a year only 2-3 nights a week. .
jil Preferred Member	posted 12-21-2007 08:20 AM quote: Originally posted by BadBoy: You have to use a retainer indefinitely, but eventually at night only or down to a few nights a week. The teeth will eventually shift if you stop wearing a retainer (fixed or removable) completely. Many have posted they stopped using a retainer after wearing braces when they were younger and now have to pay for invisalign as an adult to get their teeth straightened again. My dentist hasn't told me anything about half a year time of wearing retainers full time. On the other hand, he never does tell me much and I end up getting most of the information I need on the forum. I guess it differs from one dentist to another, I'll have to check and see for myself how much I need it. I've been wearing the same normal upper tray full time for 2 months now, and it doesn't show any signs of cracking, it's just does not look as clean as the other one anymore, no matter how long I scrub it. I'll check their retainer and if I don't like it, I'd ask for an Invisalign one. After all, I already paid them enough money. Another thing is I would need some 'stripping' as my teeth don't match 100% when I close my mouth. Did you also do something like that Badboy? .
BadBoy Preferred Member	posted 12-21-2007 01:12 PM I wore my final upper aligner from my initial series for over 4 months while finishing the lower aligners prior to my refinement series. I was able to keep the old aligner completely clear and clean using regular soakings with denture tablets and once or twice a week soak with hydrogen peroixide for a couple hours, plus a scrubbing with tothpaste. Made it clear as new! Thats what I've been doing with my retainers now for the past 3 months and they stay clear and clean as well. Doctors have different recommendations on retainers. Its nor really fulltime wear for 6 months, I'm gradually reducing daily wear from 20hrs/day when I started to 16hrs/day right now (after 3 months) and shooting for 12hrs/day (nighttime only) for the 6month point. Some doctors say you can go to nighttime only retainer wear after 3months or so however. I've been so use to the aligners for nearly 2 years now that I'm not in a big rush, rather be safe than sorry. Even 16hr/day wear with up to 8 hours with them out of my mouth daily now seems like a lot of naked teeth time to me after wearing the aligners 22hr/day for so long before anyway. .
jil Preferred Member	posted 12-21-2007 02:33 PM 2 years wow.. I've only had them since June. Is it a lot of difference to the former position of your teeth? I only needed one tooth 'fixed' for over crowding, but of course they had to move the others as well to make room. I've always preferred to be on the safe side as well, normally having each tray in for 2-3 days more than the needed 2 weeks, which prolonged treatment. It is hard to imagine living my life without them.. but I suppose I'd adjust very fast. I've only recently started having stains problems. I use denture tablets on them every two days. I have no idea where to to find hydrogen peroixide. I'll start using the tablets daily and see if it helps. .
BadBoy Preferred Member	posted 12-21-2007 04:21 PM You can find a bottle of hydrogen peroxide (usually less than a dollar) at any drugstore even many grocery stores. In next to the rubbing alcohol near the band-aids. I've gotten it at stores like Rite-Aid. My initial invisalign series took about a year, I had 18upper and 26lower aligners. Just crowding mostly. At the end of the intial series it followed the clinicheck very closely and the teeth were all straight now however one lower tooth got pushed up a little and there were some small gaps left from the IPRs (inter-proximal reductions) where the doctor shaves a little enamel off between some teeth to make room for them to move better. So I requested a refinement to push the one tooth down (an intrusion) and move the teeth a bit to reduce the small gaps (not really noticeable visibly but a lot while flossing) - that ended up taking 6lower/9upper aligners and another 6months plus a couple months until they came in. Then a few weeks after that I got the invisalign retainers and that was 3 months ago. I remember I did the intial invisalign impressions, photos for the case in Dec 2005, about 2 years ago. .
jil Preferred Member	posted 12-22-2007 03:31 AM Thanks, but I don't live in the USA, and have never seen those bottles you're describing. I change the denture tablets and it already seems to work better. If not, I'll look for them again after Xmas. I had 10/13 upper/lower, and was quite surprised because I expected I would need more. My dentist recommended to have quite much IPRs done in comparison to teeth movement, because I wanted the change to be as minimal as possible. I also have some small gaps left, and the teeth are not totally straight, but I don't care. I'm actually happy with the imperfections because I don't like the impersonal looks of perfect teeth. One of the lower canines is also ejected a little too much, and it rubs against my upper tooth when I close my mouth. The dentist said he would shave it a little to fix that. It might be not very healthy for the tooth, but it's not like moving them about is much better, so I prefer the quicker solution. So no refinements for me. .
larkspur Junior Member	posted 12-22-2007 04:48 AM BadBoy, thanks for your posts. I've been wearing retainers now for about four months, made by the orthodontist. One tooth still needs to be rotated a bit (it's second to the front on top), but the ortho has been trying to move it with dimpled retainers made by his lab. Last visit, after I'd had a dimpled retainer in for fourteen weeks, I asked if rotating that last little tooth might not take less time if we had Invisalign make the liner as a refinement, rather than the ortho's lab, since refinements are free. My ortho stared at me, and then (he's young, and not as politic as his father, the other ortho in the office) and said that while the refinements may be free for me, they're not free for him. Hmm. That was a discouraging approach for me, since I've had liners in my mouth for 21 months now, and have had no refinements. My teeth look much, much better than when we began -- really, only one tooth still needs a bit of rotation -- and I, too, think a too-perfect smile might look odd on me, but I'd like to get this tooth where it's supposed to be. Dimpled retainers just don't move the teeth the way Invisalign trays and attachments do. .
Geena Preferred Member	posted 12-22-2007 06:26 AM http://clinreview.com/Invisaline_Tips.html Read the above post about Invisalign, refinements, etc. I can only assume the data to be true, but it states: "With each Express case, doctors have the option to purchase one set of up to 10 refinement aligners for an additional cost of $125." and... "Also, consider viewing the full Invisalign treatment not as double the cost of Invisalign Express, but rather a product with advantages such as three sets of unlimited refinement aligners." .
Kim79 Junior Member	posted 12-23-2007 12:31 PM larkspur, I understand why you would want to just do the refinement! Your orthodontist should really be taking pride in his work and finishing it out even if it costs a bit more for him. It's his name he's putting on your mouth. How would it look for you to let's say go to your dentist or something and say "i've just finished my invisalign" and they look at your teeth and see one crooked one and ask who your orthodontist is so they make sure not to send their patients there.. it's the orthodontist's reputation so he should either fix it, if it's included, or if it's not included at least work out a way financially to get it done. Maybe you could work something out with him or the father? Best luck and hope you get everything resolved! .
trienhard Junior Member	posted 12-26-2007 05:12 AM For those of you in the retainer phase, did you have your buttons removed between your last aligner and getting the retainer? Probably a dumb question, but as much as I look forward to losing the button from the from tooth, I'm wondering what holds the retainer in place. .
Skimboarder Junior Member	posted 12-26-2007 08:47 AM Decided it's been a while since I've posted an update. You might remember that I was one of the guys dealing with a great deal of swelling and pain when I first started my invisalign treatment. I'm now on set 8 upper and lower, and pain free. I've also weaned myself off the dental wax, which is great as it's one less thing to deal with in my daily routine. My teeth are definitely moving in the right direction, and look much better than before. I would have been happy with even these results, but I do still have some major gaps and I'm now noticing other issues with the position of my teeth. I have 5 more sets to go, so I hope everything comes together in the end but I feel like I'll need to make a lot of movement to get to perfect. As such, I expect to need a refinement. How does that process work? I don't want to wait too long before my new set of aligners comes in, especially since I was hoping to be aligner free, and past the stage of wearing retainers during the day, by summer. .
BadBoy Preferred Member	posted 12-26-2007 01:45 PM quote: Originally posted by Skimboarder: I expect to need a refinement. How does that process work? I don't want to wait too long before my new set of aligners comes in, especially since I was hoping to be aligner free, and past the stage of wearing retainers during the day, by summer. A refinement series is like a new mini-case for less than 10 total aligners. After the initial series of aligners is done, the doctor does as he did originally: makes new impressions, photos, etc and submits the case to Align Technology. How long until the new set of aligners comes in varies a lot, depends on the load at the factory at that time, how many times your doctor decides to go back and forth on the treatment method, etc. For me it took about 2 months until the new aligners came in and I wore the last set of aligners during that time to hold the teeth in their positions. Even after the final aligner series, you have to get retainers and wear those typicall full time for several months before dropping to nightime only wear, so add that into the equation as well. .
jil Preferred Member	posted 01-02-2008 01:46 AM Question to BadBoy: Are you happy with the way you bottom and top raws of teeth match together? I am not happy, everything there seem to be a mismatch, I hope some 'shaving' would solve the problem, as I mentioned before, but I can't be sure about it. Some of it is about getting used to the new position of the teeth, I suppose, but it's also that chewing, especially of small, delicate food partials is less than optimal. It used to be much worse a few months back, I used to have problems grinding food down. I am slightly tempted to do refinement to fix that, but only very very slightly. .
shawnna89 Preferred Member	posted 01-02-2008 09:50 AM quote: Originally posted by SANDiEGOGiRL: all this talk about them cracking makes me so nervous! how many of you guys only take them off from one side? i have two buttons on the other side and it is too painful to get them off from that side Every single one of my aligners since I have gotten my attachments have cracked right on a tooth with an attachment. My orthodontist said that where mine cracked didnt effect my progress at all and told me not to worry about it. If yours does crack I would recommend going to your ortho to make sure it wont effect your progress in a negative way. My ortho told me to just wear my aligners like normal and switch when my 2 weeks are up. .
Bee Preferred Member	posted 01-02-2008 10:55 AM My first few aligners were cracking near the buttons and my ortho told me it's no big deal. If it's a huge crack I'm sure that'll be a problem otherwise you should be good. I called and let them know just in case but they said it wasn't something to worry about. .
bsb203 Junior Member	posted 01-03-2008 10:12 AM Hi! I'm getting ready to start my invisalign journey, and have been researching for months. I'm a very unique case, as I am in the process of getting dental implants, however, need to get braces to move some teeth before I can do so. At the moment, I am missing 5 upper teeth (I just never had them due to genetics). I wear a partial denture and no one has ever noticed it! My ortho seems to think that I can get invisalign to help move the upper teeth that my perio (that is doing the implants) wants moved. I have a few questions, not sure if anyone will know, but figured I would take a stab: 1) My ortho is saying only 6 months for my aligners (I only need to move my front teeth and one rotated tooth). After that point, I know I need to get a retainer. Will I be able to get the implant work while I have a retainer? 2) Since I wear a partial, I am extremely nervous about how it is going to fit when I take the aligner out and put the partial in. Has anyone that is missing teeth ever used in Invisalign? Thanks so much. .
abbercadaver Junior Member	posted 01-03-2008 10:15 AM I'm in my second year of college, and I finally decided to go for orthodontics. I had always wanted them, but my teeth weren't very bad so the dentists always talked me out of it -- more trouble than it's worth. Anyway, decided to do it. After waiting 4 months for my trays to come in (it turns out my ortho was re-checking the people at Invisalign's work...and finding things that were impossible to do in real life, but looked good on the computer to the computer whizzes at Invisalign), I finally got them in November. I have 18 "attachments." That is ridiculous. They're on all of my teeth that can be seen when I smile. Also one on each of my back four molars. I am VERY unhappy with this. It's extremely noticeable. I've had two people ask me/tell me that I had something on my teeth. Yes, thank you I know. Had I known that they were going to be this obvious, I would have never gone with the treatment. My teeth were not/are not noticeably crooked by anyone but me. Everyone keeps asking me why on earth I went and got braces to begin with. I'm starting to wonder myself. The 18 "attachments" are going to be there throughout the entire 18 months of the treatment. So I get to look ridiculous for a year and a half. Yay. I am just so frustrated. .
bsb203 Junior Member	posted 01-03-2008 10:17 AM Hi! I'm getting ready to start my invisalign journey, and have been researching for months. I'm a very unique case, as I am in the process of getting dental implants, however, need to get braces to move some teeth before I can do so. At the moment, I am missing 5 upper teeth (I just never had them due to genetics). I wear a partial denture and no one has ever noticed it! My ortho seems to think that I can get invisalign to help move the upper teeth that my perio (that is doing the implants) wants moved. I have a few questions, not sure if anyone will know, but figured I would take a stab: 1) My ortho is saying only 6 months for my aligners (I only need to move my front teeth and one rotated tooth). After that point, I know I need to get a retainer. Will I be able to get the implant work while I have a retainer? 2) Since I wear a partial, I am extremely nervous about how it is going to fit when I take the aligner out and put the partial in. Has anyone that is missing teeth ever used in Invisalign? .
ninalinska Junior Member	posted 01-03-2008 12:25 PM Hey Abbercadaver, I find is strange that you have such minimal issues yet your treatment is so long and you require so many buttons! I mean, that's over half your teeth and for a minimal case?? What are you having done? Is there a lot of tooth-twisting going on? I don't know what to tell you about that, but hopefully the end result will be what you want and make it worth it. I'm 45 and just straightening up some crowded teeth (I wore braces as a teen but did not keep wearing the retainer). My treatment is only 18 weeks (9 trays..assuming no refinement) and I have only two buttons that are not noticeable to others. I'm sorry you are so frustrated, but you will adjust to them and forget they are there. Keep us posted on your progress. .
ninalinska Junior Member	posted 01-03-2008 12:30 PM Well, I'm over halfway through my third set of trays (out of nine). I felt the first set seemed like a long time, but the other two sets have really gone fast. I actually forget they are in and scare myself sometimes thinking I've forgotten them. This last set has been the most movement I've noticed so far. Some of my teeth are 'touchy,' but no real pain. I can just tell something is going on. I go in next wed for the sanding between my front teeth, then I'll get more trays! I hope I don't need a refinement (more money and time), but I really want my teeth to be perfect! More later... .
abbercadaver Junior Member	posted 01-03-2008 12:57 PM Of course, I'm not an orthodontist or dentist by any means, but I like to think of myself of at least medially intelligent at worst. It just doesn't seem logical to me that this should take so many attachments or so much time, either. My top front two teeth were/are at slight angles with eachother, and I could see that in the future they could cross over one another if left untreated--that would just be unacceptable. I know your teeth aren't supposed to be completely straight across (like 180 degrees), so lets just assume that they're supposed to be at 120 degrees (of course this is just an abstract, I'm sure that's way off reality). Mine were maybe at 100 or so. Those are my only crooked teeth on top. Then my lateral incisors are beginning to get pushed slightly in front of my bottom front teeth. Roughly the same "degrees" as my top teeth, only these had begun to minimally cross over. That's it. I'm sure there are other things wrong that only a dentist or orthodontist would recognize as something to deal with, but those are the only noticeable things. He even told me (after I had gotten the trays in and the attachments put on, of course) that the attachments were only for stability and the people at Invisalign kept telling him that a) they weren't needed, and b) I was not going to be able to pull the trays out. Oh well, I'm halfway through the fall of a headfirst dive now. No stopping it. .
ninalinska Junior Member	posted 01-03-2008 05:49 PM It sounds insane to me. Sounds like you have less to do than I do! I dunno, but it seems your ortho is going a bit overboard, and he's the one who decided you needed all those buttons. Well, good luck to you. If you get the end result you wish for, then it will be worth it, right? .
ninalinska Junior Member	posted 01-03-2008 06:07 PM Oh and what's more, i was re-reading your description of where the buttons were and it sounds exactly like where I had my braces back in the day...glued on the front teeth and then bands on the back four. You might as well have braces on. I mean, one of the main attractions of invisalign is the 'invisi'bility. He may be correcting a bite issue that you are not aware of, but he should have discussed that with you. Did he show you a clincheck before-hand so you'd know about the buttons? And then not tell you until you'd agreed to them and had the trays made that you really didn't need them? I guess there's not a chance that he'd agree to have the trays re-made without the button dents so you could have those things removed. He could remove the buttons, but then you'd still have the places on the trays. You will adjust, though. I don't want to stir the pot, but I sure do understand why you're unhappy! .
fallaciouscow Junior Member	posted 01-03-2008 09:04 PM Hey guys, I've almost completed my invisalign journey (30/31)! My bottom teeth are looking great, and my top teeth are pretty straight as well, but I noticed yesterday that my top teeth all seem to be going inward. I never noticed it before, because you can't tell unless you're looking at me in a profile view. Is this normal? I've been looking through posts about how there are refinement periods - does this cost more and how long does it take? I'm a bit frustrated right now because I was excited that I had less than a month to go... .
BadBoy Preferred Member	posted 01-03-2008 10:21 PM With regular invisalign, you can request up to 3 refinement series at no extra cost. Each refinement is less than 10 aligners, like another small case. I requested one myself just to make minor adjustments like close some small gaps left from the IPRs(shavings) and push a tooth down a bit. Just let your doctor know what you want worked on in advance. Take advantage of the free refinement(s) since its your only chance to do it for free. Its worth it in my opinion after spending so much money on it even for a few more months wearing the aligners. .
abbercadaver Junior Member	posted 01-04-2008 07:31 AM He said I might need a "button or two," but said they would be near the gumline, near the back of my mouth, and hard to see. Oh boo. They're all over the place! Anyway, he didn't show me the clincheck until after I found this forum and asked him about it on my last visit. It doesn't have any buttons on it though. I guess those were something he added after they sent the first clincheck to his office. He started saying something about attachments, then walked off and let his assistants start playing with my mouth. I was like, "Uhm...ok...no questions I guess." Anyway, the attachments didn't look bad until I put the trays on. So I wasn't worried when he came back a few minutes later. They are virtually invisible until the plastic covers them, making them more visible as the light hits them in certain ways. Oh, and attachments keep falling off, and he keeps saying, "Well, you didn't need them anyway. We'll just leave that one off." I'm considering asking him to take off the ones I don't need, and sending the trays back (except for, say 3 months worth) and just getting them to take those buttons off, and send them back. Then I can continue to wear the ridiculous ones while the others are being fixed, and then when they come in, I can just switch to the less obvious ones. I don't know how HE will feel about that, but that's my plan of grandeur. .

This topic is 16 pages long: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 All times are ET (US)
Administrative Options: Close Topic \| Archive/Move \| Delete Topic