Metal Mouth Message Board

Yeah, that is annoying. I still have to wear my retainer every night or my teeth will slowly start to shift, even though I finished treatment two years ago. Retainers are apparently a life-long thing.

My dentist removed my attachments today, and my teeth look great! I had such a huge gap when I started. After 32 aligners (and one "overcorrection" aligner), I'm done. Now I just have to get used to smiling -- instead of the shy, closed-mouth, Mona Lisa grin. :wink: :) I definitely recomme...

I think you can snorkel while wearing Invisalign. Just don't bite down too ferociously on the snorkel mouth-piece.

Wow that is a mega-improvement! Congratulations!

I'm glad it worked out, but I wonder if you could have been finished sooner (without the need for a refinement) if you had worn them as directed. Congratulations anyway! Post before and after pictures?

Congratulations on finishing your treatment! The results are excellent. How many aligners did you have?

Congratulations on taking the plunge! I started in January and am on tray 6 out of 21. I can already see a difference! Just make sure you wear the aligners 22 hours a day. That is surprisingly difficult to do when you consider the time it takes for 3 meals and brushing. Be aware that it can be diffi...

You're paying a doctor for his or her expertise. You can always get a second opinion from another doctor. But it is silly to disregard the doctor's opinion because you don't like it. You're paying a lot of money for this process. Why wouldn't you cooperate with your doctor to ensure that the treatme...

My layman understanding is that additional tools such as elastics are used in conjunction with the aligners to fix large overbites. @moon781, that's sad that your progress seems to have stagnated for the moment. Have you seen good improvement from where you started? (difference from aligner 1 to ali...

It is exactly the same as for the top teeth. Don't worry about them not staying on. These things fit VERY tightly. They have to in order to move the teeth.

Maybe I'm just being cheap, but I wonder if the $75 cleaning system is worth it? Brushing sort of keeps the aligners from getting completely gross, and I replace them every two weeks anyway. Any thoughts?

You should probably get an appointment with an allergist (a doctor specializing in allergies). He or she could probably answer your question better than an Orthodontist. I would guess the Align company would give you a refund if you're actually allergic to the plastic.

Congratulations on being almost finished with your treatment. I'm only about 2 months into a 10-month treatment program. So I'm jealous!

What causes the grinding? If it's stress, then maybe Yoga or meditation would help? Would a sedative like Lunesta reduce grinding?

@Dr. Tam: Thank you for the informative response to the original poster, and I'm sure your opinion about the importance of choosing a good doctor is correct. Do you think the Invisalign Preferred Provider status is a good way for consumers to decide on a doctor? I mean, is it a useful metric for lay...