Metal Mouth Message Board

I too posted last year about issues with mouth/throat irritation, cough and cold like symptoms after the first tray or so as well. I found the same that if I gave them a good cleaning and had the doc rinse/clean it before inserting it when I was at the office for new trays (I go every 6 weeks) I'm good.

I'm sensitive to certain chemicals - such as Lysol (something in it, but not sure what) which is a disinfectant spray/cleaner here in the states. If it's sprayed anywhere around me I sneeze and get a very irritated throat, etc and if I inhale too much of it unknowingly (walk into a room while someone is spraying it) I have even had wheezing episodes. Similar effects to pesticides - if I eat fruits or veggies that have a thin skin or no skin - my mouth will get itchy, sore throat, etc and feels like my mouth is swelling even tho it's not (like novocaine). Now if I get organic or buy at a local fruit/veg stand that I know does not use pesticides I'm fine. The thicker skin fruits like banana, orange or melons are ok, as I guess the pesticide residue does not make it into the flesh of the fruit like it would perhaps on apples or grapes, etc. So I obviously have an allergy or sensitivity to the pesticides used.

So apparently there is some chemical in the aligners that I have a sensitivity to as well - I'm guessing probably some type of disinfectant that is used in the final processes of production to get any/all germs/bacteria off them before packing/shipping. Do I know that for sure - no, but that's my best guess.

I think you are right. What seems to be occurring with a few people, is a sensitivity to some substance on an un-rinsed aligner which can trigger an inflammatory response in the respiratory system - in the mouth, throat, sinuses and so on. In my own experience, this may be followed by a secondary (bacterial) infection, hence the ampicillin needed to clear it.

This makes sense to me, as it is not dissimilar to a quite separate problem I had for years, with a succession of sinus infections - sinusitis - which turned out in the end to be related to aspirin. There’s a well-known link in a small group of susceptible people between aspirin and asthma, but rhino-sinusitis is a less well-known reaction. This occurs when a sensitivity to aspirin leads to inflammation of the sinuses, causing a lot of congestion, which may quickly be followed by a secondary infection. In my own experience, when this occurred it was very hard to shake off, needing antibiotics to clear it. It was many years before I put two-and-two together and recognised what might be occurring, when my GP agreed this was a plausible explanation. In my own case (and I certainly don’t want to generalise to anyone else), no more aspirin meant no more sinusitis - must be around 15 years ago now.

Sensitivies, or allergies are a tricky subject, because of the cranks and quacks in the topic. Many GPs are cautious. I’m no medic (though grew up in a household of doctors) and I don’t want to add to befuddlement.

But in this instance, thoughtful speculation does seem justified - i.e. in some people, there is an inflammatory response (varies with individuals) to something in or on the aligners, with the chance of a secondary infection, consequent on inflammation. The substance could be a residue from the aligner manufacturing process, and can be washed off easily. But for those affected, with no warning or explanation, this is quite a serious point, and should probably be taken more seriously.

curlew.

I am curious on other effects that invisalign might have.

Are you a male and do you notice any differences in your appearance of your face?

Have you experienced any new issues with obesity?

Wow, I'm glad I'm not the only one who's had a bad experience with Invisalign! For me it was a sore throat and then nausea, really INTENSE NAUSEA coupled with acid reflux. It got so bad I felt like I couldn't keep food down. I only got to tray 3, before calling it quits. I don't need to suffer that much for my teeth. I told my ortho and she adamantly denied it could have anything to do with my Invisalign. That made no sense, since I always felt better as soon as I took them out.

I've since switched orthos and treatments. I'm using all-metal braces now. Which has its own problems, but that's another story.

I researched potential side-effects from Invisalign on the web and it does appear that nausea and sore throat occasionally occurs. And obviously some are more sensitive than others.

But it seems many orthos are unwilling to accept there can be a problem. No doubt they're getting a big kickback from the company.

Thank you for confirming my suspicion that my new Invisalign trays were causing an allergic reaction. I used the Efferdent and it seemed to help. Hopefully it will lessen in time.

I wrote an article about this in the DentaKit.com blog recently:

http://dentakit.blogspot.com/2011/02/do ... astic.html

After soaking my Invisalign trays in super strength denture cleaner overnight, and brushing them like crazy, I put them back in and the cough still continued. It was getting so bad, I finally gave up, told my ortho that I just could not continue. My bronchial tubes began to clean themselves out and after coughing up phlegm for several days, I was back to normal. The Invisalign folks finally responded to my ortho and told him that an allergic reaction occurs in about "one in 40,000!!" I highly doubt that it is this rare! However, they do have a hypoallergenic version which they are making for me now--which has about a 95 percent success rate! So, I hope I'm in the 95%!

Very interesting and good posts. I just started a couple days ago, have a bit of the dry mouth and have a bit of a throat cough/hack, but figured it was the dryness or how I am breathing. I'll make sure to try and really clean my aligners prior to wearing.

I THINK from previous reading is that the material for these aligners is from an "implantable" source, meaning that it is the same as would be for another medical device with expectation to be PERMANENTLY implanted in the body so not just a 24 hour period. That being said people DO suffer from allergic reactions to all manner of materials.

I'll monitor the symptoms and decide after 30 days. I can't imagine that wearing these alingers for 9-10 months can be any worse than drinking out of plastic BPA bottles for the past 15 years and drinking artificial sweeteners for the past four decades.

wish I hadn't read this a week before I get my aligners

Folks:

So after a lot of research, and dealing with Invisalign this past year...

YES- If you are having sore throat, coughing etc after starting invisalign- YOU ARE HAVING A SERIOUS ALLERGIC REACTION. Get HELP!
Cleaning your trays won't help.. you're symptoms may lesson, but you are at serious risk.

I started last June and immediately had a horrible sore throat and cough within 3-4 days (I did try washing the retainer). My ortho (who is an elite invisaglin ortho and actually #3 in invisaglign sales) called invisalign about my problem. They admitted that they are using a disinfectant process before your retainer gets packed in the bag. I don't remember the name of the chemical, but my ortho recognized it as something orthos know people have problems with. He was furious that they had never told him about this finishing process. He actually trains most orthos in the US on invisalign.

They have an ALTERNATIVE PROCESS for people who report the problem. Your dentist will probably never have heard of this because invisalign is not reporting these cases (which is why the FDA gave them a warring). Your dentist must insist on the alternative process without the finishing chemical. He/she needs to contact their invisalign rep to get these. They sent me all my retainers without the chemical and I was fine (they enclosed a BS letter from their legal department about how I "may have had" an allergic reaction- they don't want to admit they are causing this).

You can't get rid of this stuff by cleaning the retainer- even if your symptoms are diminished- you could still be killing your body in other ways. Allergies can sometimes show up as fatigue.. and nothing else. Already my ortho has found 3 other patients of his that were having unreported allergic reactions- one woman was being diagnosed for fatigue. She removed the retainers and felt better in a few days. She was VERY sick without knowing why.

I'm on my nighttime retainer- and I'm having some problems- I figure they are also using a similar chemical in the mix my ortho uses at the office. I'll update you later.

Don't rinse, don't scrub... get new retainers! They can't charge you for them- I hope someone starts a class action.

Wow, thank you for posting this.

The next time you speak to your orthodontist, could you please write down the name of the chemical that people are reacting to? I would like to post it here.

Thanks,
Lynn

I just created a poll for this (see the Sticky at the top of the Invisalign forum). Please take the poll!

Very dissapointed that it turned out to be this way. Thought I finally found a miracle, but just got in trouble. Paid $6300 for the overall course upfront, cause they wanted me to. Wearing 2nd set at the moment. Around 2 weeks ago started having first side affects which include trouble with breathing and huge stomach pain. Never had any of these symptoms before. Not going to GP, cause he is just gonna prescribe something that's gonna inhibit the symptoms. Going to call my dentist tomorrow and talk about refund. Anyone who has side symptoms
- do not underestimate! I've heard research shows that modern dentures cause cancer in some patients. Not sure which material is actually a culprit, but think that this is something to do with the silicone. It's just nobody talks about it. Invisalign now doing massive marketing campaign globally. It's scary how far they gone, not even done enough research! I also don't like the way they take payment - they don't even give you a chance to try whether you'll be ok with that thing in your mouth. I'll be following up with my negotiation process in regards to refund. I'm furious! Hate being fulled, but the world seems never stop spinning the wrong way where nobody cares about anything but money. Anyone from Invisalign who is following the social networks for the marketing research, if you can prove myself wrong or can cover the treatment of my symptoms plus give a full refund -talk to me.

While we are suspecting and presuming what's wrong with us, they know they can still make some money. Just google about the FDA fine that Invisalign got for undisclosed facts about their product. Really scary stuff! I'm not gonna put that toxic thing in my body a minute longer and going to court. I'm on a mission to notify about this as many people as I can. Hope, so are you.

thanks to all for posting your invisalign experience

I have stopped wearing mine ( 2.5 weeks now )

if you are wearing them and experiencing nausea, sinus stuff, scratchy throat,
shorter of breath, general mouth inflammation, excessively dry mouth, dry tongue,
super dry and cracked lips ( in spite of decent water consumption and moisturizing )
and a fatigue level that seems out of whack
I encourage you to stop wearing the aligners now !!!!

I tried to hang in there ( quite an investment )
and be a good patient, it cost me my health
I couldn't properly evaluate how my mouth was feeling
due to a generalized discomfort I chalked up to coming with teeth movement and
a process I was unfamiliar with

each day the aligners have been out , my health is gradually improving

while your provider is not informed - invisalign does offer a " hypo allergenic " option
( why are they keeping this such a secret ????? )

i am giving myself some time , to evaluate what to do
while my teeth are straigher , my bite is not natural or comfortable
a good bite is much more important to your dental health

it will be no surprise when invisaligns current heavy sales push is ultimately followed by a wave of lawsuits