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Invisalign since June 26th...

Posted: Thu Aug 23, 2018 5:50 pm
by Speck
...and just flossed and brushed for around the 236th time since starting treatment. :shock:

Only another nine months. And then refinement stage(s).

Help. :-+

That is all.

Re: Invisalign since June 26th...

Posted: Fri Aug 24, 2018 2:28 am
by Gia
I got an Essix retainer yesterday as a "trial" to see if I think Invisalign will work for me. First, wow is it tight! I'm not sure why I'm surprised! The lisp is not as bad as I expected, but I still wouldn't be comfortable talking with it in if I were doing a presentation at a meeting. Also don't like the feeling of my teeth being completely covered, and can't imagine having bottom and to covered 24/7. The retainer is just the top as the doctor said that's the one that usually affects speech more. I'll wear it like I would an aligner and see if I can manage the eating, etc at work, give no ability to brush or floss there. I go back next week for records, and meanwhile am trying to sort out one more consult.

Re: Invisalign since June 26th...

Posted: Fri Aug 24, 2018 8:09 am
by Speck
I had been thinking about you while creating this thread. Yours is a tough situation, what with a long-ish commute and restriction(s) on what you can carry into the work-place. Also, like I've said before, one aligner on the upper isn't so bad, but having them both top and bottom is certainly more of a distraction.

Re: Invisalign since June 26th...

Posted: Fri Aug 24, 2018 3:56 pm
by Gia
Thanks! I know braces weren't his preference, but they might be the better option, so will have to discuss.

Re: Invisalign since June 26th...

Posted: Sat Aug 25, 2018 5:42 am
by Gia
Glad I tried this Essex retainer. Besides all my logistical concerns, I be learned I can't tolerate this. All I want to do is take it out! That said I'll continue to wear it like I would Invisalign until I go back next week, and maybe it will get better. Right now the thought of top and bottom for 18 months is NO. Impressed by those who can do it. I take pride in being compliant, but see it being a problem with this.

Re: Invisalign since June 26th...

Posted: Sat Aug 25, 2018 9:07 am
by EmilyTravels
Gia wrote: Sat Aug 25, 2018 5:42 am Glad I tried this Essex retainer. Besides all my logistical concerns, I be learned I can't tolerate this. All I want to do is take it out! That said I'll continue to wear it like I would Invisalign until I go back next week, and maybe it will get better. Right now the thought of top and bottom for 18 months is NO. Impressed by those who can do it. I take pride in being compliant, but see it being a problem with this.
Interesting! Very glad you gave it a try anyway. I am nervous about getting my Essix retainers (hopefully just on top with a permanent wire on the bottom) as I am afraid I'm going to hate it more than braces for all kinds of reasons, especially the eating/drinking thing. I am super compliant with braces but may be a bit less so with an Essix, as I like to sip coffee in the morning and wine in the late afternoon. Plus snack. I am thin and very active so have to eat a lot just to maintain my weight. So, three full meals plus 2-3 snacks is my usual routine. Braces are bad enough.

I hope that either this ortho will agree to braces or you will have better success with consultation #3. Keep us posted!

Re: Invisalign since June 26th...

Posted: Sat Aug 25, 2018 9:43 am
by Gia
Thanks! I'm even a little worried now about how I'll feel with braces, but a least I won't be able to take them out :tingrin: I don't remember it being this way with braces, headgear, elastics, retainers, any of it the first time around. Then that was almost 50 years ago!

Re: Invisalign since June 26th...

Posted: Sat Aug 25, 2018 3:01 pm
by Speck
I suspect whether one has bracket-style braces or plastic aligners, discomfort, inconvenience, etc., throughout the treatment process is to be expected.

Between the sucky feeling of aligners top and bottom and having to take daily a antihistamine for upper respiratory irritation that came at the start of treatment, I'm wondering if bracket-style braces might've been a better choice?

Guess I'll never know.

Re: Invisalign since June 26th...

Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2018 5:37 pm
by Speck
Howdy. First progress appointment today and I asked the ortho about the chances of treatment entering into refinement stages and the answer was, basically, yes. So it looks as though treatment will last around the originally projected 18-24 months. That means aligners in/out, flossing and brushing 4x/day for another 15+ to 21+ months. When I signed up for this I really didn't fully grasp the degree to which treatment would profoundly complicate life. Ugh.

Re: Invisalign since June 26th...

Posted: Wed Sep 12, 2018 6:32 am
by liner
hey speck

stay positive as there is an end in site!
I am off to get my buttons and attachments off and retainer fixed today.
I started the process March 30/17!
All worth it.
Tonight, I have an appointment with my dentist for teeth whitening as I figure that is my treat after all these months.
I don't even know what it will be like not having the aligners in my mouth since they were basically a part of my every day living.
It will be weird, but don't think I will miss them!

Re: Invisalign since June 26th...

Posted: Wed Sep 12, 2018 3:19 pm
by Speck
liner wrote: Wed Sep 12, 2018 6:32 am hey speck

stay positive as there is an end in site!
I am off to get my buttons and attachments off and retainer fixed today.
I started the process March 30/17!
All worth it.
Thank you, yes, best to focus on the prize, so to speak. I was feeling discouraged yesterday after the appointment 'cause I had my hopes up (having repeatedly seen the ClinCheck vid the ortho provided) that treatment would be done after the first set of 48 aligners. I now know that not to be the case and, in addition, the first in the latest set of aligners raised the pain/discomfort to a level that exceeds anything I experienced in the first 11 aligner trays. I have read posts on this board about surgeries, treatments, etc., that sound truly miserable. So, I really shouldn't whine. :oops:

Anyway, woe is me. :lol:

And again, thanks for the kind words and congrats on finishing treatment! :)

Re: Invisalign since June 26th...

Posted: Sat Nov 24, 2018 2:27 pm
by Speck
Picked up a nasty bug and have been suffering from an upper respiratory infection since Nov. 4th. Hands quite intrusively in/out of mouth 8-10 times/day might not be the best thing, and especially during the cold and flu season. Another element to consider when making the decision to go with either Invisalign or regular braces.

Re: Invisalign since June 26th...

Posted: Wed Dec 05, 2018 5:37 pm
by Speck
Today, top and bottom molars banded, brackets and arch wire on lower teeth. Decided to wait on upper teeth until after the New Year and will have brackets and arch wire done the second week of January. I’d prefer ceramic on top but they cost an extra $400.00. I’m glad to be through with aligners and have treatment time reduced.

Re: Invisalign since June 26th...

Posted: Thu Dec 06, 2018 7:09 pm
by Speck
So far I've learned that eating bacon is not the best idea. Grilled cheese is also interesting but certainly not as painful to chew. And potato chips. Thirty hours into it and molars no longer come together. How fun! Oh, and the inside of my lower lip is massively irritated. And a little spring affair is the reason. Time to cover that rascal with wax! I'm sure this stuff is nothing new to most folks here. I swear I'm not complaining.
Spring affair.jpg