So far not so good :(

Message

#1 Post by **djrobsd** » Sat Jun 07, 2008 10:36 pm

6 days of a nonstop headache... Fatigue... Basically I come home from work and sleep. I can't take ibuprofin or any other related drugs (Asprin, Aleave, etc) because I'm alergic, so I am forced to take Tylenol and it doesn't work for this type of problem.

So, today at lunch I slammed down a couple glasses of wine and that took the pain away for 3 hours. It was beautiful, but I can't live life like that obviously.

I have a meeting with my dentist at 1:30 on Monday. I know this takes some patience, but I feel like this has taken over my life and I want my life back, not my teeth straightened now.

Oh I got a mouthfull of canker sores too from the little butons... What great fun!

On a more positive note, I can pretty much get them out without any problems now... I still have to pull pretty hard, but i've figured out the best ways to yank em now.

Thank god tomorrow is not a work day so I can drink more wine if i need to.

#2 Post by **Luella** » Sun Jun 08, 2008 9:08 am

Will they give you some kind of prescription for pain? I like darvocet- I can still work when I'm taking it too, it doesn't make me dizzy or sleepy or anything. I hope you feel better! And really, truly, honestly, hydration makes a huge difference! I can tell if I've had enough to drink or not depending on how badly my cheeks are clinging to my wires!!!

#3 Post by **samus82** » Sun Jun 08, 2008 11:43 am

The buttons become smooth with the trays on so it sounds like you are taking them in and out too much.

You really need to leave them in as much as possible, 22 hours a day.

#4 Post by **avl** » Sun Jun 08, 2008 8:09 pm

my buttons gave me some cuts at first, mostly from eating- but they got much better. other than that im sorry i cant help more- i never had any really bad issues.

#5 Post by **John37** » Mon Jun 09, 2008 9:55 am

I'm surprised the buttons are causing problems. But your mouth should develop callouses and that problem should go away.

I also wonder if you are biting down a lot with the trays in. I usually don't but if I do, my teeth will hurt more.

Try to stick it out. It should get better. I never need painkillers.

#6 Post by **jojomogo** » Mon Jun 09, 2008 11:53 pm

I had a lot of pain the first day with new trays, but six days is a lot. I'm curious what your doc said. Some suggestions: Try not to take them out a lot that first day and not to chew on anything tough (steak) or hard (carrots). Protein powder with milk, some yogurt, a banana whipped up in a blender is a good meal substitute and yummy. Designer Whey is my favorite. My dentist suggested putting new trays in at night to avoid the pain, but that doesn't sound like it would work for you. And yanking them out is going to hurt those buttons too. My technique was lift the tray from the back and then sort of peel them off to avoid putting pressure on the buttons. I really hated those things. If you can't take pain pills, I wonder if you could try muscle relaxers (by perscription), which could help with the pain. Anyway, I hope your doctor was able to help you. I hope things work out for you.

#7 Post by **teacher61** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 9:19 am

There must be some other underlying cause of this pain. I didn't feel any pain after about an hour. As a matter of fact I wish that I would feel more pressure to assure me that they are indeed doing something. I leave them in about 23 hours and 15 min. a day with no problem. I am not a big snacker anyway.

#8 Post by **John37** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 6:04 pm

The clincheck may not have had your teeth exactly where they actually are, so the first set may be a little tight on all the teeth. But going into the second set they may fit better, and only the teeth that are supposed to be moving should hurt. Do all of your teeth hurt or just the front ones that are moving?

#9 Post by **John37** » Wed Jun 11, 2008 5:47 pm

Meryaten wrote:OK, how do you make that out? If the Clincheck is not an accurate reflection of your starting point, then the whole basis for treatment is flawed. However, even the first tray will represent an incremental movement from the starting point for the teeth (or it would be pointless, right?)

I'd not be surprised though if the first tray tended to be more uncomfy than later trays, at least for some people, since the teeth have not started moving yet before you put on that initial tray. For subsequent trays, your teeth should already be on the move.

Let me try to explain better what I meant. In djrobsd's case, the clincheck movies he posted only had teeth closer to the front moving, so the back teeth shouldn't move at all throughout the treatment. But if the clincheck had the molars off by just a little, like 0.1 mm, compared to each other, then on the first set of aligners, the molars would move just a little. From then on, the molars wouldn't move any more because the later aligners would all be the same as the first aligner. Teeth that shouldn't move during the treatment may actually move an indiscernible amount on the first set and cause pain.

I'm not completely confident in my theory. All I know is that during my first set, all of my teeth were a little sore even though only some of the teeth were moving. So maybe it's just that having the aligners pressing on all the teeth makes them sore, before the teeth get used to it. We'll have to wait and see if djrobsd starts feeling better and if the 2nd set feels better.

#10 Post by **John37** » Thu Jun 12, 2008 12:28 pm

Meryaten wrote:I still say that if the system doesn't know exactly where your teeth are to begin with, then it's off to a poor start.

I depends on how exact exactly is. Is that to within 1mm, 0.1mm or 0.01mm? As long as the first set of aligners fit, it's more important where the teeth end up at the end.

#11 Post by **mcawful** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 9:26 am

I agree with John37. I think even wiggling of the original, unset molds during the molding process could make a difference of something minute like 0.1 mm, which probably wouldn't be much to worry about, but might be enough to cause some pain.

I think it's important to note that most users of this messageboard, myself included, are speculators, and shouldn't masquerade as dental professionals, replying to every single post (Meryaten). Don't let yourself be misguided by this forum - it's user-advice only. If you really feel something is wrong, it's best to contact your orthodontist.

That said, one opinion is as valid as the rest. Unless you're a dental professional, no one should have to "argue".

#12 Post by **Lilypad** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 2:18 pm

hmmmmm, where did my popcorn go????? But, seriously folks, when I was in tears who was it that came to my aid? Meryaten, she ALWAYS helps us with her suggestions. And thats just what they are. SUGGESTIONS. Read her story sometime and you might just decide she does qualify as a professional, (educated by experience). LOL

#13 Post by **Lilypad** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 6:34 pm

Oh, and btw, mine did not fit perfectly through my whole treatment. The left side was way off on the top, It kinda bowed out over the molars. I'm sure this was probably caused when I gagged during the impressions. But my ortho looked at at and said it wouldn't matter since we weren't moving any of those teeth. It sure did a number on my tongue for the first month though. It was cut and sore until it figured out to STAY AWAY from it. LOL Just remember the first month is the toughest, just having something in your mough is bad enough. Then there are the sores, the tooth pain and the hunger. Losing 25 pounds in 10 months was quite a plus for me. It was all worth it for me in the long run. Now I' a skinnier old broad with a pretty smile!

#14 Post by **John37** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 10:53 pm

I was just throwing out a theory. Part of it was based on what my dentist told me. At one point he did a small IPR on one tooth even though the plan didn't call for it. He said the clincheck isn't exact and can be off by a fraction of a millimeter. So a tooth that is supposed to slide past another tooth may turn out to not quite have enough clearance to slide past. They always run dental floss around my teeth that are moving to check the clearance. I actually didn't believe the clincheck could be off by that much and I didn't want the IPR. I wanted to see what would happen if we just proceeded, but the dentist insisted on doing a very small amount of IPR.

#15 Post by **John37** » Sat Jun 14, 2008 2:19 pm

Meryaten wrote:AHA!!! That's exactly what it was I was worried about - teeth not being able to move in the predicted way because of such errors! It frightens me about the whole thing, a bit, to be honest. Your doc knew what he was doing so could accomodate with IPR that was unplanned for by Align, but I wonder if this doesn't lead to trouble where docs have less experience. But that's what I meant by it messing the basis for treatment.

Thank you.

I thought there was enough room because the teeth are supposed to be right next to each other (based on the clincheck movie), but the dentist didn't want to take the chance of the tooth not being able to move past and messing things up. I wouldn't have minded taking the chance and seeing what happened as I am scared I'll have a small gap now at the end. But he assured me that he was only taking off a very small amount, not as much as a planned IPR to create room. So I don't think there will end up being a gap.

But you are right, too much error can't be good. I guess the error is small enough to not be a problem most of the time.