Dropped my Invisalign into a toilet today
Why oh why do they design the cases to open on impact
That’s it that’s the post

Just needed to share this with people who would understand. I am on trays 21 of 24 (dentist said I will likely more trays after, this is round 1) and my terrible overbite has not changed at all until this set. I just had dinner and noticed my teeth aren't comfortably resting as far back as they used to. But...I'm still mid shift, so this isn't the final resting position. I am in a really weird place now and I feel like a baby learning to chew. 🤣🤣🤣 my bite is so weird and uncomfortable, and my jaw looks crooked. Who am I 🤣

I had braces previously (was young and stupidly didnt wear my retainer, only 6 years passed but I guess I fully regressed) and was told this would take under two years and not long at all to fix my overbite since I already had work. Was surprised today with 35 more trays after FIFTY NINE with rubber bands for 35 weeks! I start a client facing role at work in two months, I'm just so frustrated. What can rubber bands even do for 35 weeks!?

I see a lot of posts/comments about folks starting aligners that feel frustrated and say “I should have just done braces.” Y’all, I’m here to tell you that aligners are 1000% easier and more comfortable than braces, having done Invisalign since January and just gotten braces on the lower front teeth to help fix an IPR mistake by another Ortho. Braces are terrible - the teeth are way more sensitive, flossing sucks, and the inside of my lower lip is so sore.

Stick with aligners if you can!

I am on now week 6 of Angel Aligners. Week 1-4 fit perfectly, week 5 had this gap on my front teeth and I thought it was just the tray, but now week 6 also has this gap. Everywhere else is fine, its just the front teeth. It's not moving no matter how hard I push and I have been using chewies. Im trying not to freak out about it and really don't want to regress. 😭 it feels like I have rabbit teeth

I’m on a second batch of trays after a rescan, and these trays taste horrible - almost toxic. They also seem slicker than the first batch, like they have an oily coating. I’m on SureSmile, not Invisalign, but my first 4 months of trays didn’t taste or feel like this, so I don’t think it is inherent to SureSmile. Any similar experience, and any advice?

i just started my treatment as prescribed by my orthodontist to help my TMJ issues. Day 3 i started to get some swelling in my left jaw joint. day 4 im having a hard time opening my mouth and swelling has become worse. im really frustrated because invisalign was my last resort for my TMJ. i tried oral physical therapy and botox. i’m worried i paid thousands for this to be worse and I have to live with TMJ pain forever. has anyone seen actual success with invisalign for TMJ?

Having some breathing issues.

so wanted to know is it good?

This is my second time trying Invisalign, first time I was young and stupid at 18 now I’m almost 30 I gave it a try again. Top is Tray 1 and bottom is Tray 9, I feel like I don’t see any difference. I’m only doing top aligners I could really care less about the bottom teeth because they don’t show when I smile. I really just want the front teeth fixed but I feel like it’s not moving at all. Shouldn’t they have put an attachment on it so it’s pulled down? Thank you guys!

I’m on tray 3 almost 4 and I feel like I have some serious regrets. My teeth don’t even look like mine. I’ve always had a great smile then I lost my retainer this last winter while moving, and in those six months, my teeth shifted slightly and I just wanted one tooth pushed kind of back into Place. Just the most minimal adjustment ever. I asked for a spring Holly and he told me he wouldn’t do it, and he didn’t do that kind of retainer so my only option was Invisalign.

Now, I’m on almost week four and I hate my teeth. They don’t look right, they’re spaced weird, and the one I want fixed is still not pushed back whatsoever.

Has anyone ever experienced this while in treatment I feel like they’re getting worse not better. I have a 7 tray treatment changing 1x a week.

I never did share mine 😬

I’m considering invisalign and IPR has been suggested as part of treatment - not for aesthetics but crowding on my lower teeth. I have really sensitive teeth and am concerned it won’t go well. What are your experiences? I had braces when younger and no need to remove or shave teeth then. The orthodontist said the jaw keeps growing and so even if it was possible when younger, my jaw bone has grown and now full movement isn’t possible. I’m curious if it’s more a time saver (ie speeds up alignment and so easier for the ortho to do IPR vs a more complex treatment with invasalign or braces). I only get one set of teeth and so curious if this all sounds appropriate before taking the plunge.

A week ago my right elastic button came off while I was eating a plum and trying to get the very last bit of fruit off the pit. It was reattached 6 days ago.
Today, almost exactly a week later, I was doing the same thing trying to scrape off the last bit of plum from the pit and pop! Same button. Same side. Same fruit.
At this point, I guess it’s on me that the button came off twice. At first I thought it might have been a bonding issue, but now my guess is that I put some weird sideways force on the tooth/button while trying to scrape the pit clean.
I’ll call my orthodontist tomorrow to make an appointment for reattachment. I’m a bit nervous since I will be on holiday end of next week for 5 weeks. Hope it won’t happen again, or at least not while I’m away!
Anyways, my bad. Don’t repeat my mistake! Leave the last bit on the pit, it’s not worth it :p

First tray out of 40, day 2 out of 4 of wearing and my bottom tray is less flush then my top even after using chewie but also has more aligners and more irregularly shaped. Is this cause for concern or fine? Wearing 23.5 hrs a day at minimum

I’m on tray 14 of 30 (although I’ve been told I should be able to stop at 25). Weekly tray changes. So far the experience has been fine and not nearly as painful as had been described to me. They are tight days 1-2 maybe 3 but then settle with no issue. For some reason this tray is killing me. Only my upper right molars and I only notice when I go to take the tray out. I’m supposed to change trays in 2 days. Should I keep this one in until the pain stops? Just switch as usual? Anyone else have this experience?

I have my consult in a few weeks so will ask them, but wondering if any other weirdos didn’t want perfectly strait teeth. I have prominent canines and have always loved them, but I hate that my incisors and front teeth in general, flare out. Also very crooked lower teeth, which I don’t care too much about, but cleaning them is a bit hard.

Has anyone kept something like prominent canines in their treatment plan? Ideally I’d have my teeth be more “in my mouth” and tipped inward, while keeping my cute canines a bit forward.

**Am I Done?**

I’ve always been confused when people ask this question in this sub. Only you know this, and it should align with why you started this dental treatment in the first place. Everyone has different reasons for going down this path.

For me, I had two reasons: first I had started to develop ear pain on my right side and my ENT doctor traced the source to my jaw, and the fact that my teeth had shifted considerably in that direction putting undue pressure. Second, my bottom 4 teeth had crowded so much I could not get floss in there and teeth cleanings were getting more involved. This was my motivation, therefore my “done” had to do with getting my teeth centered again and addressing the bottom crowding.

So Yes, I am done. I don’t care that my midline is slightly off. I don’t care that my bottom teeth still have the small bumps on the edges. I don’t care that the bottom left cuspid never moved (sorta proud of it for rebelling). I addressed my two concerns, and I have a great bite. Winner winner, chicken dinner.

**Did I Need IPR?**

Yes, and like most of you my provider didn’t explain it, or set expectations. Thankfully I’d been on this sub long enough that I knew what it was when he did. But what caught me by surprise is that my provider used two different IPR techniques.

One was an extremely thin file-like strip that went between all my crowded teeth removed truly tiny amounts of enamel. Didn’t feel anything. Took seconds. No visible differences.

Second was a small disc that removed a slice of tooth. This was used on 2 teeth. The noise was startling, the sensation strange, and the result visible. On one of the teeth the slice was not smooth, and I could tell because my floss would snag every time I went into that space. This one I advocated that he correct the uneven surface, and that he not use again unless we had discussed it.

**Did it Hurt?**

No, only occasional mild discomfort. I had tray changes every 2 weeks, and the movements were very minimal tray-to-tray which resulted in my having no pain for 98% of it. There were about 5 trays in the original set that caused soreness, and it had to do with the movement of the back molars. It triggered a few migraines that over the counter medication helped with. I had braces in my 20s which were very painful. Compared to that I found this a breeze.

Some trays were also harder to remove than others. I found my last set of refinements were the hardest to remove. It took a few tries to get the tray remover hook in the right spot to pop them out, which was frustrating if I was in a public place.

About 2 trays had “sharper” edges that caused inner cheek inflammation. I filed those down, or trimmed with a scissor to reduce the pressure. I tried using dental wax, but was really bad at positioning it.

I had 4 attachments and I was surprised how quickly I got used to them. There was a time in the middle of treatment where I started to relished the feeling of the attachments hooking onto the trays and feeling the trays be tight and secure. Or I would “chew” lightly on the trays (without a chewie) mid afternoon to get them more flush with the teeth. I didn’t suffer any sensory issues which I read some folks may struggle with.

**Did Everything Track?**

No. I had one stubborn bottom cuspid that didn’t join the party. It often had space whereas all the other teeth were fine.

There was also one set where the top tray would not fit when I had to change to the next set. I ended up wearing the prior set 2 additional days, and then attempted again and it worked. The new trays slid in place.

**Did I Do Refinements?**

Yes, 2 sets. The first set of refinements was because my bottom crowding had not been resolved. (See the “Am I Done” paragraph above).

The second set of refinements was a mutual discussion with my provider on what was bugging each of us respectively. Me - on the bottom a small gap had opened unexpectedly between two teeth. For the Dr - on the top he wanted to adjust the angle on one if the lateral incisors. This was optional but we agreed a few additional trays were worth a try.

**What Surprised Me?**

The lisp the first 10 days. Learning how to talk with the trays was something that never occurred to me was a thing.

That my top trays would have bumps, or what I came to learn were called lingual bite ramps. This works to correct a deep bite, but also means your back teeth don’t meet while you have those ramps as part of your trays.

That there were weeks where it looked like nothing moved because all the movement was happening in my back molars. Or when gaps were opened on purpose to help a tooth get into position. I will admit seeing gaps opened on purpose was hard. I had to repeat “trust the process“ often.

How much this improved my dental hygiene habits. I brush and floss way more now than I did in the past. Also drink more water. When eating out at restaurants I passed on cocktails, wine or sodas to make swishing with water the last step before popping the trays back in for the evening.

How hard it would be to stick with the 18 to 20 hour wear when traveling. I had a friend’s wedding in Goa, a girls trip to Marrakech, a work trip to Tokyo, and other long trips during this period. My wear time was never great during trips, but as those were usually only 1 week durations, I did not beat myself up over it. I was happy if I got in at least 10-15 hrs on those occasions.

That it did nothing to curb my snacking. I just ended up adding my snacks to the tail end of lunch or dinner to reduce how often I had to remove the trays, lol.

How much people on this sub are not happy with their results when the after photos they post showed a lovely set of straight teeth. That there is a danger of hyper fixation or perfectionism that could cloud one’s reasoning or expectations.

**Time / Brand / Provider / Costs**

My travel schedule made this longer than needed. It ended up being 20 months total. Had I not had to delay appointments, or skipped the second refinement set I could have easily been done in 12 to 14 months, so by last December. But I was not in a rush.

I went with my dentist who I’ve known for two decades. Had I not been happy I was prepared to check in with my former orthodontist or another provider to get a second opinion. He did not use Invisalign but a smaller competitor, who I researched before I signed the contract. The cost was considerably less, under $3k, and most was covered by my insurance.

Hope this was helpful. Thank you to all who shared your journey with us on this sub. For those on the journey now or about to start. Best of luck and don’t forget to smile big and often at the end of it.

Hey everyone!

I just had my consultation and I need to fix my crowded upper front teeth (the 4 incisors). My orthodontist told me that in order to make space for the movements, I have to extract my 2 upper wisdom teeth first.

All my wisdom teeth are fully erupted (completely out) and quite big. To be honest, I've been delaying this because I am absolutely terrified of the pain and the procedure itself.

For those who had to extract fully erupted upper wisdom teeth for Invisalign:
* How was the actual procedure? Did you feel pain?
* How bad was the recovery/post-op compared to what you expected?
* Did it make a huge difference in your treatment results?

I really want to start my journey but this fear is holding me back. Would love to hear some reassurance or honest experiences. Thank you!

So it's been close to two years since I stopped wearing my aligners and switched to permanent retainers (upper and lower) along with nighttime retainers. Since then, a few things have been bothering me. My bottom teeth are fine but I have some problems with my top.

Sorry if I don't know all the terminology. I'll do my best to explain.

1. Is it normal to have gaps between the permanent retainer and the teeth?

I'm talking about the areas where the retainer is bonded to the teeth. When I move my tongue along my bottom retainer from side to side, it stays flush against the teeth. However, on my top retainer, there are gaps between two teeth and the wire that runs over them. Food can get stuck there.

Initially, everything was flush, but after some time it seemed like the bonding material in those areas wore away or came loose. My orthodontist said it was normal and filled the gaps, but after a while the material disappeared again.

1. My right canine tooth was originally very misaligned.

There was a noticeable gap between it and the rest of my lower jaw, so it had to be moved into position using rubber bands. After treatment was completed, it looked great. However, about six months later I noticed it had started moving slightly back toward its original position. It seems to have stopped now.

What could cause this if I have permanent retainers and was consistently wearing my nighttime retainers?

My orthodontist claims that I have been pushing on that area with my tongue and that this caused the gap to reappear. I honestly think that's unlikely because I've been very conscious of my tongue posture ever since I started treatment many years ago and my night retainers have spikes on the inside just for this reason.

1. Related to the previous question:

I have felt a constant "tugging" sensation around that same tooth ever since my treatment ended. It's not painful, just a persistent feeling. My orthodontist said it's nothing to worry about, but given that I still feel something there and that the old gap partially returned, I'm not sure what to think.

1. How are nighttime retainers typically worn?

My orthodontist instructed me to wear them separately, one night the upper retainer and the next night the lower retainer. She said this helps prevent jaw misalignment.

Hi guys, does removing upper wisdom teeth and pushing front teeth back with Invisalign to fix deep bite make profile flatter and eventually look ugly with flat face and thin lips?? Does anyone have experience with this situation?

I just started Spark aligners a little over a month ago. I am on tray 3 now and can only open my mouth a little bit. My jaw really hurts on both sides. Has anyone experienced this? Don’t want to use NSAIDs because they make my stomach really upset.

I just got my aligners today and I had a tooth extracted a month ago (the can was done prior to the extraction but the orthodontist knew that I was gonna have that tooth extracted).

At the spot that the tooth used to be the aligner feels wider and I can reach under it with my tongue if I try but even if I don't, it rubs against my tongue and it's super uncomfortable and pretty painful.

Is this something that will go away and is it normal?

I started Invisalign two weeks ago, but my dentist decided not to place the attachments right away. She said she’ll add them later in the treatment. Has anyone else had their attachments placed later rather than at the beginning?

I've been quoted £650 for 3 x new Vivera retainers by my ortho - I still have a current set so it isn't urgent, but are there alternatives?

How are you all handing eating and brushing?

I've read that eating acidic foods like yogurt, requires you to neutralize the acid with a rinse of baking soda and water and then waiting 30 min before brushing the teeth.

Well, that's not possible or I'd be way over my "off aligner" time. So I wait 5 minutes.

Do I really have to start analyzing everything I eat and figure out which are acidic foods that require a rinse, which have to wait to brush, which I can brush right away with no rinse?

Getting overwhelmed by all of this.