I'm not happy.

[SkyIsTheLimit]

Bottom line is so far my Invisalign hasn't made any difference in my bite. I've been wearing aligners for about 6 months. My teeth were already straight--the reason I had to get braces is because I developed an edge to edge bite and it effected my speech. Like I said I've been wearing the aligners for 6 months with zero change. I am not happy. I still have an edge to edge bite and a speech problem. I feel ripped off and like I've gotten screwed over. I don't have 5,000 dollars to waste and I've been through so much with this bite that I just finally want it fixed. I don't know if I'm jumping the gun or not, but I have little hope that Invisalign will be able to fix my edge to edge bite if it hasn't made any changes yet. I don't know where to go from here and what my options are. I don't want to spend two years in traditional braces. I also don't know if my orthodontist will cooperate and listen to my feelings about treatment. I don't have another 6 months to waste in these aligners if they aren't going to do the job. I also don't want my money wasted. What should I do? If anyone out there has an edge to edge bite, what corrected it? What worked for you?

[Zoso]

How far into your treatment are you? Six months would be about 12 or so trays, but how many are in your full treatment series? Have you looked at your Clincheck? This might be able to provide you with an idea of how far into treatment you should see changes to this bite issue that is troubling you. Also, has your ortho explicitly said that this is to be corrected with the aligners alone, or are there perhaps also elastics in your future? For that matter, going into this, was your ortho clear that fixing the end to end bite was your major goal?

My advice to you would be to sit down and discuss your concerns with your orthodontist. Ask him explicitly when you should expect to see improvements in correcting that end to end bite. You could leave this til your next scheduled appointment, but it may be better to set up a special "consultation" type appointment to discuss. Alternately, if you are nervous about this approach, you could also try an email, or a letter to your ortho to ask about your concerns.

Please don't give up heart on this without at first verifying what is planned, and what your orthodontist expects from your treatment. Remember too that a Full Invisalign treatment can often also include refinements.

[SkyIsTheLimit]

Thanks for the helpful reply. I am going to set up an appointment with him to discuss everything. Here's to hoping that he'll listen and has a plan. Do you think it's possible for an edge to edge bite to be fixed with Invisalign? Also, is refinement the same thing as reproximation?

[Zoso]

No - refinement is a new series of trays, starting with a fresh set of impressions that are made, usually at the very end of the last of the original series of trays. Usually a refinement will involve fewer trays, though I've heard of at least one person who ended up getting a refinement series that was almost as long as his original treatment. Reproximation (you've probably seen it referred to on these boards also as IPR - Interproximal Reduction - or even as slenderising) is, of course, when the orthodontist removes a small amount of enamel from between the teeth to help make a little extra space.

As to whether it is fixable with Invisalign, I would guess so (but I am not a dental professional). I don't know if your orthodontist/the treatment plan is relying on it being corrected as a side-effect of tweaking the shape, and perhaps in particular the width of the arches, or if (as I mentioned above) elastics might be included in treatment at some point, in order to change the relationship between the two arches, by pulling the lower arch back just a little in relationship to the upper.

Good luck - I hope the chat goes well.

[Sunny]

I hope your appointment with your ortho goes well and you find out how and when using invisalign will correct your bite.

I had an edge to edge bite, with other issues (crowding, gaps, impacted upper right canine etc) and was turned down for invisalign. My bite did become worse (class III) in the early months of having traditional braces, due to having lower teeth straightened and rotated, but now my bite is a class I on one side, which is fantastic.

It's wonderful not to have a totally edge to edge bite now, and I hope you achieve this soon!

[SkyIsTheLimit]

Sunny how long are you going to have braces on?

[SkyIsTheLimit]

No - refinement is a new series of trays, starting with a fresh set of impressions that are made, usually at the very end of the last of the original series of trays. Usually a refinement will involve fewer trays, though I've heard of at least one person who ended up getting a refinement series that was almost as long as his original treatment. Reproximation (you've probably seen it referred to on these boards also as IPR - Interproximal Reduction - or even as slenderising) is, of course, when the orthodontist removes a small amount of enamel from between the teeth to help make a little extra space.

As to whether it is fixable with Invisalign, I would guess so (but I am not a dental professional). I don't know if your orthodontist/the treatment plan is relying on it being corrected as a side-effect of tweaking the shape, and perhaps in particular the width of the arches, or if (as I mentioned above) elastics might be included in treatment at some point, in order to change the relationship between the two arches, by pulling the lower arch back just a little in relationship to the upper.

Good luck - I hope the chat goes well.

Elastics involve tradional braces right? I guess there's no easy way out of this. Thanks for all your help. I really appreciate it.

[Zoso]

Not necessarily. Elastics can be used with Invisalign too, though usually it involves a small attachment (not much bigger than the ones routinely used with Invisalign) being added to the teeth involved. I get the impression, mind you, that it might be an advanced technique that might not necessarily be employed by all Invisalign providers.

[Sunny]

Sunny how long are you going to have braces on?

I'm now over the three year mark due to my impacted canine not coming down, and my treatment plan having to be changed to close the gap. Closing a gap like that (when the tooth is still attached to the bone, that the movement has to go through), is a long process, but one that my ortho and OS considered worthwhile. I've had no pain and minimal discomfort with braces and eat all the foods I ate before braces ... so the only inconvenience for me has been a little extra time once or twice a day spent cleaning my teeth. Of course there's a plus to that, in that my oral hygiene is the best it's ever been.

Elastics are can be used with invisalign and usually play a role in correcting an edge to edge bite.

Talk to your ortho and hopefully there'll be an easy solution!

[Zoso]

I'm now over the three year mark due to my impacted canine not coming down, and my treatment plan having to be changed to close the gap.

I thought you said something in your blog about not being able to bring down the canine as early as just three or four months into treatment? (Second adjustment) Not too much time lost really, and at least you didn't have to go through the discomfort of having it exposed and a chain attached.

[Sunny]

I'm impressed that you follow my blog so closely ... thanks for your interest!

That could have been about the time my OS made this recommendation, I'm not real sure ... what has slowed my progress, is the movement of teeth through bone, especially bone that also has an impacted tooth attached to it. Having a tooth exposed is considered to be a far better option, but unfortunately it's not suitable for everyone.

[Zoso]

Yes, exposing the tooth and bringing it into the arch would certainly be preferable if viable. The canines, in particular, have a special role in the bite, after all. But, as you say, it's not always possible. In a way you're lucky that this was apparent so very early on for you, rather than having to go through months trying to bring down the canine, only to end up failing, as has happened to others.

[SkyIsTheLimit]

Thanks again everyone for the informative responses. I called the office today and got a lot of my questions answered. Appears that I am probably jumping the gun and expecting the teeth to move faster than they do and should.

[Zoso]

Glad you're feeling reassured.

[Sunny]

That's great news SkyIsTheLimit! Your ortho is always the best person to ask these questions of!