Tongue issues and wax availability in US?

[hpaunet]

Hi,
I'm on the second day of invisalign, and I'm very pleased so far. My top tray is fine. I'm amazed when I got home, my husband suddenly asked me after a couple of hours 'did you go to the dentist as planned'. I told him I was wearing the braces and he was very impressed.

Anyway, my bottom tray has a rough edge that cuts into the underside of my tongue. When sitting quietly and sleeping, it's not an issue. But when I talk or sometimes when I swallow, my tongue feels like it's getting cut and is getting more and more tender.

I've read people have had issues with their cheeks, but haven't seen about the tongue.

I did try filing it a little bit, and this helped somewhat, but it's still rather painful. I think it might even need a little snip.

Would wax help? From what I've read on here, wax would go over sharp spots that need some relief. This sounds like it would work for me. My dentist is closed until Monday now ... so wondering if those of you who are in the US know if I can buy this from somewhere and what exactly I should ask for.

If I find I can't keep the lower one in over the weekend due to the pain of the tongue, is it reasonable for me to take it out apart from for sleeping until I see my dentist?

Thanks,
Harriet

[Zoso]

I've certainly heard of people using wax on Invisalign in situations like this - not sure how easy it is to get it to stay put though, especially where you describe the problem as being. But it's worth a go.

You should be able to buy wax at either the grocery store or the drug store - just head up the dental hygiene aisle and look for dental wax. It is usually sold in little packages about 1 x 1.5 inch in size, usually blister-packed onto a cardboard backing, in case that helps you see what to look for. Various brands are on the market and all are fine. There's also another brand I've seen in drugstores that has a larger sized pack with individual blister pop-outs that are small individual blobs.

[hpaunet]

Thanks Zoso. I did find the wax in my local supermarket, and it was great. It gave me relief for approximately 3 seconds (a very nice 3 seconds). However, as you eluded to, there's no way for the wax to actually stay in place.

Does anyone know of anything like wax that exists ... something I can mold and put as a barrier between the edge of the invisalign tray and my tongue? I'm thinking plasticine at the moment, but not sure that would stay either and probably isn't meant to be in the mouth.

Harriet

[Zoso]

I've heard sugar-free gum suggested as an emergency measure in the absence of wax, and it can sometimes work better than wax for poking wires, as it seems to stay put a little better, and the wires don't break through. Of course, you'd want the stuff that is OK to chew with dental work - and since it is deemed OK as it won't stick too much, it may not behave as we're hoping. But for the price of a couple of sticks of gum, it may be worth a try.

[Coop22]

You should go over your aligners each time you change to a new set and file down the sharp edges with a finger nail file. I had read about it before I started the treatment and my ortho also told me to do this when I first got fitted with the trays. I know I couldn't have made it through my first set without filing down some sharp edges. Hope this helps you!

[Zoso]

Coop, that's great advice, but in this case she already did try filing.

[Sunny]

Hpaunet ... try some more filing ... just a little at a time and hopefully as your mouth heals you'll find your comfort level improves.

We advise our invisalign clients to use wax ... plenty of it, as wax doesn't stay on the aligners easily.

Good luck ... but if the aligner is still feeling rough, please give your ortho a call and hopefully they'll do some more filing for you.

[marajade]

Harriet,
I would agree with Sunny, try a little more filing. My ortho suggested this for me and it works, you just have to do a little bit at a time. I used the softer side of a brand new cardboard file (not a metal one) and eventually I got it right. I trays 10-14 of mine were all very sharp on the inside at the back so don't be surprised if you have the same trouble with the next few.

[hpaunet]

Thanks for the suggestions - I really appreciate it.

I finally managed to figure out how to get the wax to stay in the areas that were causing the trouble, so I'm using this as an interim until I can see my ortho again.
Even though I have no metal - these are invisaligns, the wax will stay put quite nicely once molded and pressed between the aligners and the gums.

I'll ask my ortho if he can file some for me ... it's in a funny area for me to file myself, and whilst I have tried filing, hopefully he could do a better job.

For now, I can manage - it's a bit annoying that everytime I put them back in, I have to play with the wax for a few minutes - but at least now I'm wearing them.

[Sunny]

That's great news and hopefully your ortho will show you how to do the filing, so that you will be able to do any future 'smoothing' yourself.

Wax appears to be a great help to people having all types of orthodontic treatment!

Good luck!

[myhollywoodsmile]

Hi there,

For my first two sets I simply couldn't have worn them without filing them. They dig into part of my mouth, so I had several goes at filing them until they no longer hurt. On my next visit I then got my ortho to file all the other sets so that I wouldn't have to do it again, and they are now perfect.

My orthodontist told me that they really shouldn't hurt. Maybe you should gove your a call and see whether you can nip down there and get them filed. The wax business sounds like a bit of an unnecessary pain, as it will only take 2 minutes for your ortho to file them.

Anyway, hope they feel better soon.