weird teeth stains

[girl on the bus]

ok so i'm about 3-4 weeks into treatment, and i've noticed my bottom teeth are getting stained.. like they look like honestly yellow teeth and the rim around the attachments are like a dark stain. has this happened to anyone? i have a bottom tooth that's pretty recessed and the darkest one. my top teeth are perfectly fine as if nothing happened, even the attachments dont have stains. why is it only my bottom teeth that are affected? is this a sign of someting serious?

[myhollywoodsmile]

Hmm, I don't know but definitely check with your ortho. Are you drinking a lot of coffee or red wine. Are you using a lot of flouride mouthwash?

Honestly, I have no idea as my teeth, so far, look cleaner than before my Invisalign, and I haven't read of anyone else here with this problem, so I would definitely call your ortho. Sorry I can't be more help. I'm sure it isn't anything serious, but always best to check.

Let us know what he says.

[Weeeyin]

I have only had one set of trays that were seriously discoloured after wearing them for a week, this was the only set where I was naughty and drank fizzy pop (Coke 7 Irn Bru) with them in. My teeth are looking exactly the same colour as they were when i started. I love starting a new fresh set as they're so clean and shiny.

[Coop22]

girl_on_the_bus,

I have started noticing the same thing and I have only had my attachments for about 3 1/2 weeks. I only drink one cup of coffee in the mornings and I drink a glass of tea at dinner, so I'm not sure if that's whats doing it. I figured I would ask at my next appointment, but unless my attachments fall off, I'm not going back any sooner to ask... lol.

Let me know if you find out anything.

[kezzakattami]

I'm finding a similar discolouring on my bottom canine tooth and the molar next to it. I noticed it on my 5th week into the treatment (Im on my 3rd tray, 6th week of Invisalign)

I religiously have not drank anything other than water with the trays in, I do have a cup of tea with each meal but I brush, floss and rinse with mouthwash before putting my (clean) trays back in.

I thought I was imagining it, and that they had always been that colour - I just hadnt noticed! But I was intrigued to see this thread. I will raise it with my dentist at my next appt....

[Sunny]

There's a definite possibility that it's the bonding that's holding the attachment to your teeth that's staining. This also happens with bracket braces, if all excess isn't carefully cleaned away. The attachments and your teeth won't stain, but the bonding may change colour due to the foods and liquids that come into contact with it.

Talk to your ortho's about these stains, so that they can be checked. Plus remember that although the staining may look horrible to you, most people don't look at your teeth, and rarely close enough to notice something like this.

[havingitdoneintheuk]

Yep I have the same on the bottom attachments. I only drink 2 cups of tea per day and am very concientious about cleaning, flossing, mouthwash etc. I got a set from the pharmacy with a tarter scraper thing and use that carefully to get the worst off. As its only the bottoms I'm not bothered

[MCOMarkhamOrthodontist]

I've seen this with our patients that smoke. It can also happen with those who drink dark beverages such as coffee, tea, or cola for prolonged periods of time. Bonding agent that has not been completely removed may also result in some staining. In addition, the colour of the attachment may not be the same as your tooth, and there may be a bit of shadowing around the resin.

Another reason for the discolouration is voids around the side of the attachments. If, for a variety of reasons, your template tray did not conform to your teeth precisely, the attachments would not be placed correctly against your teeth. Also, some materials tend to break down faster, leaving small spaces between the tooth and attachment that are difficult, if not impossible, to clean. The extent of this depends on the technique during placement and material used. Staining halos can appear around "white fillings" and attachments are basically a filling material left on the tooth.

We used to use a flowable resin because it was easy to handle during attachment placement but have gone back to a resin with a higher filler content so that it is less likely to breakdown. It may be prudent to have your orthodontist/dentist check the integrity and the fit of your attachments at the next visit.

[girl on the bus]

yay!! i'm glad i'm not the only one experiencing this. i do suspect the material they used to glue the attachments may not have fully been cleaned off, therefore being more porous to staining? i don't smoke, or even drink red wine with them in!! bad! i do how ever drink coffe/tea occassionaly but try to use a straw, so dont think it can be that.

i see my ortho in june, so i can ask then.

[myhollywoodsmile]

Hi girl on the bus,

I see you wrote that you see your ortho in June and just wondered how frequently you see him/her? I have appointments every 6 weeks and get three sets of aligners at each one- How frequently do you see yours? It's interesting how ortho's all do things differently

[girl on the bus]

i got 6 sets of aligners when i started march 5..so june should be about right. not sure if they will give me another 6 at that time or 3 so i go in more frequently.

[Weeeyin]

I see my ortho every 3 weeks and get 3 sets of trays each time. i've only 4 trays left to go for the bottom- so about 1 month left to go, bottom is looking great, top, well i cant see any movement yet which is a bit annoying but as i'e still 20 trays to go on top i'll keep plodding on.

[Coop22]

Wow Weeeyin, you only have to wear each set ONE week? My ortho schedules my appointments 7 - 8 weeks apart. I usually get stuck wearing some trays for 4 or 5 weeks while I wait for my next appointment. It's so odd that Invisalign is made in one country by the same company, yet the way ortho's choose to use it is so different.

[Punkin]

Wow Weeeyin, you only have to wear each set ONE week? My ortho schedules my appointments 7 - 8 weeks apart. I usually get stuck wearing some trays for 4 or 5 weeks while I wait for my next appointment. It's so odd that Invisalign is made in one country by the same company, yet the way ortho's choose to use it is so different.

I know Invisalign recommends a minimum of 10 -14 days per tray; I'm surprised that this particular ortho is only insisting on one week. I think, from what I've read, that it is bad for your teeth to do this; it can cause issues with roots and stuff.

I'm on a 2 week rotation, and my ortho gives me enough trays to make it to my next appointment on that cycle. I've worn some longer though, if they felt too tight when it was time to change.

[montues2006]

I started invisalign on March 3 and went to see my ortho again yesterday (3 weeks) for attachments (4 top, 3 bottom). I was advised to wear first tray for another week as it would be too tight if I begin 2nd tray immediately. He gave me 6 trays and will see him again in June for some IPR.

[Sunny]

Caldwell if the staining is due to excess bonding around the attachments that have been put on by an orthodontist, a person should not have their dentist remove this excess bonding without permission from their orthodontist.

It's great to have your teeth cleaned by your dentist or hygienist twice a year while having orthodontic treatment, but the person must be careful with orthodontic appliances.

[Zoso]

I certainly agree. My dentist would not touch anything pertaining to my braces. Your ortho should be willing to sort this out for you, free of charge.

[Coop22]

I know Invisalign recommends a minimum of 10 -14 days per tray; I'm surprised that this particular ortho is only insisting on one week. I think, from what I've read, that it is bad for your teeth to do this; it can cause issues with roots and stuff.

I'm on a 2 week rotation, and my ortho gives me enough trays to make it to my next appointment on that cycle. I've worn some longer though, if they felt too tight when it was time to change.

I called and asked if I could get another try so I didn't have to wear the last one they gave me for 4 weeks. They said they couldn't, but they moved up my appointment... so I guess it's a win for me. I'm going to take my scheduler with me the next time and do the math so they don't keep stretching my appointments out longer than my trays. Everything that I read before I got braces said that with Invisalign, you see the ortho less but I actually see mine more than my husband does and he has clear braces. I guess he's just overly cautious with the treatment, which I'm sure is a good thing.

[Sunny]

Coup our invisalign patients see their ortho a lot more frequently than those with traditional bracket braces. Patients with invisalign come in about every six weeks, whereas those with bracket braces have appointments that vary between 4 weeks and 12+ weeks, with the majority being 8-12 weeks.

With bracket braces, the archwire continues to work for months and months and months. With invisalign, the aligner has a limited work period.

It's probably better to have an ortho who's cautious!

[MCOMarkhamOrthodontist]

The amount of time required to wear aligners should depend on the amount of tooth movement per aligner prescribed. There are certainly biological factors that allow teeth to move faster in some people than others. 2 weeks is the "average" directed by Invisalign, so it may require longer in some individuals. In some cases, it is shorter, but this cannot be determined until part way into the treatment.

Factors that can be more controlled include the patient compliance aspect as well as office time scheduling. There must a reason for your orthodontist not giving you another set of aligners that you could have a new set for those last 2 weeks and still keep the same appointment. Again, best speak to your provider and find out why .

[Coop22]

Thanks for your replies. I will talk to him on my next appointment. I'm going to make sure my next appointment is set so I don't have a lot of extra time to spend on the last tray they give me. Apparently scheduling wasn't a problem since when I called to ask about this, they moved my appointment up without hesitation. I'm just not sure why they wouldn't schedule me for the earliest possible date anyway. Oh well, they also didn't clean up my excess glue from attachments at all, so they will get an earful about that. I scraped it off the back of my teeth myself when I got home and I had to open up the spaces between a few of my teeth because some gaps were glued closed. They did a very messy job.

[girl on the bus]

ok so my stains have gotten darker and on the inside of my teeth i'm getting dark line stains right above my gum line. gross.. i tried to scrape it off, but it doesn't budge. i'm gonna call my ortho tomorrow and ask about it. i have an awards dinner i have to be at on monday and don't want everyone to see them! ughh!

[Sunny]

Contacting your ortho sounds like a good idea!

Hopefully this is something that can be easily sorted, as stains under the gum line do not sound like they're connected to invisalign, as it doesn't affect that area of your mouth.

Good luck!

[kezzakattami]

I raised the stains on my bottom teeth with my ortho at my last appointment. He said not to worry, it was just the excess glue on each tooth that was actually stained, not the teeth. He gave them a light polish and that did the trick. That was 5 weeks ago, and the stains are back!

I'm going to ask him to give a quick going over again next week, as Im off on holiday soon...and cant be going with stained teeth that look like Im some sort of coffee addict! He doesnt seem to mind either so thats good!

[girl on the bus]

ok, so i just saw my ortho a few days ago and i found out the reason for this staining.. my saliva!!! ok, sounds weird right? but it made sense when they told me, everyone has minerals in their saliva and it's an excess of iron in the saliva that builds up on the teeth thus causing the staining.

now that i think about it, i had it many years ago and my dentist cleaned it off. they called it black line stains. they say it can happen to people with clean teeth.

the ortho said that the saliva buildup has no where to go but build up in the crevasses of the tray with the attachments and above the gumline. they cleaned it off, but i know it will come back. and they told me they dont really do cleaning there, so its something i have to see the dentist about. problem is, i see my dentist every 6 months and i've noticed the stains build up in about 3 weeks. this is something only they can do cuz believe me its stubborn and no amount of brushing or flossing i do at home can remove the stains.

one more thing that really made me mad at the ortho was the lady that was helping me basically said i wasn't brushing properly , that's why i have the stains. i was so mad because if it's one thing i'm stepping up on is my oral hygiene! sorry about the ranting but i just had to get it out.

but if anyone has any advice what we can all do at home will be very helpful.

[Sunny]

Great that you found out what was causing the stains girl on the bus!

You need to ask your dentist if there's anything you can do at home to reduce this staining. Maybe this will be something you have to 'live' with while you're wearing invisalign, due to it keeping the salvia next to your teeth for long periods of time.

Good luck!