New to Invisalign and have some questions

[nicnol66]

HI there! I saw my Clin Check yesterday at the orthodontist and it appears I will have 18 trays lower and 13 upper. He said they will change every 3 weeks which I thought was odd after reading all of your posts and many of you change at 10 days. Also, I did see attachements on the Clin Check, mostly on bottom where my teeth are the crookedest, but the ortho didn't say anything about how and when we put them on, just that thats what they were on the Clin Check. Lets see, um, when you take them out to eat, do your teeth feel loose and do you feel like your teeth want to go back to how crooked they were? Do you feel like you have bad breath alot with them in? Also, do people notice them on you? Oh and did any of you experience jaw pain as your bite was changing? I have jaw issues now and am hoping as my teeth get fixed and my bite changes that this will improve, but I'm also nervous about making it worse before it gets better...thanks in advance for everyone's advice! Lisa

[lemon tree]

HI there! I saw my Clin Check yesterday at the orthodontist and it appears I will have 18 trays lower and 13 upper. He said they will change every 3 weeks which I thought was odd after reading all of your posts and many of you change at 10 days. Also, I did see attachements on the Clin Check, mostly on bottom where my teeth are the crookedest, but the ortho didn't say anything about how and when we put them on, just that thats what they were on the Clin Check.

Hi Lisa, welcome to the boards. I would ask your ortho about it. Mine put my attachments on after my first two trays.

Lets see, um, when you take them out to eat,

Yes, I only drink water with mine in.

do your teeth feel loose

nope

and do you feel like your teeth want to go back to how crooked they were?

no, I suppose it's possible if you leave them out for a really long time but it should be fine if you're just taking them out for meals.

Do you feel like you have bad breath alot with them in?

No difference from my pre-invisalign days. Not that I had bad breath before aside from the odd morning.

Also, do people notice them on you?

The odd person does. For me, it's mostly been people from a dental background who have noticed before I mentioned it to them. Even though I've told some of my friends and family, they keep forgetting I have them

Oh and did any of you experience jaw pain as your bite was changing?

no but this has never been an issue for me.

I have jaw issues now and am hoping as my teeth get fixed and my bite changes that this will improve, but I'm also nervous about making it worse before it gets better...thanks in advance for everyone's advice! Lisa

You may want to discuss this with your ortho if it's a concern.

The folks here are pretty friendly so do ask lots of questions if you have them. If you have serious concerns though, best to discuss with your ortho. All the best

[Sunny]

Hi and welcome to this forum Lisa!

Changing aligners every three weeks is not unusual, and sometimes it can change to shorter or longer time frames during treatment, depending on how your teeth respond. Around two weeks is the average ... which means more or less is still fine. The important part, is that your ortho keeps an eye on the movement of your teeth, as you don't want your teeth being forced to move quickly, or you risk root reabsorption, which can mean that your teeth become permanently loose and may possibly fall out.

Talk to your ortho about the attachments you see in the clincheck. Ask as many questions as you want, as it's good to get answers from your professional. Attachments have allowed invisalign to deal with more difficult cases, as now teeth can be moved in more directions that aligners allowed for previously. This has meant a huge improvement in the outcomes for invisalign patients.

Your teeth should feel a little loose, as they need to become loose to move. They shouldn't feel so loose, that they wiggle like they will come out, but it's just a feeling that you'll notice when you eat, or push your tongue against the back of them, when your aligners are out.

Your teeth will move back to where they were, if they're not retained, either by the aligners during your treatment, or retainers when your treatment is finished. If you leave the aligners out for longer than is recommended, you may notice the aligner is 'tight' when you put it back on. This lets you know that there has been some movement.

If you care for your aligners as instructed and only drink water while they're in your mouth, you should not find bad breath an issue.

If people are very close to you, they may notice you have aligners on, or sometimes they notice that you're moving your lips differently when talking. Most people will not notice and even of those who might, most won't care.

Please talk to your ortho about your jaw concerns. There shouldn't be too much pressure on your jaw with invisalign, but you still need to talk about your concerns with your professional.

Good luck!