Some questions

[Blitz]

What is the longest you should have them out?

What are you supposed to do when you are out and want something to eat and you can't wash your hands?

[Adam]

You should have them in for around 22 hours a day. However I think every now and again you're okay for just 20 hours a day.

As for going out, it's handy to carry some sanitiser with you, for such occasions

[Blitz]

Thanks.

So when yout out you can just use the sanitiser, take them out, eat, then put them back in?

[Adam]

It's always best to try clean the trays when you take them out, however if that's not possible, then always cleaning your hands when taking the trays out and putting them in again is important.

I wouldn't recommend putting the trays back in without cleaning, mainly due to the fact they can get a little smelly if you don't wash them, but shouldn't cause too much of an issue, provided you swish some water around your mouth

[myhollywoodsmile]

Hi there,
As Adam said, you should clean them if you can, but realistically it's not always possible. Swishing with water removes as much as possible until you can get somewhere where you can brush.
If you don't have hand sanitiser just use a napkin to take them out.

Cheers

[Blitz]

Thanks very much.

Do you know how I should clean the case you put them in when you eat? Mine starts to stink a little. And why does the blue one have that little rubber bit coming down from the lid? lol

[Blitz]

Another question, after 9 days how easy should it be to take the trays off? I can't use my fingernails right around because it is too tight. When I first tried them at the dentist they were as tight as hell and the dentist had to yank them off. I kind of have to pull them on one side which might be bending them.

And I assume everyone has those hard things that the dentist or ortho on the teeth? I though they were the things that made the trays click into place. Is that right and on what teeth do you have them?

[Zoso]

I've not worn Invisalign, but here's what I've done with my retainer case: when I was wearing the retainers full time, I used a quick soap and water wash each night, and occasionally put the case open into the top shelf of the dish washer. Now I'm wearing retainers at night only, obviously the retainers are in the case most of the time, so I still occasionally do the dishwasher (if we're running it late when I am therefore wearing the retainers) but I give the case a good soak with Retainer Brite when I am soaking the retainers.

[myhollywoodsmile]

Blitz in reference to your point about why the blue case has that bit coming down- I have no idea, I have wondered the same thing. It made it too awkward to use. Anyone know?

[Blitz]

Zoso, what is the case like for a retainer?

[Adam]

Thanks very much.

Do you know how I should clean the case you put them in when you eat? Mine starts to stink a little. And why does the blue one have that little rubber bit coming down from the lid? lol

It's to hold the aligners in place when you're walking around with them in I believe.

[havingitdoneintheuk]

Blitz you mention the hard things - I think you mean attachments, you are right they help pull the teeth in the direction they should be going in. I had them on all my front teeth as they were crowding in, so needed pulling out into a nice curve!

Zoso didn't realise you were in retainers - do you have before and after shots you are willing to share?

[Zoso]

Zoso, what is the case like for a retainer?

Much like an Invisalign case. In fact, my ortho gave me an Invisalign case, because it was just a little lower in profile than the retainer cases he has, which I was finding a little bit on the large size.

[Blitz]

What do you mean havingitdoneintheuk?

Thanks Zoso, I will do that.

[Punkin]

Blitz,

The things they put on your teeth are called attachments or buttons. The aligners have matching notches in them. They are used to move the teeth. You might have teeth that need to be rotated or turned a bit, and the attachments help with this process, as just the aligners themselves would not be able to perform that motion. They are not there to hold the aligners on; the aligners are held on your teeth by design.

It would probably do you good to sit with your ortho to discuss these questions. You might not have gotten all the information you wanted/needed at your last visit.

Regarding whether they should still be tight or not, well, that depends on how quickly your teeth are moving, and how often you are wearing them. They should be looser, but not so loose they are falling off your teeth. As for removing them, most people I've talked to find that starting at the back and working around is the easiest way to remove them. As long as your are gentle, they shouldn't bend or break. I've only had one of them rip on me, and it was close enough to the end of the wearing time for that tray that it wasn't an issue.

[Blitz]

Yeah I went to my dentist to ask about the attachment and they put another one on but put my next set on anyway. I forgot it had been 2 weeks already lol.

So how many attachments to other people have? I have 8.

[Blitz]

I see some people have there braces type. For example havingitdoneintheuk has 14 U 24 L in there. 14 what?

[anijh]

I see some people have there braces type. For example havingitdoneintheuk has 14 U 24 L in there. 14 what?

Havingitdoneintheuk is wearing Invisalign and the numbers represent the number of trays she has to wear. U stands for upper (top teeth) and L is for lower (bottom teeth). She has 14 upper trays and 24 lower trays. Each tray is typically worn for 2 weeks.

[havingitdoneintheuk]

Couldn't have said it better myself anijh!

[Blitz]

ooohhk. How do you have more trays for the bottom? How do I know how many I will have? Should my dentist of told me? They probably did but things go in one ear and out the other so easily. haha

[Sunny]

The number of trays depends on the amount of movement that needs to be achieved and the amount of movement that each tray can achieve. It's important not to force teeth to move too quickly, as this can cause problems to the roots of the teeth. If one arch needs more movement, then it's quite common for that arch to require more aligners.

At the beginning of your treatment, the person designing your aligners will know how many aligners you should need to achieve the best outcome. Often there's refinements included in the cost of treatment, which allows for additional aligners near the end of your treatment, if some of the movements haven't been achieved, or completed the way it was planned.

If this is something you really want to know, give your ortho/dentist a call and explain that you'd like to know how many aligners you'll be having.

Good luck with your treatment!

[Punkin]

Also, if you look at the package your trays come in, it should say something like 1/38, which means it's the first tray out of 38.

[Blitz]

I can flick up the bottom right side of my tray with my toungue and I am scared it will become a habit and this could stop any changes. Is is normal to be so lose?

[Punkin]

If it's toward the end of the wear time of that set of trays, it is possible for it to be loose, especially if you are talking about the end of the tray near the molars, where in my case, there is not as much tooth exposed so the trays are very short.

Habits are your own to make or break. I would highly suggest not getting in this habit, as it will become troublesome in the future - but only you are in control of that.

[Blitz]

Yeah it is at the molars. I am only on my second tray but this tray was only tight for a few days then it got a lot looser

[myhollywoodsmile]

It is normal for trays to get looser, often the attachments help to sort that problem out! My first two trays got very loose, but they don't tend to any more as the attachments hold them tight.