less than 22 hours a day? canker sores

[VeggieQueen]

Hi guys,

I am just finishing my first week and I have canker sores all over my tongue and insides of my mouth, caused by the trays. (Actually caused by talking with the trays in, as soon as I keep my mouth still the canker sores stop hurting.) I already had my dentist file down a rough edge of the tray, but it just made a new rough edge, so not the biggest help.

The canker sores are exacerbated when I talk, so I have stopped talking unless necessary. However, in three weeks I start teachng again and not talking is not an option. I have done some calculations and I can have them out when I lecture and average about 20 hours a day. Does anyone know if it is OK to wear them a bit less per day if I simply wear each tray for a bit more than two weeks? (It is a difference of about 28 hours per tray, more than made up by two more days per tray). I cannot live with constant canker sores and not talking is the only way they heal.

VeggieQueen

[Weeeyin]

I'm really surprised you've got these sores my trays have never caused any pain other than the movement of the teeth, maybe you need to see your ortho about all this pain as I dont think you should be having this, maybe there was somthing not right with your impressions so the trays dont realy fit properly? Sunny usually has some really good advise, I know salt water rinses help though. Good luck, hope the sores heal soon

[Zoso]

Get yourself some emory boards (nail files) and gently have at those rough edges yourself.

Get some dental wax (your dentist should provide some free of charge, or you can usually buy it at drugstores or grocery stores) and try, if you can, to press this onto the parts of the trays that are next to the sores.

And, above all, stay well hydrated - this helps your mouth to deal with the chafing a lot more easily.

Beyond that, do make sure you are eating a good balanced diet, since deficiencies in any of several vitamins or minerals can make you more prone to mouth sores. And, if all else fails, you may want to look for a toothpaste that does not contain SLS (sodium lauryl suphate) since this foaming agent does seem to make a small percentage of people more prone to mouth sores.

[myhollywoodsmile]

Hi there,
Please persist with the filing- I had rough edges on mine and it really does help. This isn't something that you need to live with in order to wear Invisalign, you really can do something about it. Often I have found it will be just one tiny snag on the aligner. If I take it out I can usually spot it, give it a quick file and then all the pain is gone.
Good luck.

[Sunny]

VeggieQueen I ditto all of the above ... you need to be very proactive, when you have mouth sores, as not only do you need to help these heal, but you need to prevent the new skin from forming new sores.

Filing your trays is often the best way, as you can tell when it's right, something your ortho isn't always able to do it.

For your mouth ... rinsing 5+ times a day with a warm salt water solution can help soothe and heal. Also you can buy topical gels/creams from pharmacies or supermarkets. The best type usually have both a numbing agent as well as an antiseptic.

Take extra care with your hydration and general health, as sometimes mouth sores can result from a person not having a balanced intake of vitamins and minerals.

Good luck!

[VeggieQueen]

Hello All,

Thanks for your great suggestions. I was so depressed on Sunday and in such mouth pain I was contemplating not going through with this. But today I began rinsing my mouth with salt water and applied some over the counter topical solutions which numbed them a bit. Then I found and used the ortho wax. Heaven sent! It is the best. It allows me to wear the trays and talk! Yeah!

Thanks for the diet suggestions. I am on a no gluten, no dairy, no refined sugar, no meat and minimal processed food diet for my arthritis, but I do eat some eggs and a bit of fish as well as scads of fresh veggies and fruit, most from my own garden. I think my intake of vitamins and minerals is probably pretty good. One advantage to my diet is that it is easy to floss and brush when no bread or meat is part of the diet. Furit and veggies do not stick in teeth like bread and meat!

I have noticed that I need lots of water with the trays in, so I drink all day long.

Thanks for the reminder on sodium laureth sulfate. I took that out of my cosmetics and health products several years ago after reading an article on it.

Again thanks for all your suggestions. I feel like I can tackle this now.

VeggieQueen

[Sunny]

Great that your mouth is feeling so much better VeggieQueen!

I'm also a veggie, and grow most of my own food organically. Due to this, I have blood tests done every six months to check my iron, B12 and folate levels. My doc also checks a variety of other vitamins and minerals, which is a great way to make sure your diet is balanced. It's very easy to become unbalanced in your intake, when you elimate food groups ... no matter how healthy you may think your food intake is.

Being dry seems to go hand in hand with ortho treatment. This is a great time for us to be reminded how important it is to keep our hydration levels high.

Here's to your mouth continuing to feel better!

[VeggieQueen]

Sunny,

Thanks for the tips. I take a sublingual Vit B suplement and use a multi pill, multi vitamin packet from an integrative clinic called the Whitaker Institute. I also supplement with flax oil, fish oil, ginger, tumeric and garlic and I visit my internist 3X a year for lab blood work. I fought off RA with this diet, (no evidence now of me having had it, other than some damaged joints in feet and hands), lost 30 pounds, shaved 80 points off my cholesterol level, bringing it down to 160 and generally improved the heck out of my physical well being. So far my blood work shows I am getting enough of all nutrients. I thought I might be Vit D deficient (typical of autoimmune patients), but I was not. Time spent in the garden saw to that. I am grateful that I got RA because it forced me to change my diet.

VeggieQueen

[Sunny]

Fantastic news VeggieQueen! Ginger, tumeric and garlic are three of my favourite cure alls ... and they do a mighty job with achy joints!

Here's to your teeth and body soon all being (and looking) healthy!