Ouch

[toxicbutterfly]

Hi,
I recently got invisalign retainers. The bottom retainer is quite sharp and scratches the side of my tongue. It makes it almost impossible to talk as it hurts so much, and it also hurts when I eat. I've tried paracetemol, bonjela and other types of pain relief for mouth ulcers but nothings worked.
It's also made me have this really annoying lisp. I'm hoping it will stop soon.
Does anyone else have this problem or have any advice?
Thanks,
toxcbutterfly xx

[mommamorin]

Hi toxicbutterfly and welcome.

use an emeryboard (nail file) and file down the rough edges on your aligners. Many people here have had to do that and it works.
good luck

[toxicbutterfly]

Hi mommamorin,
Thankyou for your advice,
I'll give it ago
xx

[PlasticMouth]

my first uppers would cut my mouth wall a lot and the overall fit was horrible so i had the doc redo the impressions for a new set of uppers which delayed me over a month, but was totally worth it as the new uppers dont cut my mouth up. If it bothers you that much demand a new set since it was probably a crappy impression job on their part, or just bad trays from the manufacturer.

[lemon tree]

^ I wish I had done that after I received my first set. Maybe I wouldn't have needed quite so many attachments (20U21L first round, 23U13L refinements)

[liccledevil83]

I'm having the same problems, my bottom ones are cutting my tongue to pieces, I've filed it down don't really know if its worked because my tongue is so painful anyway. I tried putting my last ones back in and that still hurt so until my tongue heals I think everything is going to hurt :-(
I've had my bottoms out most of the day and am hoping my tongue will heal so I can wear them again, going to put them back in to go to bed. I know its bad to have them out that long, but don't know what else to do, every time I speak it feels like its cutting into my tongue more.
First problems I've had so far :-( Hoping my tongue heals soon and I can get on with wearing them as normal.
T x

[Phantom Muse]

Have you tried putting wax over the trouble spot(s)? It takes a bit of messing around to get it to stick to the aligner, but it has saved my tongue at the start of each new tray!

Every tray has the same sharp spots for me, and it usually takes only a few minutes for the tray to start cutting me up, but it takes a few tries to accurately file away the sharp spots! If your tongue is so irritated, I agree that it might be hard to know if you have filed away the trouble, so cover the spot on the aligner with dental wax until your tongue can heal. That way you can still wear the aligners while you heal.

Although I didn't think to get any wax from my ortho, my daughter had some she generously shared with me! You can get it also at any drugstore. Also, a salt water rinse will speed healing as will (I find) using a natural mouthwash like Eco-Dent (but I don't know if they have this in the UK - although something similar can be found, I am sure).

Sorry you are in so much discomfort! Stick with it, and maybe ask your ortho to do the filing for you on your next set of trays...

Feel better!

[myhollywoodsmile]

Poor you toxic, that sounds horrible. As to advice, I have written this on here before, so apologies to the old timers, but my orthodontist was very clear to me that these trays should NOT hurt you. If they do then there is something wrong. With Invisalign, when they are fitting properly, you shouldn't need wax, gel, anything. If you do there is a rough edge or something else that simply shouldn't be there.

So, what to do. Firstly, file the trays. Be fairly vigorous with this. I have found with mine that you can normally feel where the rough/sharp patch is by running your finger along.
That is where to start filing. File them until it no longer feels sharp, and then file some more to make sure it feels really soft and smooth..
Having done that, rinse your mouth with warm salty water and leave your trays out for an hour to give your mouth a rest. Then put them back in and hopefully you will find that they are much, much better.
If you still get any irritation I would advise you to call your ortho. They have something that lets them file your trays quickly and easily. I had one area of mine that consistently caused problems and now my ortho prefiles them for me before I pick them up. Also, a couple of months ago when I had one that had a random extra bit on one of my trays I snipped it off with nail scissors and then filed it smooth. Not sure that that is approved Invisalign technique, but it worked a treat.

Whatever you do, good luck. I really feel for you, mouth pain is no fun.

[Phantom Muse]

I have found that in addition to what myhollywoodsmile suggests, setting the aligner on a black towel to examine it can make the trouble spot much more visible to the eye. Also, even when I file the heck out of a tray initially, the shifting that takes place as the aligner snuggles in during the first few days has sometimes annoyed a different spot on my tongue or cheek... Sometimes the filing is just trial and error for me!

My ortho has taken a nail clipper to a tray of mine before, so even though it is low-tech, seems to be okay!

[liccledevil83]

Hi, thanks for the advice, I spent 2 days walking round with a little cotton wool in my mouth covering where the sore bit of my tongue lay (luckily I wasn't doing anything that involved talking to a lot of people). this seemed to work well and my tongue healed and I've had no more problems. I might have to find out about dental wax too!