Unable to close front with trays in

[Teefers]

Hi all,
I've been having some difficulty adapting to this system, partly because I can't close my teeth in front - my canines are propping my teeth open on one side when the trays are in, leaving me with a big open gap in front. So much so that when the trays are in, I can actually talk without moving my jaw...that's how much space I've got.

SIDE:
side-canines-tray3-lowres.jpg

FRONT:
front-tray3-lowres.jpg

Needless to say, my teeth positioning does not look normal from the front when people view me. They get to see not only the attachments on my front upper teeth, but also the plasticky bottom of the upper tray. Of more concern for me is that I'm getting jaw tension and occasional pops/cracks from holding my teeth in this unnatural position as well as a sore/dry throat - once I take the trays out I can close my teeth and feel semi-normal, but not when the trays are in. I am told my canines probably won't pass each other for another four months. This is pretty tough to experience right at the beginning of InvisiAlign - not invisible and not comfortable. And talking is pretty wearing as well...can any of you relate or provide insight?


Thanks from Teefers

InvisiAlign, week 3
U: 2/25
L: 2/25

[LeslieKnope]

I had a similar issue when I started, and I believe many on this forum did as well. I brought it up with my ortho, and he said that it's normal and so long as I'm not in pain in my jaw, I shouldn't be worried. That said, your pops/cracks, if you don't normally get them, should be brought up to your doctor. My jaw always does that, so my ortho said that if there's nothing new/painful, then I'm OK. You may want to just bring it up with your doc the next time you're in, or just call the office.

As for the non-invisibility, what can I say. It's not super invisible, people will notice, and that's part of the Invisalign experience that everyone has. That said, they're totally invisible in pictures and to people who are a few feet away from me. Definitely less visible than ceramic braces. As for speaking, I got used to them after a day or so. If you're on week 3 and still having issues, you may want to bring it up to your doc (I have a written list of questions for him every time I go in).

Good luck!

[Teefers]

Thanks so much Leslie for providing your experience (and I've begun my list of ortho questions - good idea!). Good to know someone else has had this issue before. Were your teeth open in front as well or was it only observed as pain and noise in the jaw? My hope is that the trays will progressively align the canines past each other so I can close my teeth better (and be able to enunciate when I speak), but as far as I know, the back teeth are attended too by the trays first so that my canines won't get clearance for some months to come. Just wondering how to cope in the meantime...