new kid on the block with lots of worries.....

[invisaligngirl85]

hello everyone.. this is my first post on this forum.. im trying to get used to navigating on this one.. im not used to it yet... so forgive me if i have repeated any questions that i am sure, have been asked before..

these are the things i am mostly concerned about:

while doing research on this, ive found that people have lost alot of weight with invisalign.. this is something I do not want.. im already very thin as it is.. does anybody have any eating habit tips, so this won't happen? u think ensure will suffice in between meals? i heard that helps u maintain ur current weight, and then some.. does ensure work?

Second, since i know i eat alot, can i get away with eating soft foods and clear (but sugar flavored) drinks while they are in? If i clean my aligners and teeth right after, bacteria, cavaties, and stains shouldn't be a problem, right? that way i can eat longer, and not have to time my meals in intervals throughout the day.

Why do you have to leave the aligners out while eating? if it has nothing to do with the effectiveness of the aligners, then ill take that chance.. As long as its still doing its job, i think ill eat whatever i like, just as long as i clean my teeth right after....

how frequently do you throughly clean your aligners? and with what do you clean them with? any tips?

another worry is when i have to shave my teeth down.. how much do they usually shave off? i worry if i become lazy in the future with retaining my teeth, that i will have spaces where there was none before.. my bottom teeth have to be shaved, and they are already perfect.. i just need to move my bottom row, in order for the top row to move in place properly... the top row won't need any shavings, but the bottoms will... are the spaces really big? anybody have pictures of how much space will be left in between the teeth?

how do u know when to change the aligners? even though they say two weeks, i worry about the infamous root resorption, that ive heard can happen... i want to make sure i am not changing them too frequently.. i was thinking that i might move my aligners a couple days after two weeks, just to be on the safe side.. if i do this, will this cause any problems, other than delaying the process?

any easy tricks to move the aligners, with minimum pain?

okay i think thats all for now.. im sure ill come up with some more questions, as more come to mind...

i appreciate the help.. TIA

[Sunny]

Hi and welcome to this forum invisaligngirl!

Firstly ... have you consulted with some orthodontists' to find out if you are a suitable candidate for invisalign? If you have, many of your questions should have been answered and since they haven't, I recommend you phone the ortho's you consulted with and ask these questions, as this will help you.

I've never had invisalign, but I work with two orthodontist's who have patients with either total invisalign or a mix of ibraces/invisalign or ceramic brackets/invisalign. I don't have a lot of experience with invisalign, but here's what I've been able to pick up while working with these people and their patients.

Weight loss - this is definitely avoidable and should be discouraged. Eating well three times a day, with snacks inbetween (usually three) is not difficult with invisalign, it just requires a committed level of hygiene care. The aligners do need to be removed and your teeth and the aligners cleaned after you eat. Sometimes after a snack, a good wash with water will be sufficient, but this isn't the case if you have food stuck between your teeth, or you were eating/drinking foods with high sugar content.

Some people report weight loss, then when talking with them, you find they can't be bothered removing the aligners and cleaning their teeth. In the words of my orthos', this is a lazy behaviour and they need to rethink why they're paying so much money to have their teeth straightened, if they're not going to take care of their health.

If teeth are tender due to moving, there are many soft alternatives, that are healthy/enjoyable and will not cause you to loose weight. Think about what soft foods you eat now and make sure you have them available for any days that your teeth may feel a little achy. For most invisalign wearers, this seems to happen most the day or two following the changing of aligners. We recommend changing aligners before you go to bed, that way your teeth have a night to get used to them.

It is highly recommended that you do not eat or drink with aligners in. We have patients who drink plain water, and that appears to be fine, but no hot drinks or drinks with sugar or acid (fruit drinks). The aligners cloud easily, and this defeats one of the main reasons that patients choose invisalign. The aligners can also tear, break, and change shape if they come into contact with hot fluids.

Why do you have to leave the aligners out while eating? if it has nothing to do with the effectiveness of the aligners, then ill take that chance..

Eating with aligners may affect there effectiveness and this defeats the purpose of using invisalign.

another worry is when i have to shave my teeth down..

Interproximal Reduction - IPR - is the term used to shave between teeth. I've had this done twice and for me it was painfree and done quickly. If only a small amount of space is needed, this is a much better way to get that space, than by extraction teeth. General the amount shaved is only small, due to the amount of enamel available having to be considered.

i worry if i become lazy in the future with retaining my teeth, that i will have spaces where there was none before..

I recommend that while you're thinking this is a possibility, please don't have orthodontic treatment. Retainer wear is for life ... usually only one or two nights a week, but this is a commitment you need to make before beginning treatment.

how do u know when to change the aligners? even though they say two weeks, i worry about the infamous root resorption, that ive heard can happen... i want to make sure i am not changing them too frequently.. i was thinking that i might move my aligners a couple days after two weeks, just to be on the safe side.. if i do this, will this cause any problems, other than delaying the process?

Your orthodontist will tell you how often you need to change aligners, and this is what will be recommended for you to make sure your teeth are cared for. If your orthodontist says to change your aligners fortnightly, and you decide to wear them longer, this will delay your treatment and affect your orthodontist appointments. Please talk to your ortho about your concerns, as root reabsorption can be a problem for some people.

It's great you have so many questions, but disappointing if you've consulted with some orthodontists' and these have not been addressed. Please continue to post any concerns you have.

Your questions make me grateful I wasn't a suitable candidate for invisalign!

[Punkin]

Originally Posted by invisaligngirl85

hello everyone.. this is my first post on this forum.. im trying to get used to navigating on this one.. im not used to it yet... so forgive me if i have repeated any questions that i am sure, have been asked before..

these are the things i am mostly concerned about:

while doing research on this, ive found that people have lost alot of weight with invisalign.. this is something I do not want.. im already very thin as it is.. does anybody have any eating habit tips, so this won't happen? u think ensure will suffice in between meals? i heard that helps u maintain ur current weight, and then some.. does ensure work?

I haven't lost any weight since I started, what, like 5 months ago. Maintain a healthy diet and you should be fine

Second, since i know i eat alot, can i get away with eating soft foods and clear (but sugar flavored) drinks while they are in? If i clean my aligners and teeth right after, bacteria, cavaties, and stains shouldn't be a problem, right? that way i can eat longer, and not have to time my meals in intervals throughout the day.

Why do you have to leave the aligners out while eating? if it has nothing to do with the effectiveness of the aligners, then ill take that chance.. As long as its still doing its job, i think ill eat whatever i like, just as long as i clean my teeth right after....

Nope. At least not the eating part. You run the risk of breaking the aligner by eating with them in. You also shouldn't drink anything with them in.

If you are going to take them out to clean them right after you are going to eat with them in, you might as well take them out to eat. It's really not that big of a deal. The first few days with each set can be tough, especially if you have a lot of attachments, but I've found that, with each successive set (I'm on 10 right now), there are less problems.

I take mine out for breakfast (usually about 1/2 hour), lunch (which is typically and hour), dinner (again, an hour), and then a snack at night (half hour or so). I will sometimes pop them off for a quick snack during the day as well. If I'm not able to brush my teeth right away, I was told to rinse my mouth with water and then pop them back in. I've done that as well. If I'm going out to eat, I will either pop them out before we leave, or after we order, I'll go to the ladies room and pop them out. If we are going straight home, I'll wait until we get home to put them back in. If we aren't, I'll drink some water, and pop them back in in the car.

how frequently do you throughly clean your aligners? and with what do you clean them with? any tips?

I thoroughly clean them 2 or 3 times a day - morning, noon and night. The rest of the time, I usually just brush my teeth, maybe brush them, but usually just rinse them out.

I use a small toothbrush (infant size) and toothpaste (gels work better than pastes). Sometimes I will also soak them in listerine.

another worry is when i have to shave my teeth down.. how much do they usually shave off? i worry if i become lazy in the future with retaining my teeth, that i will have spaces where there was none before.. my bottom teeth have to be shaved, and they are already perfect.. i just need to move my bottom row, in order for the top row to move in place properly... the top row won't need any shavings, but the bottoms will... are the spaces really big? anybody have pictures of how much space will be left in between the teeth?

Can't comment.

how do u know when to change the aligners? even though they say two weeks, i worry about the infamous root resorption, that ive heard can happen... i want to make sure i am not changing them too frequently.. i was thinking that i might move my aligners a couple days after two weeks, just to be on the safe side.. if i do this, will this cause any problems, other than delaying the process?

Your orthodontist will tell you when to change them. it should be a minimum of 2 weeks, but maybe 3 weeks. I've had to leave a few of mine in for three weeks, and I can kind of tell if they are too tight when it's time to change, I'll leave them in a bit longer. I don't think there will be an issue with leaving them in for a few more days, but it might not be necessary. I would ask your ortho about this (he/she may want you to leave them in for three weeks); and I also think that as time goes on, you'll be able to tell yourself if they need to stay in longer.

any easy tricks to move the aligners, with minimum pain?

Honestly, only the first few days are painful. I find motrin helps, but it doesn't help with the initial "ouch" when you snap them on which you sometimes get the first few days - again depending on what teeth need to be moved, and how bad they are.

I find keeping a paper towel handy is useful, as dry hands get them out the easiest. I also found that I drooled quite a bit when I first had them in and had to get them out. LOL Not a pretty sight. practice at your ortho's office, so you can ask any questions.

They gave me a hooky thing, but it didn't really help me. I've got some teeth that stick out pretty far (my canines), so I usually start at one end (the molars), pop that off, and work my way around, pulling them away from the front of the teeth using my finger nail.

okay i think thats all for now.. im sure ill come up with some more questions, as more come to mind...

i appreciate the help.. TIA

Hope that helps. It's understandable to have concerns; and if you're like me, as soon as you get them on, you'll think you've made the biggest mistake of my life, but it does get better. I've had mine on since February of this year, I can see spaces between my teeth, and the locations where the teeth were extracted are getting smaller.

Just maintain good oral hygiene (brush, floss regularly), and follow your ortho's instructions, and you'll be good to go.

[invisaligngirl85]

thank you guys for your help.. do you think mouthwash, floss, and some sort of mini toothbrush, would be good for on the go?... the mouthwash and floss would obviously be used for my teeth.. and the mini tooth brush would be used to scrub the aligners quickly while luke warm water is running down on them... I have also consulted with a dentist.. but he hasn't informed me of any of the things i asked above.. I had to do some research myself and ask.. I already paid him 700 up front for the impressions.. so its too late to change my mind.. in a few weeks i will have my actual aligners.. i regret not doing some more research, and perhaps finding a better doctor, before deciding on him.. Im worried now, that hes not as knowlegeable about invisalign as i had first assumed... but in order for a dentist to receive the alignersn and see a clincheck, they would have to be certified, right? The invisalign co, wouldn't give there products to someone who isn't certified.. I would at least hope so.

[Punkin]

Originally Posted by invisaligngirl85

thank you guys for your help.. do you think mouthwash, floss, and some sort of mini toothbrush, would be good for on the go?... the mouthwash and floss would obviously be used for my teeth.. and the mini tooth brush would be used to scrub the aligners quickly while luke warm water is running down on them... I have also consulted with a dentist.. but he hasn't informed me of any of the things i asked above.. I had to do some research myself and ask.. I already paid him 700 up front for the impressions.. so its too late to change my mind.. in a few weeks i will have my actual aligners.. i regret not doing some more research, and perhaps finding a better doctor, before deciding on him.. Im worried now, that hes not as knowlegeable about invisalign as i had first assumed... but in order for a dentist to receive the alignersn and see a clincheck, they would have to be certified, right? The invisalign co, wouldn't give there products to someone who isn't certified.. I would at least hope so.

I keep a toothbrush and toothpaste in my purse and in my desk at work. I also have floss in my purse. I'm a walking, talking dental machine

Hopefully, you'll be able to develop a better rapport with your dentist (dentist or orthodontist?). I'm not sure how much training they need to "prescribe" invisalign. I'm sure there is something, though, but i don't know. You might be able to look on the invisalign website for more information about that.

[Zoso]

Align Tech recommend a one day course for dentists or orthodontists who want to start using the Invisalign system. (Which is why I personally would be extremely wary of choosing a dentist to render this treatment, without at the very least getting s econd opinion from an orthodontist - one day is not much training, as set against the two years of full-time post-graduate training that dentists in the USA must complete in order to become an orthodontist)

[coolestSamantha]

Welcome! (Sorry I don't know anything about Invisiglin I just wear Damon System brakets)