Attachements and bite issue

I will be starting Invisalign in a month and was reading the chat forum today. My dentist didn't say a word about "attachments". What are they for? Also, my dentist said that my left bite was perfect but my right bite was a step off (top is forward), resulting in an overbite with front protrusion. He said that the Invisalign could not repair a bite problem and his first recommendation was traditional braces. That's not an option for me (adult professional). From what I have been reading, my bite alignment does seem an Invisalign option. Regardless, my front appearance will be good. My concern is being sprung on with "attachements". These seem to be a cpncern for persons with Invisalign - whatever "these" things are.

[Stephanie]

go to a different orthodontist.. we are able to move bites now with invisalign, depending on the severity of the case.

Good luck

Attachments are what is bonded on to your teeth in order for your trays to snap in real tight. They are like little "bumps" for lack of a better word. I had some problems eating with them at first. I have had my invisalign for about 5 days now and the eating is getting easier but it does take some getting used to. When your trays are in, you don't feel them at all, it's only when you take them out.

Good luck with your treatment!

[angelbabiez9700]

My dentist calls them buttons, I have 6 in my mouth, they just kind of snap into the tray

[burtsbees]

I just got invisalign today and one of my attachments already fell off. Is it bad if they fall off?

[Sunny]

Hi Burtsbees!

Give your ortho a call, so that the attachment can be put back on. Your current aligner will work well on all teeth, except the one where the attachment has come off, so keep wearing it.

Good luck with your treatment.

[burtsbees]

Thanks.

This is off topic, but can I drink alcohol while wearing them? Like a clear drink?

[Sunny]

It is recommended that you only drink plain water while you have an aligner in. Alcohol is high in sugar and acid, which may cause considerable damage to your teeth if it's in contact with them for even a short time.

Best person to ask is your orthodontist!

Good luck.

[HeadJam]

Man I'm glad I went with traditional metal. I'd have hated to take 'em out all the time for drinking the copious amounts of caffeine I sometimes consume.

[Sunny]

Totally agree HeadJam!

It takes a load of discipline to wear invisalign for the required length of time and not eat or drink with the aligners in. I was disappointed when I was told that invisalign wouldn't correct my bite ... but now I know more about it, I'm relieved!

[Zoso]

Originally Posted by Sunny

Alcohol is high in sugar and acid, which may cause considerable damage to your teeth if it's in contact with them for even a short time.

Actually, alcohol by definition doesn't contain sugar and will yield near-neutral solutions in water. Thus the pH of a good unflavoured vodka would be expected to be in the near-neutral range, so if you drink premium vodka on the rocks you're probably OK. However, the flavours present in many other alcholic beverages (not to mention many cheaper vodkas) and the mixers used in many or most mixed drinks are another matter entirely, so to the extent that most of these other drinks would indeed be acidic, and (depending mostly on the mixer) may also contain significant quantities of sugar, then you'd best heed the advice above and not consume them with your aligners in place.

[burtsbees]

Thanks for the help. Yeah, it gets annoying since I always have to take them out when I want to eat or drink. Plus they are so hard to get out! I have some attachments but will they ever get easier to take out? I feel like I'm going to break them everytime.

[Sunny]

It will get easy with time brutsbees!

Invisalign does require considerably more discipline than bonded brackets, but there are also pros and this is why you've chosen this system.

My advice ... carry water with you at all times, so if you need to remove your aligners for a short snack and/or drink, you then only need to rinse your mouth and the aligners before putting them back in. Hopefully you'll find that you can still easily fit your meals and snacks in ... it may just take a little more planning than before you had invisalign.

Good luck!

PS ... I hope I was right to think that when referring to drinking alcohol, you did mean mixed alcohol and not pure alcohol, or premium unflavoured spirits on the rocks as a poster above seems to have considered a possibility.

[burtsbees]

Yeah I'll have to get used to just rinising them with water because school starts soon and I wont be brushing my teeth there.haha

[Zoso]

Bees: why is brushing at school so completely unlikely? Make yourself up a little portable oral care kit (a travel toothbrush, a small tube of toothpaste, and maybe even a little reel of floss for just in case) and take that with you. A water rinse may often be sufficient, but after a meal, you're better off brushing properly, since rinsing alone may not remove all the food, particularly from between your teeth. I know that, at first, it may seem a bit embarrassing to brush in a restroom where other people might see you, but try to remember that there's nothing to be ashamed about in maintaining good oral hygiene - quite the contrary, it is something of which any of us could and should be proud. Look at it this way: a toothbrush and paste are the sort of things included in the care kit that the better airlines are giving out to their Business and First Class passengers on long haul flights - so treat yourself as First Class and provide these goodies to yourself (and use them!) when you're not at home.

Sunny: I hardly think Stoli on the rocks is a rarity But more than anything, your statement amounted to false pseudo-science. Since you present yourself as a dental professional, you ought to be more careful that you offer up only good and accurate science, so that people can make informed decisions rather than misinformed decisions. (Dare I mention that even pure Stoli, or similar are not pure alcohol, but a mixture of alcohol and water? )

[Punkin]

Originally Posted by burtsbees

Yeah I'll have to get used to just rinising them with water because school starts soon and I wont be brushing my teeth there.haha

I have a little bag (like a make-up bag) that I keep with me all the time - portable toothbrush, toothpaste and floss. I don't brush my teeth all the time, but they are there, and I do give them a quick go-over whenever possible with the brush and toothpaste. It's important to keep your teeth clean so you don't get cavities. A cavity can significantly delay your progress, because if you need a filling or other dental work done, your trays might not fit correctly anymore and they may need to make more. Not worth it.

[Adam]

Originally Posted by burtsbees

Thanks.

This is off topic, but can I drink alcohol while wearing them? Like a clear drink?

My ortho said it should be fine to drink alcohol with the aligners in. Just make sure I clean my teeth thoroghly when I get in.

Originally Posted by burtsbees

I just got invisalign today and one of my attachments already fell off. Is it bad if they fall off?

One of mine fell off this morning too - off to th Ortho tomorrow to have another fitted.

Originally Posted by ada powell

I will be starting Invisalign in a month and was reading the chat forum today. My dentist didn't say a word about "attachments". What are they for? Also, my dentist said that my left bite was perfect but my right bite was a step off (top is forward), resulting in an overbite with front protrusion. He said that the Invisalign could not repair a bite problem and his first recommendation was traditional braces. That's not an option for me (adult professional). From what I have been reading, my bite alignment does seem an Invisalign option. Regardless, my front appearance will be good. My concern is being sprung on with "attachements". These seem to be a cpncern for persons with Invisalign - whatever "these" things are.

They're not that bad. In fact you cannot notice them when they're in, provided they're on the side of your mouth. It's when the aligner is out, that you feel them against your mouth and feels like there is something in your teeth, but you get used to it.

One thing I have noticed is I cannot bite down fully to chew my food because of the attachments preventing a full bite. I think this might be why one fell off this morning.

Originally Posted by Sunny

Totally agree HeadJam!

It takes a load of discipline to wear invisalign for the required length of time and not eat or drink with the aligners in. I was disappointed when I was told that invisalign wouldn't correct my bite ... but now I know more about it, I'm relieved!

But with invisalign you can eat what you like, when you like. You just take out the brace. With traditional braces you have to be careful what you eat don't you?

[mariahfromchicago]

Adam, invisalign has attachments, don't they fall off if you're not careful??

I don't follow any of the orthos rules ex the no-no list, anyways I don't like most of the foods on the no-no list so it's no big deal.

[Sunny]

Originally Posted by Adam

But with invisalign you can eat what you like, when you like. You just take out the brace. With traditional braces you have to be careful what you eat don't you?

You can eat what you like when you like with bonded brackets, as long as you're careful with hard and chewy foods. No worries about having to remove trays, clean them etc.

I thought eating would have been easier with invisalign, but in fact it's often harder, especially if you have attachments.

The one thing I think would be easier, would be oral hygiene, but if you're good at that, it doesn't matter if you have bonded brackets or not.

Each system has there good and bad points, but the thing I learned, is not to be disappointed if you can't have invisalign, as it definitely isn't an easy option.

[Zoso]

Originally Posted by Adam

But with invisalign you can eat what you like, when you like. You just take out the brace. With traditional braces you have to be careful what you eat don't you?

Well, that's an interesting comment. With fixed braces, if you are appropriately careful, you can still pretty much eat what you like. And unlike with Invisalign, you can eat when you like, because you are not limited to managing your eatingt such that you are only eating and cleaning for 2 hours or so per day. When you are eating, your braces are still working. And when you are cleaning your teeth, your braces are still working. The longer I was in braces, the more my "halo slipped" and I'd eat more and more things I was told were no-nos. Oh, I was always careful - I always took care with harder foods not to pop a bracket, and I always took meticulous care to clean up adequately after any meal or snack. But bottom line is that I could eat whenever and however often I chose, and I could drink hot drinks whenever I chose. For me, it woulod have been a sacrifice not to be able to spend an hour on my morning latte.