Set 16 Day 2 / without aligners
Great results but these aligners hurt like no other when taking off to eat. Still on day 2. Hoping pain will subside but as of now, feels like my teeth are going to come off with the aligners every time I take them off.
I too have been considering invisalign for my anterior open bite, although I think mine is more severe than yours (pretty large gaps in the front top teeth). May I ask how old you were when you started treatment? Also, are you experiencing any trouble speaking (e.g., lisping)? I can't tell very well from your pictures, but are you experiencing any gum recession? Thank you so much for writing this blog. It was extremely informative. I had given up any hope in getting my open bite fixed as an adult, but now I think I may speak to an orthodontist.
ReplyDeleteI was 25 when I started treatment and the treatment is approx. 1 year (27 upper and lower aligners, changed every 2 weeks). I do have lisping when I have the aligners on but not when I have them off. The lisping is from the aligners scratching your tongue and your tongue is being trained to behave in a different way (to prevent tongue thrusting etc). Honestly I am experiencing gum recession because I have been brushing so often (because I eat 5 times a day - keeps your metabolism fast). I have been tyring to floss after I eat and limit brushing to two times a day. Mine open bite was pretty severe too but if I were you, I would speak to an ortho and ask them if your case is treatable with invisalign (there's only one way to find out)! =)
DeleteThanks so much for getting back to me and answering my questions. I'm 25 right now, too, and I had just spoken with a dentist who told me my only option was to get jaw surgery, which really isn't an option at the moment. I hope you don't mind if I ask a few other questions. My main worry is only having the aligners out to eat or drink for only a couple hours per day. For my job, I frequently have to attend lunches, dinners and other events with clients that take several hours and involve food and/or drinking. I imagine that if you keep the aligners out for more than the prescribed time, then you'd get off schedule and you wouldn't be where you need to be at the end of the 2 weeks. Were you given options with regards to keeping the aligners out? Also, how do you deal with brushing five times per day? I'm kind of dreading the idea of brushing my teeth in the bathroom at work myself. Again, thanks so much for your very informative answers and your excellent blog!
DeleteWow.. you can definitely tell a difference from dentist appointment 1 to dentist appointment 6! Congratulations on your newly fixed teeth :) I can't wait till mine are straight like that.
ReplyDeleteThanks Becky!
DeleteOne ortho said my anterior open bite wouldn't come out right because it is skeletal. i had jaw surgery when i was 16 and it relapsed a little plus had regular braces
ReplyDeleteI'll be completely honest, I'm still on aligner # 19 of 27. I don;t know if it will relapse but my dentist said it wont if I wear the retainers every night, which I plan on doing religiously - Only because I LOVE my new smile! Did you have retainers after braces?
Delete@ anonymous - frequent lunches @ job:
ReplyDeleteI have a similar situation. I stopped counting minutes and I estimate that I leave them out for about 4 hours a day (instead of 2). In that case, I have been changing to the next set of aligners every 3 weeks instead of every two weeks. I let my dentist know and it wasn't a problem. It just slows down your treatment but I cant eat huge portions and disrupt my diet and exercise routine. I wouldn't be too concerned about the time constraints. The dentist looked at my teeth and said I'm on track so it hasn't affected treatment. However, I would keep them o for a week extra if you're going to be leaving them off for longer hours per day.
oh yeah - anonymous, in regards to your 2nd question, I stopped brushing 5 times a day. I started getting gum recession so now everytime i eat, i floss. i only brush in the morning and before bed.... if im feeling icky from eating avacados or something, ill go for a 3rd brush in middle of the day. I think flossing is more important than brushing. As long as you brush twice a day, you should be ok. If you're concerned about staining your aligners, clorox really helps. They come out looking new and fresh out of the package every time you soak them in clorox. I do it every morning while im brushing.
ReplyDelete