Time to blossom - lilyflower's story

[lilyflower]

So today is Day 1 of my Invisalign and I figured I'd start my little blog here on what I'm running into.

Let me back up and say that until the new G5 came out for deep bite I was definitely NOT a candidate in the past. I think that's part of what had me put off treatment so long - I wanted something that showed up as little as possible and kept getting told that it wasn't possible because of lower crowding and a deep bite.

Never had braces as a kid and when my wisdom teeth came in and fully erupted they made the entire problem worse - especially on the bottom where I have crowding in the front. My lower four front are not only crowded one is severely tipped back due to it which actually has caused me to cut my own tongue on it several times. I was getting annoyed with it for obvious reasons and have been offered some rather WEIRD cosmetic options over the year (like shaving it down to make it level with the rest of my teeth! ) I turned that down thankfully, and while I had a lot of dentists who "do" invisalign over the years look at me - they always said I wasn't a candidate. I finally sucked it up for a full ortho consult - to see just what exactly I'd have to do to fix this finally because I was worried that I was going to start having peridontial problems in that area in a few years (I don't now, but that's what finally got me to DO something.)

Got referred to my ortho by my general dentist - she took one look and immediately offered invisalign. I could've also gone traditional braces or ceramic but the time in Invisalign would be the same or shorter.

Signed on the spot, got my molds (ick) and waited... and waited...

Two weeks ago I was supposed to start with just plain trays with NO attachments - to "get me used to them" basically. Unfortunately in my case set 1 came in with attachments on them from the factory AND the template didn't match. More waiting and was able to start today with my attachment appointment where I found out that I was getting 21 attachments - almost every tooth on the bottom (except my two back molars) and 7 on top. Thankfully the top ones are on the side where they're not that noticeable.

Into the chair I go with the lovely cheek retractors at 7 am. I swear with both template trays and the retractors and a suction I didn't think my mouth could hold so much. Unfortunately, it took more than one go to get a few of the attachments to stick and the filing down process wasn't fun but wasn't the most awful thing ever. Somehow I'm still starting on tray 2. I'm not sure how that's working but okay. Current is 29 upper / 39 lower with basically a promise of another set of molds and refinements more towards the end of this set.

So far, there's no pain - just some pressure. It feels tight, but not in a bad way. Of course, three attachments already popped off when I tried to remove my trays for the first time (either my clumsiness or a problem with the bonding) and have an appointment tomorrow to get them put back on.

I'm hoping that in addition to fixing what badly needs to be fixed on the bottom I'll benefit from the "no mindless snacking" which is one of my really bad habits. Feels weird to have them out with all the attachments so my mouth actually feels better with them IN.

That said, I'm still having some speech problems which I hope fade quickly. I'm joking that I sound drunk but I kind of feel like I do. (I also have the virtual bite turbo things on my top aligner so I think it's affecting my speech more than this normally would.)

Will post some starting pics, not the best quality but will try for better later. All of these are with the aligners in because I don't feel like trying to remove them right now:

The trays are really hiding how deep my bite is:


Some of my attachments are visible in this one if you look closely enough, they do blend in.


And the bottom which is what I affectionately refer to as "the mess" and the whole reason I did this in the first place (since I didn't think the top was so bad).


I'll take some pics later when my trays are out (and hopefully they'll come out less grainy) and you can all see how deep my bite is and how that tipped back incisor basically bites into the roof of my mouth. Actually, my trays so far reduce the sharpness of that tooth so it's somewhat MORE comfortable.

[MrPlenty]

Good luck with your journey! Very interested in your results!

[lilyflower]

So day 2. Went back to the ortho today to have the two attachments that came off rebonded. One apparently might have been a bond issue but the other was one that apparently my ortho expected might've popped off. Align initially wanted to add that attachment much later and she overrode them. Hopefully it'll stay put. I had a late appointment so am leaving my trays in until it's time for brush before bed to make sure those both really have time to settle.

Woke up this morning with a bruised lower lip from a sharp edge. My ortho took care of that by sanding it down and would've done the rest of my trays had I brought them. It was mentioned that I can run a nail file over them myself or bring them in for a quick sanding if that doesn't work. My lower lip while bruised is much happier.

There's definite sensitivity (maybe not so much pain) in my lower four today. I'm not sure if that's because of opposing forces or because they're the teeth moving with this tray (or just because that's where so much of the crowding is.) It's not that bad and really compared to the lip thing was completely manageable.

What I'm noticing most at the moment is the change in my bite. I have the virtual bite ramps so my molars aren't touching with the aligners in and then when I take them out to try to eat it's kind of hard to figure out how to chew anything. It's possible - just tough - also with the front tenderness it's not super appealing so I just stuck to soups today and made it easy on myself.

I'm probably weird but my aligners feel better IN than out - I think that's because of the number of attachments which I really find kind of annoying when the aligners aren't in - it's this weird feeling of having something that's like stuck to your teeth. I guess that'll keep me compliant since the trays also cover a tooth that's sharp that I've been known to bite or scrape my tongue on in my sleep because of how far back it is.

I'm not super dry - at least not more than usual. I tend to have dry mouth anyway so I haven't noticed any increased dryness with the trays, I'm already used to drinking tons of water so no change for me there

My lips though are definitely chapped - partially from the cheek retractors yesterday and then partially because my lips don't fully meet like they used to with the trays in so they're drying out faster than normal. I'm going to have to experiment to see what kinds of lip balms/moisturizers I can wear with these since most of mine are tinted and/or flavored. I'm avoiding the obviously sticky ones for the moment but we'll see what turns out best. Being a girly girl I have a lot of stuff with which to "experiment"

The lisp is improving - my ortho said I had one of the most minimal ones for day 2 that she's seen. This could be because I'm forcing myself to talk around these. Or I'm just really getting used to a big pile of plastic in my mouth because I find that it's the worst right after I put them back in (where I really sound almost drunk) but then fades.

The invisalign diet is a real thing - I don't so much have a problem getting mine in and out (and have mastered the trick of my bottom tray - go from the inside instead of the outside where the attachments are) but the whole process is such a chore that it really makes me question if I want a snack (as someone who has a problem with mindless snacking this is a good thing.) Also with the change in my bite with the trays out and some sensitivity in the front it's really not making me want to eat anything anyway. I was deliberately looking for soft food today.

Still, not a lot of pain. It's just weird to me where I feel the pressure - yesterday was definitely my top 4. Today it's my bottom four that's really sensitive. I'm thinking that my molars are supposed to be what's moving on the bottom at this stage but aside from the bite problem there's really no pain there. I guess the front might be more sensitive for me in general.

I'm off work this week and I've only told a few people so we'll see how noticeable things are. I'm actually finding some of my friends are almost jealous which I find funny when I think about 21 attachments and 39 trays.

Anyway, going to try to hold off another hour with leaving my trays in and then hope like hell the two attachments that were rebonded stay on my teeth and don't pop out with the tray.

[TheProfessor]

Welcome to the archwired club! My bottom teeth were a similar "mess"' to yours and my orthodontist told me that she would do Invisalign on me if it was that or nothing, but braces would be much better (this was 18 months ago, before the G5 system came out, i guess). I sucked it up and went with full braces and am pretty happy with the results so far. I'll be interested to see how well Invisalign works for you.

Good luck and keep us posted on your progress!!!

[lilyflower]

Welcome to the archwired club! My bottom teeth were a similar "mess"' to yours and my orthodontist told me that she would do Invisalign on me if it was that or nothing, but braces would be much better (this was 18 months ago, before the G5 system came out, i guess). I sucked it up and went with full braces and am pretty happy with the results so far. I'll be interested to see how well Invisalign works for you.

Good luck and keep us posted on your progress!!!

Yeah, I think the G5 just came out a little over a year ago so you JUST missed it

Have some more (and better pics) from when I took my aligners out earlier. These came out way clearer



Here's a good shot of "the mess" as I call it


Top attachments are only on the sides, thank GOD


A perspective shot of my deep bite:


An even more extreme shot that shows the amount


My attachments go way way back on the bottom


A somewhat blurry shot of my bottom aligner that has the 14 attachments from the front


For some reason the backside of that aligner photographed better


Virtual bite ramps on the back of my upper aligner

[lilyflower]

Some slightly better pictures with my aligners in (now that I posted the ones with them out.) I think extreme closeups of the aligners are making things blurry so apologies there

First off: the difference in my bite with my aligners in (aka why I feel like I can't bite on anything)


An extreme close up of what you actually see


The mess (lol):


Upper arch:


In other news the two attachments that came off are staying put but it was nearly impossible to dislodge my lower tray below in the front (you can tell why with all the attachments and the crowding (One of the attachments that came off was on that tipped back incisor). I actually didn't think that one would come off - but man it snaps into place no problem when it's put back on

Top was a little rougher since I have a rotation attachment on one of my canines (yes, I have two attachments on one of my canines - hence 7 top) and I can definitely feel the difference (that was also one of the ones that fell off yesterday)

Regarding time, my ortho said invsalign would take the same amount of time for me as conventional braces so it was actually recommended (I was actually expecting to be told I'd have to go conventional braces). Since most of the attachments are on the bottom and sides I really don't think they're super visible. I'm sure close up it's not 100% invisible but it does blend in pretty decent I think.

As for the discomfort so far - now that the bottom tray with the offending edge has been filed, it's not super bad. I'm still on soft food since it kind of hurts to directly bite into anything (at least in the front) and it's a little wonky chewing when my jaw spends so much of the day in a different position.

For those curious the plan is to:

1) Push back the lower molars and teeth and widen the arch a bit to create some space to straighten "the mess" (there's already some room back there since my wisdom teeth were fully erupted before they were yanked so no IPR is planned for me)
2) Correct my deep bite (this means a minimum of 12 attachments just for anchorage - plus the virtual bite ramp things which are basically bubbles on the back of my tray with no composite/bonding). They're not sharp at all just a little annoying to talk around - if I didn't have them I'd probably have no lisp at all
3) Rotate that slightly twisted canine (hence the extra rotation attachment)

so that's how I ended up with 21 (yes 21) attachments. I actually really really dislike the feeling of them without my trays in - it feels like there's something stuck on my teeth, plus they're rough. I've had no problems with them cutting into my cheek while eating but it actually feels SO much better to have the aligners in and have them covered. My ortho jokingly said that patients with a lot of attachments tend to want to keep the trays in more - kind of a forced compliance but swore she didn't give me extra for that reason.

[lilyflower]

Day 3 and this is definitely going much better so far.

Managed to figure out how to get the bottom tray out (still a struggle but the attachments are staying in place and I haven't broken the tray so yay!) Not nearly as much soreness today so I was able to have regular food - including an apple. I don't think I was ever so psyched to eat an apple before in my life but I bit into it (skin and all) it didn't hurt and devoured it. Yum. I've also seemed to mastered biting and chewing again even with all the attachments but I feel like everything does get stuck to them which just makes me want to rush to brush and floss and stick the aligners back in.

My lip is definitely healing from where the rough edge was. This is, of course, a huge relief! I sent a few of the pictures (non cropped) to my cousin this morning to tell her I got Invisalign and she said she couldn't even notice it. My speech has improved a lot - I have some very slight slurring but I'm forcing myself to talk/sing/etc as much as possible with them in so I get used to it. I'm positive I'd have no lisp at all if I didn't have the virtual bite ramps

Thankfully this all started on a week I'm off from work so it's easier to adjust but I definitely think I can do this long term. My friend who just finished treatment said that it gets a lot easier after the first tray (even once you change trays) and that it took her a lot longer to adjust so I guess I'm doing pretty well,

I've also discovered Clinique's Chubby Sticks are fine to wear on my lips with these - at least the regular ones, not the color intense ones (which I haven't tried yet). They don't have much color but they're not coming off on the aligners or making a mess and are soothing the dryness. So yay!

Also, I've found that biotene's dry mouth rinse is fine to use with the trays in. Did it both last night and this morning and no problem. Relieves a bit of the dryness and also freshens a bit. (For those wondering it's pretty much clear so there isn't a staining problem).

There's definitely a short readjustment period when putting the trays back in that my mouth is a little drier and my speech is off for a bit. It passes in about a half hour or so for me, hopefully this time will decrease as I adjust more to these.

I'm actually doing pretty well so far. So I'm quite pleased.

[lilyflower]

Oh and since I'm posting pics let me do a teeny bit of explaining. I have Bell's palsy on my left which means my smile isn't entirely symmetrical - part of why I probably put off treatment so long since I've had this condition since age 15. I think this is part of also why I put off treatment so long and why I was so adamant about having wires - the unevenness already made me very self-conscious, so having a big pile of wires or visible brackets would've been 10x worse for me. I actually thought at various points - what's the point of even fixing anything?

But I'm actually really glad I'm doing this and this way - I can hopefully get a little more confidence and of course, comfort!

Here's another view of "the mess" aka the reason I finally took the plunge. Like others with crowding I was running into a lot of problems keeping it clean down there, and pretty much was told that in another 5-10 years I could end up developing peridontal problems because of that (which is what finally forced me to do something about it.)

[metalliKa]

Well, welcome! It took me a long time to just muster up the sense that I needed to fix my teeth. It's more cosmetic than medical because I've always hated the look of my crowded and crooked teeth. I'm almost seven months in and took the traditional route instead after three consults. I'm very happy with my results so far and banged my head each time asking myself why I waited so long each time I look at my prebraces and braces photos.

[lilyflower]

Well, welcome! It took me a long time to just muster up the sense that I needed to fix my teeth. It's more cosmetic than medical because I've always hated the look of my crowded and crooked teeth. I'm almost seven months in and took the traditional route instead after three consults. I'm very happy with my results so far and banged my head each time asking myself why I waited so long each time I look at my prebraces and braces photos.

I think the courage is a lot of it - in my instance I'm already a little self-conscious because of bell's palsy (meaning one side of my face is droopy in a nutshell) so it didn't seem worth the money for a cosmetic fix on a lopsided smile but I have to admit that I'm actually already really pleased I'm doing this and especially this route - it's discrete enough not to make me even MORE self-conscious (At day 3 I have almost no lisp - I was told earlier that had I not told someone beforehand they wouldn't have known)

The interesting part will start tomorrow as I'm taking a weekend getaway to a warm sunny beach. I've packed extras of EVERYTHING just in case. Since I'm off this week I haven't seen a lot of people but no one's noticed so far which is definitely great. The pain has definitely subsided to the point where I can have whatever I want to eat and it is getting easier to put in and take out the trays (and thank god the attachments are all staying put.) Also this has really really killed my mindless eating habit and my mindless nail/hangnail biting habit because there's no way I can chew on anything on my hand with these in.

So for me this absolutely is perfect - even if the end result does take 2 years. Right now I'm guessing about 18 months based on the initial number of trays and refinements but I can absolutely live with this.

[Lala082008]

Wow, Lilyflower, reading your story totally inspired me to try and look into finding an orthodontist who does the G5s. I have a deep bite like yours (maybe a bit deeper) and moderate crowding on top. Also my top teeth tilt in a bit (I'm not sure what that's called). I don't think I can upload a picture yet but I will once I've hit the post requirement.

The few orthodontists I saw didn't think I was a candidate for Invisalign, but I'm hoping I can find one who's more experienced with Invisalign who may know about the G5s. Did your ortho give you any idea about how effective they thought your treatment would be in fixing your overbite? Do you know if it will improve your profile at all (that's definitely something I would like to fix).

[lilyflower]

Wow, Lilyflower, reading your story totally inspired me to try and look into finding an orthodontist who does the G5s. I have a deep bite like yours (maybe a bit deeper) and moderate crowding on top. Also my top teeth tilt in a bit (I'm not sure what that's called). I don't think I can upload a picture yet but I will once I've hit the post requirement.

The few orthodontists I saw didn't think I was a candidate for Invisalign, but I'm hoping I can find one who's more experienced with Invisalign who may know about the G5s. Did your ortho give you any idea about how effective they thought your treatment would be in fixing your overbite? Do you know if it will improve your profile at all (that's definitely something I would like to fix).

For me my ortho thinks this will be as effective as regular braces and take the same amount of time and will definitely fix my bite. Already noticing a difference in it when I have the aligners in and that my lower jaw is so used to being forward when wearing the trays now that I'm now biting like that with the aligners out and I have to remind myself to bite on my molars to chew.

Some pressure/soreness but minimal except for when I bumped myself in the mouth earlier with my water bottle. That made me see stars for a bit. Drinking white wine with them in has been no problem so far as long as I brush after. So it was nice to be able to do that at least

[lilyflower]

So my lower jaw keeps going forward. I can't tell what if anything has changed other than when my aligners are in I now bite way more forward (meaning my molars don't touch in the back at all - there's actually a pretty big gap right now. I'm away but will take a picture when I get home. I really can't even make my molars touch with the trays in now if I wanted to. I'm guessing this is the point to open up my deep bite but it's definitely an abnormal situation. Thankfully I can take these out to eat otherwise I'd have no idea how to chew.

The irritation on my lower lip has now completely healed and aside from the snug feeling of the trays I have no real pain. There's some definite sensitivity but really minimal.

Actually one of the things I'm noticing with biting so much further forward is that my mouth feels bigger. Odd feeling - along with now having so much space between my top and bottom molars that I can now stick my tongue in there.

[ItsFreyja]

I'm looking forward to seeing your progress with opening your deep bite via Invisalign! I also have a deep bite but I opted for traditional braces. Separating the molars is definitely a central part of the treatment as one of the primary mechanisms for opening up a deep bite is extruding the posterior teeth. I would think you'll be able to see that happening especially clearly as you move through your trays -- good luck!

[lilyflower]

I'm looking forward to seeing your progress with opening your deep bite via Invisalign! I also have a deep bite but I opted for traditional braces. Separating the molars is definitely a central part of the treatment as one of the primary mechanisms for opening up a deep bite is extruding the posterior teeth. I would think you'll be able to see that happening especially clearly as you move through your trays -- good luck!

Actually the bottom crowding bothered me more than the deep bite honestly but I'm definitely biting different with the aligners in. I feel like there might've been some movement so far but nothing visible. I have found iced coffee through a straw doesn't stain the aligners. That was today's happy discovery and I've managed to be able to remove, brush, floss and replace the aligners without a mirror.

What I'm noticing most is my bite going forward and a sense of pressure in my top incisors. It's almost like that tray is getting more snug as time goes on which is weird since I am averaging at least 22 hours a day of wearing time. Maybe it's somehow a counterforce thing. I'm not sure but I guess the real test comes next Monday when I change to the next set of aligners.

The lip dryness has mostly recovered and I really don't notice the edges of the aligners unless my mouth is dry. For example, my speech also slurs more when my mouth is dry. Like everyone I'm getting used to brushing in weird places thing - for example an airport bathroom.

I'm in the middle of the airport right now so I'll take some bite pictures with my aligners in tomorrow to see if there's any noticeable difference from day 1