Inman aligners

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jules04
Posts: 45
Joined: Wed Aug 20, 2008 7:06 am
Location: London, UK

#136 Post by jules04 »

Been back to dentist this morning and had impressions for my second clear. Just some tweaking to do on the two front teeth. I may have to have one further clear which will then become my retainer.

My dentist has said we can see how it goes with just a clear retainer but will prob have to have a wire on the back of my teeth as well. That way I will only have to wear the clear a couple of nights a week.

I have said I would prefer to have both rather than just the wire as I have read on several forums that if the wire fails, you don't notice until your teeth move.

*R*
Posts: 13
Joined: Sat Sep 13, 2008 10:31 am
Location: UK

#137 Post by *R* »

Hi everyone!

Well my treatment is complete- as I got my final clear retainer yesterday and don't have to go back to see my ortho again! woohoo! My teeth have moved to the straightest position it can be in and now the clear one will help keep it that way! I am very happy that this clear one does not affect my speech at all! I can hardly notice it in my mouth.......... to be honest I would have probably opted for the invisilign retainer treatment if they did not take very long but invislign treatments takes up to 1 year- whereas I had the inman for about 11 weeks!

So Jules you are having a combination of both now right? did your ortho give you a time estimate of when you should get the final retainer?

I wish all the newbies to IA the best of luck- and remember although your speech will definitely be affected- you must keep wearing it- trust me it will cut down the overall treatment time!
*R*

IA and I have a long way to go, but I hope its an almost painless and speedy journey!

jules04
Posts: 45
Joined: Wed Aug 20, 2008 7:06 am
Location: London, UK

#138 Post by jules04 »

I get the next one in the post probably next week, wear that for 3 weeks and then go back to see if I need one final one. If not, this is the last one and I will have to start weaning myself off it for a few hours each day building up to just night wear. All he said was if the teeth move a lot during the day so much that it hurts at night when I wear the retainer, I will have to think about a fixed wire as well.

V pleased with my results and you sound happy too. I agree, to everyone, just wear the darn thing, you paid for it and it will all be over in a flash. When I think of it, it hasn't affected my life in anyway apart from now my teeth look so much better.

sazzler61
Posts: 9
Joined: Wed Dec 03, 2008 2:38 pm

Got mine on today!

#139 Post by sazzler61 »

Hi, Im new to this- everyone's posts really helped me decide to get mine- which i have done today!

How long did the aligner affect people's speech for?

I know the web says 1 - 2 weeks but it just feela so big!

also how long do ppl manage to wear it for each day? Im a school teacher so until I get used to it and can talk better I cant wear it at work, even though this may add to my treatment time in the long run,

It still means I can wear it about 16 hours a day.

How long to you wear yours?

Thanks!

*R*
Posts: 13
Joined: Sat Sep 13, 2008 10:31 am
Location: UK

#140 Post by *R* »

Welcome Sazzler 61!

When I first got my IA- the speech was pretty bad- but I gave it a chance and even tried to wear it at work- luckily my colleagues were very supportive and answered my phone calls! However, I have to say unfortunately for me- it only got a little bit better ( I don't know about the rest of you?) In fact I remember I used to quickly pop the IA out each time I had deal with a phone call because I could not afford anyone misunderstanding what I am saying! Even towards the end I decided not to wear it at work. So I only got 12-16 hours wear a day- and most of those hours were spent sleeping.
If you do intend on wearing it at work- just constantly try talking at home- and saying words that you say everyday in class- I even attempted to record my voice in the first week to hear what everyone else hears...... I could just about understand it- there were lots of 'shl's' and 'thh's' lol.
*R*

IA and I have a long way to go, but I hope its an almost painless and speedy journey!

sazzler61
Posts: 9
Joined: Wed Dec 03, 2008 2:38 pm

how long?

#141 Post by sazzler61 »

thanks for your reply...i notice you said 'in the end' you didnt wear it at work...how long did it take you to complete the course wearing it for this many hours a day?

for other ppl who have completed or almost completed...how long have you been wearing it? would also be interested to know how others' speech was affected.

thanks

jules04
Posts: 45
Joined: Wed Aug 20, 2008 7:06 am
Location: London, UK

#142 Post by jules04 »

Hi, I wore mine 20-22 hours a day for 12 weeks and got a quick result. My photos are further up this thread if you want to check. My teeth are even straighter now as I have been wearing a clear retainer for the last 3 weeks. My dentist is going to give me the 'official' pics at the end of treatment so I will try and post more then.

There's no getting away from it, the Inman is difficult to speak with but you have to persevere. For the first two weeks I put an ansafone on my work phone and called people back when I took it out to eat. By the end, I was speaking on the phone without a problem. You could still hear the lisping but it wasn't completely incoherant.

You could also try reciting 'The Rainbow Passage' which you can Google - it helps with pronounciation and something else that helped me was reading aloud or singing in the car (on my own).

Good Luck!

*betty*
Posts: 18
Joined: Mon Nov 17, 2008 7:58 am

#143 Post by *betty* »

I found the lisp difficult too. The first two weeks were the worst and it did get better, but the lisp was still there. I only had one person be rude about it (a hospital receptionist who just gave me a really horrible "what on earth are you saying?" look when I tried to ask her something). But, if it's really important, you can always pop the IA out very easily and on the grand scale of things you're not wearing it for long.

To be honest I was more concerned about how it made my face look when i was wearing it. I have a fairly full upper lip and a mild overbite so the IA (which is quite bulky) really pushed it out and made me look like I was pouting all the time. But again I suppose it was the pay off for having quick treatment.

*betty*
Posts: 18
Joined: Mon Nov 17, 2008 7:58 am

My Photos

#144 Post by *betty* »

I've put together a little before and after album but can't post a link on here because I haven't made enough posts yet.

But if anyone would like to have a look - send me a PM and I'll send you a link and a password. :)

daffodil2
Posts: 2
Joined: Thu Dec 04, 2008 12:24 pm

#145 Post by daffodil2 »

Hi, I have been reading your forum and it has been very helpful but I was just wondering if any of you would be able to tell me if the IA has made your teeth loose?
I am serioulsy contemplating getting them, and regardless of the slurred speach my only worry is if it permenantly loosens my teeth!!!
When discussing it with a friend they pointed out that it must make your teeth loose if the treatment is so short - if any of you could help answer this question from experience I would be very grateful!!!

*betty*
Posts: 18
Joined: Mon Nov 17, 2008 7:58 am

#146 Post by *betty* »

Hi daffodil2

If you see some of my previous posts you'll see I had similar worries after my treatment.

I had an Inman aligner on my upper teeth and my very slightly crowded lower teeth straightened with a couple of clear aligners (like invisalign).

During treatment I was a bit freaked out by the upper front tooth being moved most by the Inman being loose (I could move it a bit with my tongue) but of course this is normal and is how any appliance works.

Nearly three months on this tooth is now very stable. However I still have a very small amount of looseness on one of the lower teeth. I notice this is worse depending on what I've been eating (damn you French bread!) - though it may have been like this before treatment - afterall the teeth are moving all the time anyway. And as someone pointed out if it was that loose it would have come out when the impressions were taken for my retainers!

Apparently the Inman - with limititations - can move teeth quickly and safely because the pressure is different and far lower than traditional fixed braces (it squeezes the teeth) and because the teeth have a recovery time when the aligner is removed.

Buzz31
Posts: 26
Joined: Sat Oct 11, 2008 8:46 am

#147 Post by Buzz31 »

I was told to expect my teeth to get loose through the course of treatment, and this is what is expected as that means the Inman is working. My Dentist said they would settle back down after treatment.

I have had my Inman in for 2 weeks today! I have an expander on mine and have just done my 2nd key turn, it actually feels more comfortable. Speech is better, still lisping and i get the occasional 'what' but i just laugh it off. If i have to take a call at work, i pop it out and then return it to my mouth once done. I can take it in and out now without a mirror which is good as well! I think its great and after just two weeks am noticing a difference. I'm so glad i took the plunge, its money well spent.

Also, the best bit - i have lost 4lbs... great news for me!

I can't wait to see the end result...

Buzz31
Posts: 26
Joined: Sat Oct 11, 2008 8:46 am

#148 Post by Buzz31 »

Also, one of my front teeth seem to be moving more than the other, slightly worried about this... i have my 1st check up on 15th eek!

daneo
Posts: 6
Joined: Mon Sep 08, 2008 5:51 am

#149 Post by daneo »

Hi I am in Australia and I am using the IA. been 12 weeks now at 12 hours per day and I have seen some improvement but still seems like I have a long way to go

today I had my last appt in Australia and I am moving back to Canada so continue treatment. I jsut found out today that they misquoted me. they said the whole thing cost 1200 AUD but that was a misquote...it acutally cost 1900 AUD. thats a BIG misquote. I would have paid for it anyway but i am kind of pissed

daffodil2
Posts: 2
Joined: Thu Dec 04, 2008 12:24 pm

#150 Post by daffodil2 »

thanks very much for your reply, I hope to make an appointment after Christmas so fingers crossed all goes ok!!

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