Inman aligners

[bethrn]

I just got my IA today. I had originally asked my dentist about a retainer to help keep my teeth from shifting after losing a bottom molar to a failed root canal. I needed a dental implant, but honestly couldn't afford it. Four months ago he took an impression, and said he would have me a spring retainer made that would keep my teeth from shifting any further. I'm not quite sure what the problem was, but he kept running into obstacles with the retainer labs, and... well... I ended up with an IA instead. He only charged me the initial $500 USD that the retainer would have cost me, and now we are going to not only keep my teeth from shifting any more, but he says we are going to straighten them with this IA device. I am ecstatic. I have a small gap in the middle, and one tooth is having to be pushed back. I had some filing done today before I left with the IA. He says pushing this one tooth back should cause the tooth next to it to shift and fill the gap. We shall see. I have a simple upper IA appliance (standard). How much would this normally cost in the US? It looks like it runs around $1600+ in England. Just curious. I think he way undercharged me, but I also think I am his first guinea pig with the IA.

[green eyes]

Hi all,

I read through all the posts and it's amazing all the stories I can relate to ( well the majority ) I got my IA fitted on the 20th of this month so 10 days already. The pain at the start was unreal, the pressure on my teeth, i couldnt eat or chew but i knew it would all be worth it ( hopefully ) then it started going through my mind was it worth it, would the pain ever go away. My speech was sluuuuuurrrrrrreeeedd haha everyone in work was like what is up with her but when i said that i got the brace everyone was great.

Now 10 days on it still hurt a tiny bit, I cant bite into anything yet ( too scared to try ) my speech is SO much better cause i'm wearing the IA 21-22 hours a day, you have to keep talking and wear it as much as you can it wont get better if you dont. But can i say that all your posts are so helpful and i was laughing through most of them cause i feel the same.

When i see and hear the final results it keeps me going and i cant wait to be there !! I have my next check up on the 10th Aug, not looking forward to the filing but sure no pain no gain as many have said above.

I'm in Ireland and am going to Richmond/ Molloy who seem to be really nice, altough he didnt give me much info to go on, i've been getting it through these forums.

I've lost a bit of weight already cause i'm not snacking, drinking tea ( i'd have 3 sugars in 1 tea ) i'm staying away from fry ups in the morning cuase i cant be bothered taking it out in the morning ( apart from brushing my teeth ) so i'm only having lunch and dinner, which is great cause i have a wedding to go to in Sept in NY so i need to look my best for that.

To all the people that are not wearing it through the day, i just think you have to try and it gets way better. Everyone in work can understand my i only have troouble with D's and J's so i choose my words. I cant wait to hear everyone elses experiences on this forum esp from people who have got it fitted around the same time as me.

It's hard to tell if it has moved much. One of my front teeth over laps the other and it a lil rotated and my left outdie tooth is a lil rotated also. I look at them every chance i get so i'm not noticing anything but a couple of people have said that they can see that it has moved.

One thing i am worried about is that, i have heard from the post before that the teeth move back really quickly if you leave it out too long? I think at the end of this i'm getting the permenent wire fitted to hold them in place?

I'd be really interested to hear from anyone that has gotten this fitted and how was it as although people have mentioned it above i hadnt read any stories, or if it's working or if a retainer would be better? I wasnt given a choice, the dentist just said that's what i was getting lol

Anyway keep smiling and i cant wait to hear from you all !!

Hi Caroline

I just wanted to reply to you as i also went thorough Redmond/molloy for my IA

I have actually finished my treatment, i was dealing with Dr Molloy (just once actually) then with Jo who i found great. I was driving up from the west of Ireland every 2 weeks!!! so it was a long haul but SO worth it. When i first got the brace it was torture but within 8-10 weeks my teeth were perfect!! i was fitted about 1 month ago with the wire....it is great. i was like 'there is no way this thin wire will hold my teeth in place' but it does!! you get used to it almost immediately. You have to get special floss but apart from that its grand..i still dont bite into apples etc as it was my 2 front teeth that i had probs with initially, so i never bit into anything anyway so it makes no difference.

In relation to your teeth moving back: I went to a wedding in NY in the middle of treatment and for the first time did not wear it during day ( for nearly 3 days) and i did notice that my teeth moved back ....but i wore it when i went to bed and the next morning they had moved back again. A retainer just would not work for me cause i would forget to wear it etc... i ws really apprehensive at first about the the wire but it really really works.

Just one piece of advise..i wore my IA almost 22 hrs a day and it really shortened my time, it is such a small time and when u finish it makes a big difference.I have a super smile in all photos now!!!

good luck

[CarolineF]

Hi Caroline

I just wanted to reply to you as i also went thorough Redmond/molloy for my IA

I have actually finished my treatment, i was dealing with Dr Molloy (just once actually) then with Jo who i found great. I was driving up from the west of Ireland every 2 weeks!!! so it was a long haul but SO worth it. When i first got the brace it was torture but within 8-10 weeks my teeth were perfect!! i was fitted about 1 month ago with the wire....it is great. i was like 'there is no way this thin wire will hold my teeth in place' but it does!! you get used to it almost immediately. You have to get special floss but apart from that its grand..i still dont bite into apples etc as it was my 2 front teeth that i had probs with initially, so i never bit into anything anyway so it makes no difference.

In relation to your teeth moving back: I went to a wedding in NY in the middle of treatment and for the first time did not wear it during day ( for nearly 3 days) and i did notice that my teeth moved back ....but i wore it when i went to bed and the next morning they had moved back again. A retainer just would not work for me cause i would forget to wear it etc... i ws really apprehensive at first about the the wire but it really really works.

Just one piece of advise..i wore my IA almost 22 hrs a day and it really shortened my time, it is such a small time and when u finish it makes a big difference.I have a super smile in all photos now!!!

good luck [/quote]


Thanks for the reply ! It's nice to hear from a local ( Irish )experience, just so i know that they're good I've had mine in now 3 weeks a can see a huge difference so hopefully it wont be much longer like you 8 - 10 weeks??

I've my check up tomorrow ( first one ) so hopefully he can give me a timeframe then. HAHA like you I have a wedding in N.Y in 4 weeks time. I dont think i'll be takiung it out much ( only when eating ) cause i want to get my teeth straight asap.. .... I wear it about 21-22 hours a day.

I'm worried about not being able to bite into anything, espicially you have your wire and you still cant?? Like you i had problems with one of my front teeth overlapping the other.... does it get better... will I ever be able to eat a burger or pizza again without having to use a knife and fork cutting it into a small piece?? lol

Anyway thanks again for the reply.....

[Irishbrace]

Hi Caroline

I just wanted to reply to you as i also went thorough Redmond/molloy for my IA

I have actually finished my treatment, i was dealing with Dr Molloy (just once actually) then with Jo who i found great. I was driving up from the west of Ireland every 2 weeks!!! so it was a long haul but SO worth it. When i first got the brace it was torture but within 8-10 weeks my teeth were perfect!! i was fitted about 1 month ago with the wire....it is great. i was like 'there is no way this thin wire will hold my teeth in place' but it does!! you get used to it almost immediately. You have to get special floss but apart from that its grand..i still dont bite into apples etc as it was my 2 front teeth that i had probs with initially, so i never bit into anything anyway so it makes no difference.

In relation to your teeth moving back: I went to a wedding in NY in the middle of treatment and for the first time did not wear it during day ( for nearly 3 days) and i did notice that my teeth moved back ....but i wore it when i went to bed and the next morning they had moved back again. A retainer just would not work for me cause i would forget to wear it etc... i ws really apprehensive at first about the the wire but it really really works.

Just one piece of advise..i wore my IA almost 22 hrs a day and it really shortened my time, it is such a small time and when u finish it makes a big difference.I have a super smile in all photos now!!!

good luck

Green eyes- I have the fixed wire too. Its really great and I hardly notice it. I was a bit surprised at the amount of stuff used to hold it on the back of the teeth initially but would rather that than it come off.

Is yours at the very top of your teeth?

[Kye1974]

Hi Everyone,

I wanted to share my experience as I wondered if this was normal. I have the inman aligner for my bottom teeth, I've been using it for almost 4 weeks and whilst at first the pain was horrible when I took it in and out it was bearable. This past week it has been really painful, the teeth which it hooks onto ache and the gum on one side is really indented and hurts like mad. At first I was wearing the inman aligner for approximately 20 hours per day, now I wear it for about 6 hours and have to take it out and I'm afraid to put it back in. My main concern is the indentation on the gum, this is only on one side but it's quite deep. Has anyone else experience this ?

Thanks,
Michaela

[kristina :)]

hiya

i have been researching about the inman aligner for a couple of months now and am really intrested.. but because the nearest dentist that does this treatment has put the price of it at £1,500.... thats stopped me from going ahead... which is so annoying as i cant stand my wonky teeth anymore!

if anyone who has an inman aligner could tell me about what its like.. that would be great!!!!
i am a bit confused tho? is the cost of the retainer (that u have once the IA has worked its magic!) included in the £1,500... or do you have to pay for that aswell ?

thanks for your help
-kristina xxx

[emmsyg]

Hi all,

I'm due to go for my initial consultation for the IA on Monday, and can't wait. Will be my first time to the dentist in 10 years! Hopefully will be suitable for this treatment, as it sounds like the perfect solution for straightening teeth without having to wear braces for 2 years!

My main concern are the two teeth either side of my front teeth, one of which is slightly pushed out, the other slightly pushed in. Has anyone used the IA for a similar problem, and what was your experience?

I'm going to a dentist in Warrenpoint, Northern Ireland, and he has told me the cost will be around £800 which seems cheap in comparison to what I've read elsewhere, I'm sure there will be hidden costs on arrival for check ups/retainers etc, but I'll keep you posted!

Thanks to everyone for all the advice on this forum, it's really helped me make the decision to get something done about my teeth which have been bothering me for years!

[Sherral]

Hello all,

Just stopped by to let you all know how I have been getting on.

Recap: I started wearing my inman aligner in November 08 and by Jan 09 my teeth were straight.

Present: I am still wearing the aligner at night and for a small amount during the day. Decided to go down the fixed retainer option as my teeth are still migrating when not wearing the aligner.

Having a couple of fillings and then will be back off to Kiss dental to get my molds taken for my retainer.

I have some photos which I will post tonight if I remember.

Keep smiling!

x

[jimmychews]

Hi emmsyg, I'd be really interested to see how you get on as I'm in NI too and am looking into these. Everywhere I have looked at so far is charging varying upfront consultation fees so I don't want to be wasting money finding someone I like...

[emmsyg]

No worries, my initial consultation fee is only £25 with Gentle Dental clinic in Warrenpoint, and I've seen others charging about £80 for this alone! Will let you know hopefully on Monday what the total charge is going to be (if I'm suitable!) and how they'll be about flexible payment.

Got to be worth it for straight teeth though!

[janie]

Sherral,

Would love to see some photos!

I am now on week 23... I had the mould taken for my clear as I haven't had any movement for weeks now so we're hoping the clear will put the final bit into place before I use it as my retainer.

I initially expected 12-16 weeks so it has taken much longer!

Did anyone see any movement once moving onto the clear? (That was supposed to) I'm concerned my teeth are never going to be straight!

[jimmychews]

Thanks emmsyg, so far I've been quoted £75 and £90 for consultations alone and I'm not even sure what I need and everyone seems to run with different things e.g. clearstep, invisalign, these etc so I could end up paying that a few times over to find what I'm suitable for

[CarolineF]

Ok it has been 6 weeks since i got my inman fitted, i'm so used to it now my speech is much better but has its moments!

One thing i think i read this on this thread but on Friday night ( went to bed really drunk and tired ) and woke up in the middle of the night missing my brace lol i thought for a min i swallowed it or something? I must have taken it out in my sleep cause it was hurting me or something... really weird hope it doesnt become a habit !

Also can anyone tell me when will i be able to bite into anything? I'm tired of eating my sandwiches with a knife and fork? All i want is a big burger and to bite into it lol ! Going back to the densist on the 08th Sept, was there last week and he took all the cement off the back of my teeth as the back spring was slipping out all the time which he said was from my teeth moving ... which is a good sign... hopefully not much longer

[MissyE]

Hi all,

had my inman aligners fitted Wednesday last week (19th). The first few days the pain was unbearable whether it was on and off, and has now resided to only being painful upon taking it off and putting it back on.
However, it seems now that where the inman hooks in (the back teeth) the tooth there seems to be a lot more painful than the teeth that are supposedly moving, and has led me to question
a) should the back teeth hurt so much?
b) shouldn't my teeth be more painful still?

Obviously I can't bite down on my front teeth, as that would probably lead to a fair bit of pain, but I can't seem to feel the pressure that I felt constantly in the beginning.
Just looking for assurance that this is normal?

Many thanks

Ems

[emmsyg]

Well, just back from my first consultation, and am pretty happy. Will get my brace in 3 weeks and have been told the total cost will be between £800-£1000, but no more, and that includes all visits and the retainer at the end. Dentist seems really nice, and didn't try to talk me into any additional treatment, so Jimmychews, if travelling to Warrenpoint wouldn't be a big deal for you, I'd highly recommend it from my experience so far!

A bit nervous, but looking forward to getting my IA!