Inman aligners

[dreamer89]

I felt like that too until I started to see movement- then was quite glad about the no pain. when you say pictures at a family wedding, are they far away? the ones I'm looking at are closeups and that's the only way you'll see movement unless it's dramatic...

[smiletime]

I have seen close ups too. Ones I took when I first got it.

Maximum a 15% improvement, if even. Nothing has moved since week 3.

[LilPickle]

I dont get any pain with mine either. Although I did right at the beginning. I'm going back to see my dentist tonight - i'm at about 7 weeks. Really pleased with the movement of my front tooth and they look sooooo much better. The rotated one doesnt seem to have moved at all though despite composite on both the front and the back to push it round! Hoping he's going to prove me wrong on the "no movement" front though when we look at the photos.

I want to be done with it now. I hate the fact I cant ever find a comfortable place to rest my jaw/tongue with it in. My tongue is constantly down the gap between the back of my front teeth and the back bar. The imprint of the aligner wires is so deep I dont think its every going to fade now!!

[smiletime]

Me too The imprint will be a permanent reminder!

I also eat like a cow chewing the cud. All the composites have changed the way I chew!

[Tigger]

Yes it will be for the top. He said only two of his patients have had colour on their IA, but he thinks it's quite cool.

I know you're meant to take them out to eat, but is there anything you can get away with eating with them in? I don't get a lunch break at work so normally snack during break and while I'm writing notes later on. If I can speak clearly enough to wear it at work I don't really want to be messing about taking it out just for a yoghurt and a bit of fruit.

Also I have a tongue stud, it's quite far back and rarely touches my teeth and he didn't mention me having to take it out. Does anyone think I'd have problems with it?

[dreamer89]

Hi Tigger,

I can't help re tongue stud I'm afraid - although the bar that doesn't move on the IA may get in the way/hopefully it won't get caught underneath it.... see what your dentist thinks.
I wouldn't eat with the IA in. The reason I say this is because there are places food can get in which you can't clean... where the bar joins the plasticyou can't get to and I know quite a few people have had this [problem.My thoughts are that if you ate with it in your more likely to get food particles stuck in it and therefore it would be more likely to smell/be unhygenic. I haven't eaten with it or heard of anyone who has. Also can't bite together properly with it in, which isn't an issue with a youghurt obviously but may be for other things.
another thought on the colour...if you're trying to take it out and stash it away quickly/without people noticing(like I do at work)then a colour is more likely to bring attention to it, but other than thatI don't see why you shouldn't have a colour as it's for your top jaw.

[Tigger]

Hi,

It wouldn't bother me if my team saw it (we deal with much less desirable sites on our ward!), and I guess I could always nip to the bathroom if I was out somewhere. And, as I am 5'3" the only people who look up at me are my young niece and nephews. So it may have to be a purple decision :)

[dreamer89]

it sounds like purple it is I wouldn't have the problem of people looking up to me either!

[LilPickle]

I've got yet more composite on my rotated tooth so it sticks out quite far now but hopefully that should increase the pressure enough to get it moving. He is also going to order some different springs for next time i go and put composite behind them to make them tighter - has anyone had this?

Purple sounds good to me - might look a bit cleaner than the clear does!

[tipps]

It's been ages since I've updated my progress. I got my bottom aligner this week and when I first put it on I didn't feel any pressure and it doesn't click in place as securely as the top. I thought it was not going to work very well as it didn't feel as tight like the top. My dentist filed in between all 6 of the bottom front teeth and for a few days my tongue kept catching between one of them. But the first night of wearing them I feel the "movement" pain, which is strange to say but was a great pain! I think I see some movement already but I think I have a long way more to go as one tooth is very overlapped and I think he probably will have to file more.

I got my top retainers as well, the clear ones but I'm not wearing them as I think when I had the moulds done, I don't think my teeth were fully in place. I run my fingers over the retainer and I feel an annoying slight protrusion. I'm also not very comfortable with wearing them although I talk so much better with them which made me think if I should have gone for the invisalign, but I really don't like the shiny glaze, pockets of air bubbles, plastic-ness about them. So I am wearing my bottom and top aligner when I'm at home, which isn't as bad as everyone said, but of course I don't talk very well. I'm also not able to wear my bottom aligners during the day due to my new (customer facing) job, so I hope my bottom teeth will get a chance to move into place, and my top, not out of place.

smiletime, did your dentist file your teeth enough? Mine stopped moving at one point and I had to ask for more filing. Sometimes I even push on the retainer once in a while to create more pressure on the tooth I want to pop back in line. (I hope my dentist doesn't read this post as I don't think he'll be pleased with my self initiative methods!)

[smiletime]

Hi Tipps,

Yes he has done a small amount of filing, but nowhere near what I was expecting.
When I floss there is still space, so perhaps I am okay?

I do the same as you, I push on my aligner to make sure its in good and tight. Even when I do that, I feel no pressure on my teeth. Is this normal?! Even when pressing?

[LilPickle]

Well the composite they put on two days ago has just chipped off - annoying. Especially on a Friday night! Will have to ring them on Monday but my dentist is on holiday now so not sure if i'll have to see someone else or what. Quite annoyed because I think the tooth has moved in a few days and now i'll have two or more days of wearing it with no effect.

[tipps]

Hi smiletime,
I think you should feel some pressure when you press. I do on the protruding tooth. Are you wearing your bar lower (if it's top arch) or higher (if bottom) as well? That helps a lot with increasing the pressure. It doesn't look right but it works for the last bit of movement.

If you floss and feel that it isn't tight then there should be enough space. I stick my fingernail in between to see if it moves a little and then I know that there is enough space. It's a little scary cos my tooth (the top protruding one) seems to move quite a bit when I try to wobble it.

Remind me again what's your teeth situation? What's protruding or rotated, or what needs moving? Hopefully the problem is just that you are wearing the bar too high or low or maybe need to get composites. But your dentist would have recommended that if it was the case.

[smiletime]

Hi smiletime,
I think you should feel some pressure when you press. I do on the protruding tooth. Are you wearing your bar lower (if it's top arch) or higher (if bottom) as well? That helps a lot with increasing the pressure. It doesn't look right but it works for the last bit of movement.

If you floss and feel that it isn't tight then there should be enough space. I stick my fingernail in between to see if it moves a little and then I know that there is enough space. It's a little scary cos my tooth (the top protruding one) seems to move quite a bit when I try to wobble it.

Remind me again what's your teeth situation? What's protruding or rotated, or what needs moving? Hopefully the problem is just that you are wearing the bar too high or low or maybe need to get composites. But your dentist would have recommended that if it was the case.

Hi Tipps,
When I press, I feel nothing It's just so weird. My bar is on the top arch.

The outer bar sits down low on my teeth and the back bow sits up high the way the dentist showed me. I have been wearing it like this since day 1.

The dentist has put so many composites in at this stage, I don't know what is my own teeth

I have been wearing it correctly, just seems either the aligner is broken or something. Or my teeth are REALLY stubborn!

One tooth is being pushed forward, the 2nd is being rotated slightly, and the other 2 aren't being touched by the aligner at all now The dentist has adjusted the aligner so now it is only pushing the 2 outer teeth.

So all the work that was done fixing the other 2 has gone to waste as they have moved back to original position since he adjusted the brace.

I have lost all faith in it now I just feel a bit disappointed by it all and worried my teeth won't be fixed for my wedding day.

I am hoping that a miracle may happen, that I wake up one morning shocked at the MASSIVE improvement. I don't think so though

Apologies for being such a sad sack. Just need to tell people who are going through the same so I can believe it will get better

[dreamer89]

aw smiletime you sound really low I really hope things start progressing soon for you! when's the big day?