Inman aligners

[NickelNikki]

Well, they're on! My dentist went for both sets at once so that my treatment will hopefully be finished in time for my return to University. It was £750 for each aligner.

The actual procedure went great! Nothing at all was painful or uncomfortable. My dentist was friendly and helpful and his nurse had just finished her treatment with them also. I got my teeth filed down and some composite blobs put on to hold the device in place. There's some clear molds on my back teeth that are apparently to expand my bite a bit.

Contrary to a lot of people's experiences people can understand what I'm saying straight away, although I'm lisping a fair bit and I'm definitely creating a lot more saliva. I'm trying to use the same words as normal instead of limiting my vocabulary to accommodate for the lisp.

Now that they've been on for a few minutes the right hand side of my mouth hurts a bit, but the IA are tighter on that side as that's the side where the teeth need to move the most.

Personally I think they look pretty cool! Although when I fully close my mouth I have a long horse face now (small lips and reasonably bulky devices does not inconspicuous treatment make). I'll post some pictures of my before and during if people would like?

[totallytwisted]

After coming back from the dentist today I would not recommend the inman aligner. I am nearly 8 months in and my teeth are not straight. I was hoping to go into the dentist today, get impressions for clear aligners, recieve them in 2 weeks time and be finished treatment completely with straight teeth 4 weeks after that. Apparently I now have to pay £200+ for the clear aligners because the lab has told my dentist that the inman aligner is not supposed to straighten your teeth properly, just a bit. This is not what I was led to believe when I went to the dentist in August and shown a model (that had come back from the lab) showing what my teeth would look like at the end of treatment using only the inman aligners, when i paid and when i was told it would take 9 weeks. I am not happy. The Inman aligner has failed in my case and I'm sure you can all appreciate how disappointed I am that I still have to cover my mouth when I laugh or smile after all this time, money and discomfort. Just thought I would warn everyone that it doesn't work for everyone even if they tell you your case is simple. You might just end up like me :(

Good luck to everyone x

[NickelNikki]

Sorry to hear that Totallytwisted! I guess not all cases are that straight forward (if you'll excuse the unintentional pun). I would say though that this is subjective to the individual; my teeth are already on the move.

Although, annoyingly, I keep waking up without my top aligner in my mouth. I dimly remember taking it off with my tongue (?!) yesterday morning, and this morning I woke up to it falling off. I'm not sure if the composite blobs need making bigger or if I'm just a really aggressive sleeper as I don't have this problem during the day.

[jem]

Totallytwisted,

I am very sorry to hear that you have not got the results that you wanted. Might it be useful to get a second opinion from another orthodontist?

When I first went to my orthodontist, I was hoping for a removable appliance like an Inman Aligner. She told me an Inman Aligner would not do a good job in my case and that she viewed Inman Aligners more as devices for gross movement of teeth before cosmetic dental work. I ended up with a sectional fixed brace on just my 6 ( now front teeth.

However, there have been pictures on this thread of people who have obviously achieved good results with the Inman Aligner, and I think a lot comes down to the skill of the dentist in deciding which cases can be treated with the Inman Aligner.

Also, I think the Inman Aligner is often used by non-specialist dentists who do not do fixed braces. They usually get good improvements in alignment and appearance of the front teeth, but perhaps not quite to the picky standard that a specialist orthodontist might demand.This will usually be fine when a case goes well with the Inman Aligner, but if it does not, the non-specialist may then find themselves with no satisfactory plan B.

Anyway, good luck to all those undergoing treatment with the Inman Aligner and I am jealous that you will finish more quickly than me!

Jem

[princesspwdi]

I have had my inman aligners 3 weeks today (total time estimated by dentist before treatment has started is 14 weeks). I was worrying that I could see no change, however friends and family have said that they can now see a slight difference! I am not convincinced! Been told that I should see a noticable change but a week monday, which is when my next appointment is.

I now hardly notice my aligner is in. I'm really used to wearing it and I don;t think it sticks out as much anymore as my teeth must have been pushed back slightly.

My speech has improved and so has the excessive salivating. I have noticed that it is worse in the afternoon or when I am tired. Talking for long periods of time is difficult.

My colleagues and friends are so used to me wearing it now I don't think they even notice it! hopefully only 11 weeks to go.

[NickelNikki]

Getthemoutgetthemoutgetthemout.

Ok, seriously, other than the horrific pain, I'm happy. They're working

[Ozzy Aligner]

Hi All, I have been reading through all the posts & have found a lot of useful information.
I am almost 3 weeks into having my Inman Aligners fitted.
I was very shocked when I first opened my mouth to speak but have to say things have improved a bit, I am not sure if that is because I know now what words to avoid if I can (i.e. words containing D, T & J sounds) obviously it cannot always be avoided.
I was instructed to clean once a day with soft brush & soap but after the 3rd day the appliance started to smell really bad.
I had my 2 weekly check up 3 days ago, I had some filing & grinding done & a larger button placed on back of front tooth to help the aligner stay in position. Not sure if any changes were made to the aligner itself?
I mentioned the bad smell & the dentist advised me to use denture cleaner but still clean with brush & soap beforehand. I have since been using the denture cleaner (soaking for 3 minutes once a day) & the smell has vanished :)
I have noticed since this vist that the saliva feels very thick, almost like it is getting stuck between roof of mouth & appliance (anyone else experienced this?)
All the best to everyone with their IA experience! :)

[NickelNikki]

It might seem silly, but I'm certain my bottom front two teeth have moved a tiny bit already, and it's only 4 days in! The picture on the left is before the aligners, the picture on the right is today.

[Ozzy Aligner]

NickelNikki, it does actually look like there has been Some slight movement, good for you!
I personally cannot notice any movement in my teeth but the dentist & a couple of friends say they can see a difference.
I guess because I am looking in the mirror every morning to see if I can see a difference it is harder for me to notice?

[NickelNikki]

Thankyou! My teeth feel really wobbly now, it's strange trying to chew things.

Quite possibly. When you see something every day you watch the changes progress that slowly and subtly that you get accustomed to them without ever really recognizing them properly. I bet there's a difference, especially if people are commenting on it D'you plan on posting any pictures?

My top aligner pings out at 4am every morning, it's pretty consistent! It's started doing it in the day time now too unfortunately and it won't even go in today so I think that my top teeth may possibly take longer than the bottom. I'm gonna see my dentist tomorrow, maybe he can make the composite blobs bigger or something.

[Ozzy Aligner]

NickelNikki,
I don't quite see how your aligner pings out?? Mine are different to yours though. I have a thin metal wire running through the centre of the clear piece at the front which is not detachable. From your pictures it looks as though the clear piece at the front of yours is removable?
Sorry but I won't be posting any pics....you see the reason behind me having the aligners is due to a fall where I smashed a front tooth out on our front footpath 5 months ago.
A small portion of the tooth remains but the nerve has died & it has discolured (not a very nice look)
My dentist wants to keep that portion but straighten out the front teeth & place a crown over it.
Never say never though I might get a bit brave & post a pic??

[NickelNikki]

Well, I went to see my lovely dentist today and he said that the changes in my mouth means that more pressure needs to be applied to my back teeth whilst putting the aligner in. He showed me how to do it, you really have to force it on there now. It works though, and at least it means there's some change happening!

Ahh, I see I'm a little envious of your wire, I actually really like the look of them haha. I really hope that you're pleased with your results, and I'm sorry to hear about your accident. I think we all see our own flaws more vividly than other people see them.

My boyfriend was pretty surprised when he saw I was posting pictures of my teeth, because I'm always so careful to never ever show them. I guess it's knowing that they'll soon be better that's spurring me on! Even if, frustratingly, everyone but my dentist and I seem to think that they're fine the way they are. I like being able to clean between my bottom teeth now!

I hope you get up the courage to show off your smile some day. We're all doing this for a reason, and I'm fairly sure most of us will end up with great looking teeth.

[Ozzy Aligner]

Hi fellow aligners, I had my 4 week check up yesterday & my dentist was amazed at how quickly my teeth have moved! I had some more filing done also.
I am so glad I took before photo's or I would probably not notice the change as much.
My treatment may just be over in a total of 9 weeks!!
These things are amazing. 9 weeks versus 24 months with traditional braces.
It is well worth the hassle of not being able to speak very well :)
To anyone considering the Inman Aligner, I say go for it!

[danonone]

Hi everyone

My name's Dan and I just had my consultation for straightening my teeth. Everyone tells me they dont need it but I notice! The front two have sort of gone inwards towards the back of my throat with the right hand incisor sticking out, I am constanyly biting my bottom lip and have developed a bit of a hard skin bit on there which I now find myself nibbling making things worse! I have always been self conscious when laughing and smiling and find it hard to look people in the eye because of it all.

Well I'm a month away from clearing a very large loan I had so have decided to invest the money in sorting my damn teeth out.

The dentist I went to see was bloody fantastic, they recommended the IA as the clear aligners wont move my teeth fast enogh and it could take about 18 months to get the same result, he said the same about 6 month smiles.

I am in a sales/advisory role at work, either speaking face to face at clients premises or on the phone in the office. As you can appreciate I am pretty worried about what people have been saying on here about the speech problems. Is this really going to effect my job? Can I leave them out for the 6-8 odd hours I need to be speaking? I'm sure colleagues wont mind fielding my phone calls for me between say 9 and 11 but I cant expect them to do it all day.

I have my initial clean/check-up on 28th May. Then will choose to start treatment or not, so I have a few weeks to make my mind up. I have 2 weeks annual leave on 30th July, maybe I could get them fitted just before this so I have 2 weeks to sort my speech out??

What do you all reckon? Man up and just do it? Or is it going to be too much of a hurdle at work, maybe go for the slower options? PS dont fancy fixed braces.

I've also been quoted about 1800 for this. Its a proper posh clinic though and one of the few places that will do it near me in Gloucestershire. they will give me free teeth whitening and a retainer included in this too, either removable or more likely bonded. Is this a good price? not looking for the cheapest but I dont want to be paying way over the odds.

Sorry for massively long first post. I look forward to hearing from you all and sharing my experiences over the coming weeks and months,

Kind regards,

D

[princesspwdi]

hi Dan,

I've had my IA for nearly 5weeks now and i hardly notice it anymore. my speech was quite bad for about 3 weeks but since then has been ok. i still lisp a bit it is understandable. i wear it everywhere and never feel conscious about it.

i can't notice much of a change in my teeth at the moment. i thought that it would have improved a lot by this point but family and friends have said that they can notice a difference.
i still have around 9weeks to go though so plenty of time for it to change. it has gone so fast.

i paid 1600pound for the treatment and the retainer.

let me know how you get on