There must be something in the water

[rhibee83]

WOW!!!!! PERFECT!! you must be so happy they look amazing!!! I am jealous! lol.

beautiful smile

[Kipepeo]

Ok so I won't lie, it was not a pleasant experience to have them removed. I have very sensitive teeth with some gum recession. My dentist has used a densitization product on me in the past called Gluma. It basically seals the tiny holes in the dentin that allow air and liquids in and cause sensitivity. It has to be reapplied every 6 months or so.

Anyway, they put some special green Gluma on my teeth for about a minute and rinsed it off. Thank God they did this. So the assistant removed the lower metals with ease, without even removing the wire. I kept this! I know, I'm weird.

She had to remove the wire from the ceramic uppers first, but they still had the lacing on them. Those were a little tougher to remove, and some of them shattered. She had me bite down on a cotton roll to stabilize the teeth, which helped a lot.

Then the ortho started cleaning the glue. Yikes, that is a nasty experience. I don't think I could have survived it without the Gluma. On some teeth it felt like he was drilling straight into my nerve - for real. But I knew he only spent about 10-15 seconds on each tooth, so I just sucked it up.

I was really nervous though and started sweating like crazy. I was afraid it would show through my light blue t-shirt I was wearing. My hands were soaking wet.

Then finally he was done, and I survived! I thought my teeth would be ultra sensitive afterwards. But that is not the case, thanks to the Gluma.

Now I have the temporary tray retainers and I totally despise them. The upper doesn't fit well, so they took another impression and I go back tomorrow for a replacement. When I speak, saliva spews from the top of the upper one. So lady-like! I'm not sure if it's just my mouth making too much saliva, or this tray not fitting correctly.

In any case, now starts a different, albeit equally loathsome phase of treatment. How I long for nighttime only wear!

[djspeece]

What an ordeal, Kipepeo. I guess it's another rite of passage. It just doesn't seem to get easier. Best of luck to you though, the result is stunning.

[maralv]

so jealous... congrats they look perfect!

[bmueller]

Great looking teeth! There MUST be something in the water. Today I got mine off too! Yay!

[TMJJill]

I think all of you are sending out good vibes. I had an ortho appointment today and he told me they would come off at my next appointment. I have a couple teeth that have been moving incredibly slow and I gave up asking him about an estimated timeframe to get them off months ago. I was completely surprised by this good news.

[Kipepeo]

Yay for you, Jill!

[jem]

Hi Kip,

I hope you get on OK with your call to your ortho today.

I understand that vivera retainers are made by invisalign and expect that they will be very similar to invisalign trays. Huge numbers of people are fine with invisalign trays top and bottom on an almost 24/7 basis and the chances are that you will be too.So maybe you will find that your problems disappear once you have got rid of the temporary retainers. When are you scheduled to get the vivera ones?

I am wearing my clear retainer during the day as well as at night. It has now "bedded in" well and my speech is fine and the occasional saliva problem seems to have stopped. It may be overkill wearing it during the day when I also have the fixed retainer, but so much of my tooth movement took place in the last few weeks weeks in braces that I do not want to put too much strain on the fixed retainer. But I will not wear the clear retainer for a couple of hours when I go to the pub tomorrow and for a meal out on Thursday, so the fixed one gives me opportunities for slacking which would otherwise have worried me.

All the best

Jem

[Kipepeo]

Jem, they said it takes about 3 weeks for the viveras to come in.

[SunshineRay]

Your teeth look beautiful!

[oldfart]

"So the assistant removed the lower metals with ease, without even removing the wire. I kept this! I know, I'm weird."

Are you going to turn this into a necklace? I can see a new trend here. Orthodontic Jewelry.

Don't you think a bracket would make a good ear ring stud? Heck some people could even use them as a tongue stud.

[Kipepeo]

Pretty sure kids use stud earring backs to make fake braces!

[Kipepeo]

Don't you think a bracket would make a good ear ring stud? Heck some people could even use them as a tongue stud.

Speaking from experience, OF? Who in the world would want one of these things BACK in their mouth? That's just ridiculous!

Actually, a couple people suggested a bracelet since it fits about half way around my arm already.

[Kipepeo]

Ok had the ortho appt for the Vivera impressions. I got to talking about all my issues with my current retention, the proposed Vivera retention, etc. the ortho was really contemplating the best approach for me. After about 30 mins of thinking and a call to Aligntech (makers of Vivera), we decided Vivera is the best option for me. It has its pros and cons, as they all do. S I got the impressions and I have my follow up in 4 weeks. They'll call me if they come in earlier.

The impressions are different than normal. This is a 2 part process. They take one impression first and before it hardens they push and pull the tray forward and back to make a space. She had to repeat the upper at this step because it didn't come out right. Then they fill this space with a different, special goop. This whole blob goes back in the mouth for about 2 mins....that's each arch. The impression for the upper has some bubbles on the very last tooth, which may get returned from the lab, or maybe not. There's a chance I won't see these new retainers for quite some time.

I can't have a bonded retainer on top due to my crowns on my laterals. He felt an upper Hawley would not hold my teeth the way he wants them held. So Vivera is really my only choice. Yes, I almost got a bonded retainer today.

[Marigold]

Your teeth look beautiful!

Hopefully there IS something in the water and I'll get mine off soon too. I hear ya about the sensitivity and that drill thing that removes the glue. Every time they've readjusted brackets I've gone thru the roof. It's not just the discomfort, but the ANTICIPATION of the discomfort that gets me worked up. I dread thinking about having all my teeth done at once, but I suppose I'll survive it Brushing with Sensodyne for a few weeks before and taking ibuprofen seems to help. I'll have to ask about that Gluma stuff.

Congrats on your nice new smile!