On Last of 31 Trays, But Still Have a While to Finish

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#1 Post by **Wireless** » Wed Apr 14, 2010 8:57 am

I have made it to the last of 31 trays, but still am not finished with Invisalign. To this point, my orthodontist has worked to intrude my lower front teeth and correct my deep bite where initially my lower teeth were contacting my upper gums behind my front incisors.

Now that this is complete, my ortho sectioned my trays, removing the part of my upper and lower that covered my molars and second pre-molar. There is a gap of about 2 mm between my upper and lower molars now and I have to wear the sectioned trays until my molars close in. I'm not sure how long this will take at age 60, but it looks like this could take a while!! I would like to know if anyone else has experience with this type of treatment and how much time is involved.

So far, I have been in treatment about 17 months. I'm hoping to finish in the next few months although I no longer have trays to count for a completion date.

This has definitely turned out to be a better option than what could have happened without an ortho treatment. I was developing gum inflamations and problems that could have resulted in loosing my upper front teeth. While life with Invisalign has not been all that easy, I'm glad I don't have to deal with dental bridges or implants that would have been permanent. During my initial consultation, my orthodontist noted it wasn't too long ago that this would have been an option!!

#2 Post by **myhollywoodsmile** » Tue Apr 20, 2010 4:12 am

Hi Wireless,

Although my problems are different to yours we are doing a staged treatment so that firstly we open up a gap (which so far has taken thirty aligners, and more to go) then we will put in some metal braces for a while to move one tooth that can't be done with Invisalign. Then we'll go back to Invisalign for the final stage to finish it off. What a joy! This will be about 2.5 years total time I think, although I'm not sure yet. To be honest I can't even remember what my ortho quoted me at the beginning in terms of time- I'm just assuming I'll have these things for a long time for now...

#3 Post by **DrJasonKTam** » Wed Apr 21, 2010 6:44 pm

Great to hear that things are moving along. Times flies and its great to hear that you are still motivated.

Teeth can settle in the back within a couple of months. On occasion, actual buttons are placed on the teeth and box elastics worn. Be sure not to push your tongue between your upper and lower teeth to allow them to extrude.

Good luck!

#4 Post by **Wireless** » Sun Apr 25, 2010 8:08 pm

Its been about three weeks since I had my last trays (#31) cut off so my molars can extend. So far, there isn't much noticeable change although it appears my right molars are extending more than my left. I'm starting to take pictures every couple of weeks and storing on my computer so I can see progress.

I was told originally that I should finish in about 18 months, but realistically, its probably going to be closer to 2 years. In complex cases, there is more to Invisalign than simply changing aligners every two weeks.

I am getting somewhat weary of the Invisalign lifestyle and would let to get back to my leisurely morning coffee at my desk!! I will say that I am much better off than before I started when I had gum inflamation and other problems related to my deep bite so this has been very worthwhile.

Dr. Tam, thanks for your suggestions. I'm also trying to avoid biting down hard with my aligners out. My orthodontist noted that pressure on my molars along with the shape of my jaw caused the deep bite to return so I'm trying to be careful.

MyHollywoodSmile, your case appears to be more involved than mine. I was originally told I might require regular braces at the end of treatment, but so far this hasn't happened. I wish you the best with your progress!!