Attachments interfering with bite

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#1 Post by **jenessa** » Fri Jun 20, 2008 12:25 pm

Hi, I'm new here (and to Invisalign). I am on my third pair of aligners (of 22 U and L). I have attachments on both the front and tongue side of my teeth (upper and lower). I just got the tongue side bumps yesterday, and it is nearly impossible to remove the new trays. I actually had to go back to the ortho and have him help me figure out how to take them off by myself. It took him and an assistant to pry them off at first, but then we figured out the best way to do it.

My main problem, though, is that the attachments interfere with my bite. I ate lunch today (first time I ate since the new attachments went in) and I could not bite all the way down. My bottom teeth hit the tongue side attachments on the upper! I was able to eat, but it was not pleasurable. Has anyone else had this problem? Will it get better as my teeth move?

Thanks in advance for any advice/encouragement/empathy! =)

#2 Post by **John37** » Fri Jun 20, 2008 7:23 pm

I don't think people usually have attachments on both sides of their teeth. I could see how that would make it difficult to take the aligners off. I only have attachments on the outside. Did they give you a plastic hook to help you take the aligners off? I've said it before and I'll say it again, why don't they give out plastic hooks to patients? Many people have a hard time removing their aligners with their fingers.

#3 Post by **aussie** » Fri Jun 20, 2008 8:05 pm

i had the exact same problem with 1 side attachment, it came off a day or two later from biting on it by accident - i was trying to be careful.

i went back to have it put back on & told the ortho how it interferred with my bite and once he put it back on he shave it a bit where it was hitting, we thought it was fine, but then when i ate again i had the exact same problem. so now it has come off once again! blah

i dont think that there is too much that can be done about it.
im going to ask how necassary that attachment is though, as its on a very insignificant tooth & sholdn't affect the others by not moving completely to where it should.... we'll see what the doc says though

#4 Post by **jenessa** » Sat Jun 21, 2008 5:59 am

Thanks for the replies!

I've been kinda half-hoping that one of my attachments would come off, too, but it seems that they've attached mine with super-strength glue! =)

They *didn't* give me a hook, even after I had to go back in to get help taking them out. But once I asked, they gave me this weird little plastic dowel thing. It is getting easier to take the trays out, thank god. Now I've just got to learn to take teeny-weeny bites.

#5 Post by **teacher61** » Sat Jun 21, 2008 4:34 pm

Use tweezers to take them off. It works great. Just use one of the prongs of the tweezers and get under the aligner. I have a utensil that they gave me at the dentist's office but I prefer tweezers instead.

#6 Post by **clearstepuk** » Fri Jul 04, 2008 5:20 am

I'm using a different system, Clearstep, which doesn't have attachments. However, they needed to raise my bite in order to pull my teeth back. Basically this means they filled my very back top molars, but this means my bite doesn't meet so it's quite hard work chewing.

I'm just over half way through my treatment 6/8 (unless I get another boxset!) which is about 2.5 months, and I'm just plain fed up. It's so tiring eating as my teeth also hurt from the brace movements too, I can only eat soft things, small things and my jaws ache from chewing my food and it takes forever to eat. It means that I lose my appetite too and I'm losing weight which isn't a good thing as I'm slim anyway.

My dentist was impressed by my teeths progress and said, "Well, no pain no gain!". That's not helpful when I'd rather not eat as it's just too much effort. Tempted to get my husbands dremel out and grind the fillings down!!!