Metal Mouth Message Board

I'm on my 6th aligner and things seem to be going really well, but I did have a few set backs during my early aligners.

My very first aligner was put on the day before I went away for a long weekend. I had so many problems getting the aligner in and out. I have 5 attachments and I was almost in tears with frustration trying to get it out! Obviously because I was away I couldn't speak to my orthodontist. So that weekend I used to leave the aligners out after breakfast until after lunch. Some evenings I would leave them out for a few hours too. In total I only had them in for about 16 hours each day. When I came home I wore that aligner for an extra 3 days.

Then on aligner number 4 I went away for 3 days and actually left it at home!! I was so annoyed with myself! I called my orthdontist and she told me to leave it in for an extra week. Which I did.

Now Im really panicing that I've done some long term damage to my teeth/roots! I spoke to my orthodontist who is quite laid back and said as long as I wore them for extra time I will be fine. Im so annoyed with myself because other than these 2 mistakes I'm very good with my aligners. I wear them for at least 20/21 hours a day, clean them after every meal and change them only after 14 days.

What does anyone else think?? Am I worrying too much?? Should I speak to my orthodontist again?

I'm not a doctor but I doubt you did permanent damage. I think the jaw bone will eventually grow back around the tooth roots. At worst it will take a little longer to grow in since you let the teeth move back a little when the aligners were out. If your teeth were extremely loose with your aligners out then maybe you should be concerned.

I think you're over reacting. You're breaking down bone letting it build back up the entire time you're correcting your teeth, so i cant imagine being sloppy on just two occasions is going to cause any harm. Try be more strict with yourself, dont do it again, but if you do, let your ortho know!

If your ortho/dentist is happy and your teeth are progressing nicely to each aligner, i wouldnt worry.

Try get some hooks to help you remove them. After about a week in a new aligner i can usually remove it with my nails, but the first week i have to use the hook to pry them off.

Is your current aligner fitting well? If so, don't worry. At least you told your orthodontist so they could ensure you got the total time necessary in each aligner.

thanks for the replies and advice you've made me feel better!
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Yes my ortho said as long as I wore them for extra time and all my aligners are fitting well then I'll be ok. I just didnt want to put all this time, effort an money into fixing my teeth to just cause long term damage.