Metal Mouth Message Board

Hi all,

So glad to have found a site to share my experinces with invisalign.

I started on the 22nd of October. I have 41 trays for the uppers and 15 for the lowers. My dentist has told me to change trays every 10 days instead of every 2 weeks? Does anyone else do it this regularly? Most sites I've been on have stated every 2 weeks?

I have had 2 teeth removed from the top sides and am having 11 buttons fitted in the next two weeks.

Looking forward to interacting with others on the same journey!

Nope, I'm on 2 weeks. I don't know anybody thats on a 10day schedule. Then again, I'm also a newbie. Good luck!

I have 41 trays myself

My ortho gave me my first 4 sets and told me to change them every week. When I'm done wearing all 4 sets I'm having my attachments put on (10 on the top and 6 on the bottom)

I'm sure everyone's case is different. My teeth seem to be coming along nicely and by the end of the week the aligners pop right off. When I first change into a new aligner it's a bit tight but not unbearably uncomfortable at all. But the end of the first day I'm fine. I'm guessing all ortho's are different so I wouldn't worry about the 10 day thing. Maybe as time goes by we will have to wear certain sets longer...guess we will have to wait and see. Good luck!

Thanks all! Spoke to my dentist and he said having them on for 10 days at a time is fine because when I remove them, I am replacing them with another tray and so there is no damage to my teeth. I am quite happy with this as it will mean my treatment will go faster.

Had a slight issue with the inside bottom tray cutting my tongue, so I gently filed the edge and it seems fine now.

I'm only on my second tray and keep asking people if they can see a difference yet! haha.

I'd make sure I'd keep em in for 22 hours a day with a 10 day schedule.

Talking about seeing changes, when do you start seeing noticeable changes? I'm on #3/30 and I'd like to think there have been changes (tiny perhaps... i.e. feeling your bite change when the trays are out)... I saw my ortho yesterday (got attachments) and he said he can see changes... Maybe it's my case... I've got straight teeth but just a gap on my top and bottom front teeth... I'm assuming the gaps are going to close REALLLLLLY SLOWLLLLYYYYYYYYY... Maybe I should be waiting till #15/30 before I start seeing changes...

On a separate note, isn't it weird how we critique ourselves, my family was outraged at my decision to close the gap saying it was fine and it looked good but i hated it... and my girlfriend of 6months didn't even notice I had a gap??? let alone the a bottom one until I told her... I guess I've mastered the way I talk to not reveal my bottom teeth... just wondering if anyone can relate to this... did you get treatment because you wanted to or it was due to people's reaction to the appearance of you teeth...

Most of the friends and family I discussed it with thought my teeth looked fine and I should not be spending my money so foolishly. I agree that I didn't need the extra debt, but now that I'm on 17/36, I can definitely see the changes and it's exciting! For the first time in my life, the one upper crossbite tooth that has always driven me crazy, is finally coming over the bottom teeth. It's all worth it. At 39 yrs. old (and divorced), I can't do much about my wrinkles, but at least my smile will be better!

I fixed my teeth because I wanted to. People also told me my teeth were fine but I had a very crooked one on the bottom and one of my upper teeth was pushed in more than I would like. I think I mastered how to hide it as well. The thing is people will say something is fine, then once you fix it they will say that DOES look better (happens to me anyway.) I guess since we are stuck looking at ourselves everyday it's alot easier to notice all those wee imperfections.

In regards to the 2 weeks/10 days/ 1 week dealio like I said, for the first month I'm wearing each set of aligners for 1 week only and my teeth are already moving like mad, by the end of the week the aligner is so loose that it drives me crazy. I really notice it when I floss too, it just slides in between the teeth whereas before it was a tight squeeze.

I've got straight teeth but just a gap on my top and bottom front teeth... I'm assuming the gaps are going to close REALLLLLLY SLOWLLLLYYYYYYYYY... Maybe I should be waiting till #15/30 before I start seeing changes...

I started really noticing a difference with my gap at about aligner 7-9. By then it got really exciting. The change is just so small that over time you forget how big your gap used to be compared to how it is at the moment.

On a separate note, isn't it weird how we critique ourselves, my family was outraged at my decision to close the gap saying it was fine and it looked good but i hated it... and my girlfriend of 6months didn't even notice I had a gap??? let alone the a bottom one until I told her... I guess I've mastered the way I talk to not reveal my bottom teeth... just wondering if anyone can relate to this... did you get treatment because you wanted to or it was due to people's reaction to the appearance of you teeth..

My parents didn't think I needed it, but they are - well - parents. My brother never commented ever. Friends never brought it up unless I did and then they had a lot to say about it. Many knew that it was a source of my pitiful self esteem and wanted me to do something about it and were offering suggestions. Strangers never said anything - probably because of my personality(they knew it would upset me) though I could see people looking at my teeth when I talked sometimes. *shudder*
Nice to be over that.

We're more than the sum of our parts and certainly more than any single part!

As much as one thing may cause us worry, you know many guys/girls who have "imperfections" but none of those "imperfections" would make you think they're gross. Equally, no one you'd want to know would be thinking you're gross because something like a gap in your teeth.


I guess we're all at least a little bit vain, but i try to think about it that way.

ILoveNiceTeeth wrote:did you get treatment because you wanted to or it was due to people's reaction to the appearance of you teeth...

I liked my smile, but then had a couple of comments about how crooked my bottom teeth were. It took another couple of years before I started to think about straightening them - although I still remembered one particular comment about them!

My parents thought I didn't need it ..... "although perhaps if you had that one tooth extracted it might help"

So people started to notice long before the crowding eventually worried me. Now I'm doing something about it though, I am realising how bad my lower teeth and gums had got....

I had a 4.5 mm gap in between my front top two teeth that I HATED all my life. When I saw pics of myself, that's all I could focus on. So then I quit smiling. I knew it was time to do something for myself. I smile all the time now and the funny thing is......now I focus on my pretty no-gap teeth!!!!!!!!!! Invisalign has been the best thing I have ever done for myself and it has been worth every dime I spent. (made the last payment last week) Now, they are mine mine mine!

I am going back to see my dentist next week for my attachments put on, so I'll bring up the 10 day thing with him again. All in all I am happy to remove them every 10 days if he says this is fine. I mostly keep them in for 22 hours a day anyway without any problem. Eating has become a regimented affair with time-slots for each meal to get my aligners cleaned and back in!

My teeth are quite crooked and I have my two side teeth sticking out (my 'fangs' I call them! lol) so any improvement is going to be a joy to me because there are NO photographs in existence with me smiling. I just look quite glum, which is not how I am at all. I have always been so self conscious over my teeth and want to be able to just smile when I want to without getting embarassed!

I hear you!!! I can't wait to be gap free!!! I'm so excited I find myself telling people about my invisaligns! This is feels strange because I become really embarrassed when people start talking about teeth... I tend to just change the subject or subtly walk away from the conversation. The last picture I have with me smiling with my teeth on display were taking when I was about 7! (I'm 25)...

Just wait til you see the first pic of yourself smiling with pretty teeth, you'll flip! Makes it all worth it.