Metal Mouth Message Board

Hi all,

I finished 20/20 U&L trays in June, waited about four weeks for five sets of refinement trays, and finished the refinement trays yesterday.

The initial series of 20 trays worked well but my ortho wanted to push the "spooky" front tooth a little bit more to make sure it fell perfectly in line with my other top teeth. He did that successfully but in the process opened a small gap between my two upper front teeth. He closed that gap yesterday and put in place a small bonded retainer behind the front teeth. He wants to keep that in place for about four to six months.

I will be wearing my last trays "half-time" as retainers. The ortho cut out a small section of the upper tray so the tray could fit around the bonded retainer.

I received my first set of trays on July 30, 2008. Today is August 26, 2009. I had some initial complaints about excess salivation, a sore throat, and wrestling to get trays over attachments. And I have six thousand dollars less in my bank account. That said, I'm happy with the results. And the last year flew by.

As I write this note, I'm leisurely sipping my second cup of morning coffee...not worrying at all about how long my trays have been out. Now at age 44, I just have to learn how to smile.

Thank you to everyone for their sharing of experiences, good and bad. This discussion group was a big help, especially as I began the Invisalign process. Good luck with your treatments. And kudos to anyone who recognized "Spooky Tooth" as a reference to the British progressive rock group of the 1970s.

Best,
Greg

Congratulations on completing your journey. Its great that you were able to achieve your desired results in one year. It must feel wonderful to enjoy drinks and meals at a leisurely pace!

Congratulations! Its really great to hear from somebody who is finished and happy with their treatment.

Any chance of piccies...?

When you say 'half time' do you mean only at night?

and if so for how long do you have to do that?

Spooky Tooth -

Congratulations on successfully finishing! I'm envious of anyone who can leisurely sip a second cup of coffee. It's good to hear you don't have to deal with daytime retainers!

I have some familiarity with the group Spooky Tooth although they were after my time - I'm approaching age 60 now - Beatles and the Stones!!

Wow, congratulations! I finished my first run of uppers yesterday, and got moulds taken for refinements but I now have 17 more lowers before I start the refinements on them. Glad it all went well for you; I'd love to see some pictures.

Wearing the trays "half-time" basically means wearing them at night as retainers. When I had my first consultation, the ortho said that I would have to wear a retainer "for life." The ortho seems to think that my final set of trays will last a long time as retainers. At some point, I might consider signing up for the invisalign subscription plan that sends you a few fresh sets of retainer trays every year. But I'm guessing I would need a final set of impressions now that the gap between the front teeth has been closed with the bonded retainer.

I do have pictures. My ortho uses a service called "Ortho Sesame" which allows the patient to access the clincheck and pictures online. Is there any easy way to post them to the board? I'm no computer whiz.