Metal Mouth Message Board

I'm wondering how common it is for the shape of one aligner at the gum line to vary considerably from the previous aligner. My first aligner was shaped very precisely to my gum line, producing no contact between aligner and gum tissue. My second aligner has a very different shape at the gum line - it appears much less precise and covers the papillae (triangles of gum tissue between teeth). I have complained to my ortho about it twice, and twice he has hand-trimmed some of the aligner. But my question is - could this be a mistake by Invisalign? It doesn't feel right, and my gum tissue is already swelling up a bit. My ortho seems to think hand-trimming for the next 18 aligners is ok, but I feel like I have purchased a precision product and expect it to fit properly.
Has anyone experienced anything like this - sequential aligners fitting very differently at the gum line? I am dissatisfied with my ortho's response - has anyone contacted Invisalign directly with questions or concerns?
Thanks for your advice!

I don't think the gum line has been the exact same on any aligner as the previous one. One could be just under the gum line and then next a bit higher and cover some gum. I've never had any issues with gum swelling from it though.

I have one wayward tooth that is sometimes covered by my aligners and sometimes not. My orthodontist has told me that he thinks the Invisalign robots are not an exact science. He trims the aligners for me as otherwise I couldn't get them in.

However, from what I understand they should not be on your gums as they could cause gum recession. I would call your ortho if I were you and ask that he trim them back some more. He/she should be perfectly capable of correcting them all for you so that you don't have to deal with this again.

There is no way that your gums should be swollen and painful- pain with invisalign means that there is something wrong.