My experience with the Inman Aligners

[libbylou]

Great story - fantastic for everyone trying to decide between fixed and removable braces. What a shame you missed the funding on the NHS - same where I am too in the UK - my 12 year old daughter didn't qualify for NHS funding, and is now in fixed braces costing £2500. The majority of her friends at school have had to have private orthodontics too - its only the really severe cases now that are being paid for isn't it? Looked into the Inman aligner for myself last year - best quote I had was for £1500 at a clinic in Manchester, but my own dentist in Cheshire is now starting to use it too. Good luck! Your teeth are looking really good

[NickelNikki]

Sorry for the lateness of my reply, I've just undergone exam season at Uni.

Thanks Libbylou! I'm sorry you had to pay for your daughter too, it's silly that they would treat a child for the same expense as an adult. The NHS cuts are definitely making things more expensive for a lot of people, and it's unfortunate as obviously living with crooked teeth is something that affects self esteem as well as health. I hope things go well in your own choices and your daughter's treatment, and it's great to hear that your dentist has begun expanding the options available to you.

Hello Jem, thankyou for your comment.

I noticed that there wasn't much about the aligners before starting this. I did the opposite; asked about fixed braces and was told that the aligners would work better for my specific problems. The aligners work only on your front 4-6 teeth, depending upon your problem area. This often means that severe issues in rotation or back teeth are not affected by the aligner.

The appliances felt bulky for the first 2 weeks. They push your lips outward somewhat, but this is much more visible to the wearer than other people. I often have stretches where I forget that they're even in now, although sometimes I will feel twinges of pressure or a little scratch on my cheek which is uncomfortable but not painful.

My speech was affected quite badly at first, although I was legible and people could fully understand what I was saying. I had a phone conversation with them in immediately after getting them and I was understood. I had a very heavy lisp which has gotten better over time, and people say that they've noticed my speech improving. I have a slight whistle when I speak now which is due to my bottom teeth uncrossing; I'm not used to having a gap there.

If you work a lot with phones then they may be somewhat of a hindrance, although they can be taken out quickly and conveniently enough. My speech is normal when I only have the bottom aligner in.

They're more discreet than typical braces and hard to spot on a photograph from an average distance away. My family and friends have often reprimanded me for 'not wearing my braces' when I actually have them in. It's important to clean them well though because things can get in to the plastic bar (I wear a lot of bright lipstick).

I hope this answers your questions. Please feel free to ask whatever you want.

[NickelNikki]

Day 1 and week 3 comparison photos

Day one is the top one, week 3 is the bottom one (with my pictures flipped around so that the right side is actually on the right etc):





And my teeth are looking less indented from the side now too:

[jem]

Thank you for your reply Nikki.

One of my canines is rotated (and is stubbornly staying that way after 18 weeks of my fixed brace) so I suppose that may be the reason why my ortho did not think the Inman Aligner was suitable for me.

I have my third adjustment next Monday and am wondering what tricks my ortho has up her sleeve to sort out that canine.

Your good progress appears from your photos to be continuing.

Hope the exams went well

Jem

[NickelNikki]

Thankyou. I hope she sorts out the rotation for you

Day 25

Guess what? These things are officially the best diet ever. I've lost 7 pounds since I've had them in purely because I've not been snacking as much. Winner!

I'm getting used to having them in now and most of the time I can almost forget that they're there until I need food and have to whip them out. People outside of my immediate circle are now beginning to comment on 'are your teeth different?' which is nice. The top ones are moving quickly, now I'm just focused on my bottom right tooth which is the only one that doesn't seem to have moved. I don't think the bars can touch it until the rest are straight.

It's coming up to a month of wearing them now. It honestly feels like it's been two minutes. I'm looking forwards to my month brace-aversary and hoping my teeth look noticeably better than when I first started out.

[NickelNikki]

Day 25 picture interlude




Day 1 on top as always. I think the most obvious change here is that my top front 2 teeth are straighter (and that one is straighter than the other, causing their positioning on the gum line to be different). The differences in the bottom teeth are subtle but there.



This picture is the one you can see the most striking difference in.



The two teeth on the left are now aligned with one another, the two on the right are being more stubborn.



This is how the top aligner sits in my mouth now as compared to the first day.





This is what the aligners look like from farther away (and also my teeth).

I'm quite happy with the progress so far, but there's still quite a long way to go until I have those perfectly straight teeth that I've (actually) been dreaming about.

[BracedSurgeryStudent]

Hey that is amazing. I am so glad you shared your inman aligners progress/treatment with us. I have always been really curious about them and no ones ever posted before. I'll follow your treatment. I have Damon braces if you like to follow : http://youngadultbracesjourney.blogspot.com/ I have VERY smiliar issues with my top and bottom front teeth. My main goal however was my overbite.

[NickelNikki]

Hi there!

The issues with our teeth do indeed appear to be similar, although yours don't seem to cross over at the bottom. It looks like you've made some seriously amazing progress yourself! I'll keep an eye out as to how you're doing. Your positive attitude is lovely.

I think perhaps some people don't classify the aligners as braces; there's a big thread about it in the forum but not much in this area. I thought it seemed on topic enough to at least show people how they work etc. I'm very pleased with the speed that these go at. The draw back is of course that they can only do so much - and only on the front teeth - but for a few specific situations (like mine) they're ideal.

[BracedSurgeryStudent]

Hi

Ill keep an eye for during your treatment as well. Awh thanks. I am more than excited for my progress.

I wish I could have gotten the aligners but we were also fixing my overbite which bothered me so we went with braces so we gould do the elastics thing. It's great of you to show us. Yeah that's true, but its good that you found them for your case. You look great in them.

[NickelNikki]

Thankyou I have a very strange profile with them in. I'll see if I can get a picture of it later, and of the actual appliances themselves.

I have a funky bite too, but nobody's really explained it to me properly and apparently the aligners treat it. I think it's a very very mild case of whatever it is anyway.

[NickelNikki]

Day 27

One day to go until a month! WOOH!

So, I was just chillin' out, brushing my aligners this morning when the back spring of my bottom aligner pinged out. What did I do? Wait calmly for Wednesday and show my dentist what happened? Wait for my dad and his superior fixing stuff skills?

Did I 'eck. I mustered up all of my mechanical prowess (which, needless to say didn't take very long at all) and put the spring back in there myself. Miraculously I seem to have done it right, but I'll check with Mr Dentist on Wednesday to see if it's still all working properly.

My teeth are definitely looking much straighter now than they did before all of this started. I'm so excited! It sounds really weird but I can't wait for him to adjust it all so that it starts to move faster again. I'm excited to see that my bottom right tooth is finally moving now!

The thick plastic on the back teeth can stand up to some punishment. I'm fairly sure I was biting in to it with my bottom teeth last night and there's not a scratch on it!

I'm really hoping for the Essix retainers once my treatment is done. The Hawleys look difficult to talk in and not as tight in your mouth, and the permanents scare me a little bit (yes, I am *that much* of a commitment phobe).

I'm so excited about finally having a gap inbetween my front two teeth at the top! I can see the beginnings of my new smile already. I don't think I'll stop smiling once my teeth are in their final positions!

Almost half way through the average time estimate now. These things are awesome!

[NickelNikki]

Sorry for the lack of updates recently, I've had 6 pets die at once and a relationship break up then reunion. The month update (including pictures and the details of my appointment) is coming soon.

[NickelNikki]

Month 1 - Pictures
[All pictures are flipped around to be true to life]



My teeth in their entirity from a front on angle. The teeth on the left hand side have moved more than the teeth on the right hand side.



My front top teeth from a different angle. I'm pleased with the progress of the left teeth. The front left tooth has been brought more inward and the tooth next to that on the left appears to have aligned with the larger one next to it. The right hand teeth have changed but have not made as much of a drastic improvement.



My bottom teeth. The two on the left have definitley aligned with one another and the very front left one has come forward slightly. The tooth next to the very front one on the right has begun to align with the rest of my mouth but the very front right tooth does not appear to have moved any. I'm hoping that it's merely a case of that one being the last to move.



This is a week 3 and 1 month comparison. My teeth look better from the side now.




This is what my profile looks like without the aligners in (top picture) and with the aligner in (bottom picture). As you can see, they cause my top lip to protrude a significant amount.





This is what my top aligner (top picture) and bottom aligner (bottom picture) looks like when out of my mouth. You can see the clear plastic moulds of my teeth on the top aligner and the plastic part that goes over your gum on the bottom aligner (that doesn't fit me properly).

[NickelNikki]

1 Month Appointment

So, the appointment was pretty straight forward. I told my dentist that the spring had popped out of my bottom aligner and that I had fixed it myself. After giving it a check over he concluded that I had fixed it properly and that if it came out again I was to 'just fix it again, since you seem to know what you're doing'. As it happens my top aligner did the same thing a few days later.

He sanded down my teeth again, this time doing inbetween my back teeth as well to give my teeth more room. The gaps inbetween my top teeth were very tight and at one point the sand paper got stuck inbetween them, which I laughed about. The process wasn't really painful and my bottom teeth didn't need quite as much sanding as the top set.

I have to see him again in another 2 weeks. Still no estimate of how long this'll take, I'm starting to think that I might be right at the higher end of the time estimate. I didn't realize my teeth would be so stubborn! Still, I seem to be making progress.

[BellaBraces]

That's good progress.

Sorry to hear about your pets.