Does anyone else have elastics?

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Wed Mar 04, 2009 2:44 pm

Was at the ortho today for a checkup (just started aligner 10) and he wasn't happy with how my treatment's progressing. My overbite has gotten worse, my top teeth are moving forward instead of back.

So he cut two holes in my aligners, one on the top & one on the bottom & attached buttons & an elastic band. I've to wear elastics full time to try & pull my teeth back. It's so awkward, the elastic popped off about 4 times within 5 mins of leaving the ortho's office

I'm worried they'll fall off when i'm asleep too and i'll swallow the elastic

Anyone else have elastics? I wasn't expecting this so it's a bit of a pain. Any tips to stop them popping off? Right now I have to try & talk with my teeth closed cos otherwise the elastic pops right off!

#2 Post by **tizzy** » Wed Mar 04, 2009 4:56 pm

I do

I'm pretty lucky in that I don't really have any problems with them I have to say. Hrm did you talk to your ortho about using a different type of elastic, change the width of the ones you have maybe? My elastics rest on actual hooks my ortho attached to me teeth, metal hooks on the back molars and white "tooth" colored hooks on the front teeth. Are your elastics on actual attachments or did your ortho use hooks? I can see it popping off easily if it was just hooked onto an attachment.

Fri Mar 06, 2009 2:48 am

Hi Tizzy. I have actual hooks - both tooth coloured ones. I think the back one is too small though cos that's the one it keeps popping off. Anyway I tried sticking some dental wax over it last night to keep it in place & it seems to be working.

Do you know how long you have to wear the elastics?

#4 Post by **tizzy** » Fri Mar 06, 2009 3:13 pm

From what I can tell I will need to wear them for my entire treatment (about a year and a half to two years.) I have had invisalign for about 4 months now and had the elastics from the very beginning. The only problem I had with my elastics at first was them cutting into my cheek but luckily I got used to it and so far so good. I can't imagine them popping off everytime I tried to talk, it must be pretty frustrating. I'm glad the dental wax is working for you at least. Will you be wearing your elastics for a while now?

#5 Post by **24braceface** » Sat Mar 07, 2009 7:11 pm

Do elastics work the same with invisalign as they do with regular braces?

Sun Mar 08, 2009 10:08 am

It's pretty frustrating alright. The dental wax stopped working too so I'm going back into the ortho tomorrow & hopefully he'll glue on a bigger hook. I've stopped wearing the elastic cos it was driving me crazy having it pop off constantly. Even when I wasn't moving my mouth at all it was still coming off.
Not sure how long i'll have to wear it - at least 5 weeks anyway cos that's when my next check up is. I guess my ortho will decide then if I need to keep wearing it.

24braceface, yeah I think they work the same as with regular braces. Mine is supposed to help pull my top teeth back

Wed Mar 11, 2009 3:29 am

Went back in on Monday & my ortho replaced the back tooth coloured hook with a metal one. Sounds like what you have Tizzy. It's much better now, doesn't pop off anymore which is great

#8 Post by **John37** » Fri Mar 13, 2009 12:39 am

I wear elastics too!

But I only have hooks on my lower canines. They cut a slit into the top aligners by the first molars and I attach the elastics to that. I'm not sure how much of a difference they actually made. I guess they helped move my lower teeth back a little and helped rotate the canines. You can see my clincheck movies in the links in my signature.

My biggest problem is the hooks would dig into my gum and irritate it, but the gums got used to it over time. But my canines keep rotating which irritates a different part of the gum every so often.

Fri Mar 13, 2009 1:38 am

The hooks were digging into my gum for the first couple of days too but they're ok now. The main problem I'm finding is that I've had bad jaw pain & headaches since I got the elastic. Not sure if this is the cause of it but it seems a bit of a coincidence that the pain started the day after getting the elastic. My jaw hurts like hell whenever I eat. It's just on one side though - the opposite side to where I have the elastic. I already had a clicky jaw on this side but now it's painful too.

Have you ever experienced jaw pain during treatment John37?

#10 Post by **John37** » Sat Mar 14, 2009 3:46 pm

I haven't had any real pain. Just a little soreness, but not at the jaw joint. It's just painful in my teeth from the pulling...similar to pain from just the aligners.

#11 Post by **tizzy** » Sun Mar 15, 2009 12:03 pm

I'm glad the elastics don't pop off anymore! That's too bad about the jaw pain though! I notice my jaw gets a little sore without my elastics and can click ocassionally so I prefer to leave mine on. I kinda like the feel of the tension caused by the bands (I dunno I guess I'm weird.) And as far as know the elastics work like the ones used on regular braces. I believe my ortho told me they help push the front teeth back because when back teeth are being moved the front ones tend to push forward. I would like to think your jaw pain will go away after a while as your teeth start to line up nicely and what not.

Thu Mar 19, 2009 5:01 pm

Thanks tizzy

Well you were right, my jaw pain has gotten a lot better. Still get the occasional twinge when I eat but it's not as bad & i'm not getting headaches as much. Sounds similar to you - it was only sore when the elastic was off for eating.

I can already feel a difference in my teeth too - there's a small gap when I floss that wasn't there before so I think the canine the elastic is attached to has moved back a little

#13 Post by **AJAK** » Mon Oct 26, 2009 10:03 am

I have clear retainers (Essix retainers top and bottom) with class 3 elastics and i'm noticing jaw pain and tightness in my jaw.. anyone else experience anything similar to this?