Bunch of Questions im new with invisalign

Message

#1 Post by **johnnysurefire** » Sat Mar 28, 2009 6:41 pm

Did anyone cheat a little and eat things like yogurt or drink things through a straw and end up having good results?

Anyone have there's not work and mid treatment get switched to traditional braces, my ortho said this is always a possibility?

Anyones treatment take less than expected?

#2 Post by **amber10101** » Sat Mar 28, 2009 8:31 pm

Hey there,

I'm just about a month into treatment.

On occasion, while I'm making dinner, I'll drink something other than water. Juice or soda. That said, I only have the aligners in for less than half an hour when doing this and then I take 'em out for eating so they get cleaned up right away and my teeth are not sitting in acid and sugar for long.

I'd not suggest eating or drinking with them in unless you plan to clean up pretty much right away.

Some people will tell ya it's not a big deal to have a drink with them in - it's your call. I'd say if you are prone to having cavities or dental problems, don't do it!

I can't answer your other questions as I don't have experience with that.

All the best to you!

#3 Post by **andrea26** » Sun Mar 29, 2009 4:29 am

My dentist told me to drink anything with the trays in. He said he has done that himself and that most important is to have them in for as long as possible. So i drink everything with my trays in, even coffee, obviously i let it cool down first and rinse my mouth out afterwards.
My trays dont stain. I havent tried eating food with them though.

#4 Post by **Wireless** » Sun Mar 29, 2009 10:32 am

I'll confess to beer and white wine. I usually try to get my aligners out within an hour to rinse them out along with my mouth. It is hard drink only water 21 to 22 hrs / day. The worst thing I have done was a chocolate milkshake - strongly not recommended!!

Like you, my ortho has noted I may have to finish with regular braces if he can't get the needed results. I started out with Invisalign due to a resorbed front tooth root on one of my upper incisors. I was told traditional metal braces could do more harm here. I'm being treated for a severe deep overbite, which is something Invisalign doesn't do well. Once my upper arch is corrected, this opens up other options.

As for finishing early, I'm on trays 8 of 14U/21L, which would suggest I should finish around the end of September. However, my contract with the orthodontist is for treatment through March 2010. Even though I'm 1/3 of the way through treatment, I have seen any major change in the vertical movement needed to correct my problem. I'm not sure what is supposed to happen on this by September, or between September and March.

Hope this helps!!

#5 Post by **Wireless** » Sun Mar 29, 2009 10:41 am

I did think of one more comment - sometimes there are "refinements" or extra aligners at the end of treatment that are usually included in the treatment price. The problem is you have to wait several weeks for the new aligners while wearing your last set of old ones. I wish I had known more about this prior to starting treatment as I don't want to extend treatment time more than I need to. If it comes down to a couple of months in regular braces or wait for an Invisalign refinement, I may decide to make to switch if it is quicker.

#6 Post by **myhollywoodsmile** » Mon Mar 30, 2009 2:19 am

Hi there,
i never eat or drink with them in, it makes my teeth feel too revolting afterwards. however, I have seen a lot of people posting that drink white wine through a straw, so I am sure that's possible.

I have the possibility of finishing in braces if I am not satisfied with the results- although I think I would have to be very dissatisfied to consider this.

Finally, no, I have never heard of anyone finishing early-i'm not sure how that would work, do you mean not complete the whole series of aligners, or to wear each one less?

#7 Post by **Wobblydeb** » Mon Mar 30, 2009 5:26 am

I started out religiously taking out my liners every time I ate or drank anything other than water. I found I wasn't keeping them in for enough hours though, so started having the odd alcoholic drink with them in. I also usually eat my yoghurt in the morning with them in.

It takes me ages to get through my 2 cups of tea in the morning, so I tried leaving them in for that. I'd let it cool down to body temperature before drinking it. The liners got quite stained when I did that though, so I stopped (before then, the attachments were staining!).

I've limited myself now to non-staining liquids, and make sure I brush as soon as possible (or take my liners out to eat, then brush).

#8 Post by **anastasia** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 5:38 am

I drink beer with them in.
If I had taken them out everytime I had a beer, they would be out quite a lot

So instead I drink with them in, and rinse with water all the time. You gotta live some too, hehe.

Drinking with aligners in doesn't change the results when it comes to the teeth moving, as far as I understand it's more about dental hygiene and cavities etc. The acid from the drinks will sit in your trays and not be washed away by spit, so it's even more unhealthy for your teeth than usual. There's a myth (don't think it's an absolute fact) that if you put a tooth in a glass of coke at night it will have almost dissolved the next day

So I really wouldn't "fill" my trays up with acidic drinks and just leave them without brushing or rinsing asap.

I never have tea or coffee with them in, because I like it scolding hot and I've heard that it can cause the aligners to melt a bit and change shape.

I don't think you can finish early as in skipping the last aligners, it's carefully planned and every aligner counts! But I've read about people here who have started out with a 14 day cycle and get it reduced to 11 or 10 days.

#9 Post by **shagsoprano** » Wed Apr 01, 2009 4:54 pm

I drink w/ my liners in all the time, but invested in packages and packages of sipping straws which are kept at home and at work and which I use between meals. When I go out, I generally just take the liners out so not to appear too frou-frou....a 52 yr old man sucking on a chilled martini with a wee straw kind've destroys the whole James Bond vibe...JK.....anyway, with practice, you can use the straw to deposit any and all liquids, cold, hot and tepid, well beyond the back of your liners. This works for me during two specific occasions: my 2nd cup of coffee at work when I'm between meals (and therefore liner removal); and weekend happy hours before dinner is ready. Admittedly, you can't relish the savoring the flavor by swishing your tongue to the top of your palate and the rest of it. But considering the PITA alternative, it works. Good Luck. And no, my liners, with proper maintenance, look and work just fine and like most, I wear each set for two weeks.