New invisalign patient on day 4 with concerns

[cottonball]

(Thanks to Snowglobe32 and sammywantstraightteeth for redirecting me to this board, as the message was originally in the general forum.)

Hi everyone,

I recently took the plunge and am currently on Day 4 of my Invisalign treatment. I suppose it's because I'm overly aware of my teeth with the aligners on, along with fear that comes along with a major decision/commitment, that I find I'm (obsessively) reading about other people's experiences and questions re: Invisalign more than when I was still deciding whether or not to get them...and now have some worries/questions regarding my orthodontic treatment...

Was my orthodontist supposed to show me my ClinCheck video before ordering my aligners? That seems to be what a lot of people on the board have described, but I didn't see my video until 5 minutes before they checked the fit of the aligners and put on the attachments. It looked OK to me, though at the end the size of the overbite didn't seem to change (but the teeth did look less flared out). The assistant wasn't sure, but I think they only showed me the first phase of my treatment, because the second phase involves elastics. Should that have been shown in the video as well? And just to confirm, are elastics used to reduce overbite? If so, how? Pull the upper (teeth? arch? jaw?) back? Pull the lower (teeth? arch? jaw?) forward? Both?

How much interaction with my orthodontist should I expect or is ideal? During the initial consultation, she took quite a bit of time examining my mouth and then explaining to me, answering my questions about her proposed treatment plan, and showing me before & after's of similar cases. During my records appointment, she checked in to see how the assistant was doing with the molds and polished some of my teeth to smooth them out because the grooves on my teeth were giving the assistant trouble with the molds. During my fitting appointment, she also checked in and finished the polishing off of the excess glue from putting on the attachments that the assistant was taking a long time with. I'm not sure if she should be looking at my teeth more or I should be asking her more questions, beyond helping out assistants having trouble during my appointments?

How often should I come in for appointments? My second appointment is 9 weeks after the fitting appoinment, during which I'm supposed to wear Set 1 for 3 weeks and Sets 2-4 for 2 weeks each. Is that standard or too long for checking progress?

Is polishing between teeth mandatory to aid in tooth movement? I'm afraid of drills and also the idea of removing tooth enamel/material. Does polishing make the teeth weaker or more susceptible to cavities or more sensitive? My orthodontist already polished some of my teeth to smooth them out for record taking, after which my dentist noted erosion during my regular 6-month check-up. Also, instead of having grooves on my right upper front tooth, I now have a dent, albeit a smooth one, on it that I think is more noticeable than the grooves...

Thanks so much for reading what ended up being a longer post than I originally intended...

[Wireless]

Your treatment sounds something like mine where I had Invisalign for the first phase and a different treatment later.

I started out with 31 trays of aligners, then started the second phase where I had partial trays that covered only my front 8 upper and lower teeth. My rear teeth were supposed to grow out, but didn't - so I now have elastics on my rear teeth. They hook to little metal "buttons" on my molars and pre-molars. Where they are located doesn't show. Since it's taking a while for my rear teeth to come out, the front partial trays were replaced with clear partial Essix retainers that can be used for extended wear - Invisalign trays are made for wear a couple of weeks.

My case is a bit involved - I'm about two years into this with a few months (hopefully only a few!!) left to go.

I didn't see a clincheck video as most of my tooth movement is vertical, which is hard to predict with Invisalign. My treatment probably follows more like regular braces and now there is presently nothing Invisalign in my mouth although that's how I started. The Essix retainers are a little more noticable than Invisalign to me, but nobody has commented or stared.

In my case there was not tooth filing (IPR) as I didn't have crowding.

Regarding interaction with your Orthodontist, its good to maintain an open dialogue. Write down the questions you have posted here and take to your next appointment. Some docs work better in this format. I'm fortunate my doc has gone into a lot of detail - both initially and ongoing.

Also, docs like to know if there are any problems starting as this can change treatment plans. At one point I had a tooth that was too loose and there had to be a mid-course correction.

Each case is going to be different, so the best place to get answers is your orthodontist although it is good to compare notes among other patients and get an idea of what others are experiencing as problems. There have been several times when info from here prompted me to discuss concerns with my doc.

Good Luck!!

[Wireless]

I did think of a couple of questions you may want to ask -

1) Will elastics be used with Invisalign trays or some other appliance (mine are not with Invisalign trays)

2) How long will treatment continue after you finish your last trays? (I finished my last trays last April but have other appliances to finish. I started out with 21 trays thinking possibly 11 months although I was told much longer. The doc was right - it's definitely taking longer!)

Again, Good Luck!!

[cottonball]

In the copy of the treatment plan I was given, it sounds like elastics will be used with Invisalign trays during Phase II of treatment. Also, the estimated treatment time is 24 months, and Phase I of treatment will take about 40 weeks (20 trays each for upper and lower, with attachments and filing). During Phase II, it says I will get reassessed for lower fixed braces to level the lower arch curve, and also get reassessed for bicuspid extraction (which I'm hoping won't be necessary) if the crowding doesn't get resolved by the aligners I guess...

Thanks for your replies! I'm feeling less apprehensive about the whole thing than when I first got the braces 2 weeks ago.