What's the deal with the sharp edges?

Crash 12 Apr 2013

I told my dentist I have to trim the edges with an X-acto knife under a microscope. His answer was: "Well you ought to be getting pretty good at it by now!" That clown is lucky I am still his customer. I trim them, then I finish it off with extra fine emery paper.

Tana413 10 Apr 2013

Im on my 3rd day with the first tray and im having the same problems. I thought i needed to get used to it but all day i have to push back my tongue into my throat so it wont rub against the bottom tray. It only affects the right side of my tongue, in the back. I feel like i have to lay the tip of my tongue on the bottom tray to releive the irritation.

Jans1126 17 Apr 2013

wow I do not have the fortitude to put up with that much discomforts for the years it takes to complete treatment . I hope it gets better for you Tana. the last year my liners are being done with a scanner rather than impressions and the fits have been much better. However if they put attachments on again in the next set it will be interesting to see if I can tolerate them.

Selene11417 29 Jan 2013

I'm glad I'm not the only one who is suffering! (Well not that I'd like us to suffer!). I am on day 4 of my first tray, and feeling the sharp edges makes me worried that for almost a year I will mess up my taste buds. I hope this is worth it. Thank you all for the suggestions. I am going to visit my dentist tomorrow see if he can buffer/file/deburr the sharp edges.

shantas2010 17 Oct 2012

I have sores on my tongue, tried to file the sharp edges but I think I made it worse. My trays were made in Mexico. Well that's what the box says. So now I am so frustrated I just try not to move my tongue when I have my trays on. Because it hurts like hell.....:(

Megan P (Community Manager) 17 Oct 2012

Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry to hear that. :( Have you called your dentist/orthodontist's office? I would encourage you to do so, so they can hopefully take care of those sharp edges. I'm sure they wouldn't want you suffering along!

Barbara R 17 Oct 2012

I partially agree with you, Megan, but the point remains that quality control is the real issue here. I just recently had a tray which had a "shelf" that pushed the gum line away from my teeth. I march back to my dentist's office and each time, say, "Here's another set with awful sharp edges. And while you fix these as I impatiently wait, you might as well examine and fix the next set of trays." I'm hoping that by doing this, the dentists/orthodontists will complain to Invisilign. Considering the poor manufacture and quality control, I suspect that if I call Invisilign, I'll be connected to someone in Bombay or Thailand. Would you believe I just received my retainers and the "shelf" and sharp edges are separating the gumline from my teeth. I'm giving myself a few days to calm down before I re-write my original review about Invisilign.

Irishdeb 27 Aug 2012

My daughter used her Dremel--a small drill-like tool that artists/craftspeople use--to smooth out the burrs on my trays! I agree, you can't keep running to the ortho office every two weeks. Quality control at the Invisalign factory (wherever that is) must be pretty much nonexistent. I am still glad though that as an adult there is some acceptable way for me to finally fix my teeth--in lieu of dentures!

LDUK 25 Aug 2012

I am on tray 4 of 29, and I have had sharp edges on all my sets, suffering from really painful sores on my tongue and the inside of my mouth. This to me is by far the biggest downside of Invisalign. You don't know where the irritations are going to be until you use eacg set of trays, and I simply don't have the time to keep running back to my dentist each time.

It annoys the hell out of me because I am paying thousands of pound for this.

Peggy K, 25 Aug 2012

I file mine down with a metal nail file, buff with a nail buffer, and then use TONS of dental wax. Here's another downside - my husband finished his treatment about six months ago and his teeth are already returning to their original positions. He had to go have another tray made and has to wear it for ever. I'm beginning to think we've been swindled!

Crab81 31 Jul 2012

I'm currently on tray 5 of 31 trays, before i change to my next tray, I use some fine wet n dry on the edges of the trays - if i didnt then my mouth would be in bits, the first tray I didnt realise that it had these sharp edges to deburr and my mouth was so sore.

Ever since deburring each of my trays the whole experience has been alot better, BUT I agree we as the customer should not have to do this, the trays should come smooth and have had a deburring operation done already when manufactured.

Deb C 9 Jun 2012

There was actually a small plastic "shelf" jutting out from the edge of my trays, cutting into the inside of my cheeks! I did the emory board, wax routine. My ortho said they just take 'getting used to.' I think the Invisalign products are manufactured in countries where the labor is cheap and quality control is totally lacking. Maybe if enough of us make a formal complaint to Invisalign the sharp edges issue can be resolved.

Barbara R 17 Oct 2012

I too had the "shelf" jutting out from two of my trays and they actually pushed gum tissue away from my teeth. Totally unacceptable. The quality control is awful, which leads me to agree the trays are not made in the US. I would call Invisilign, but I have a feeling I would get someone in Bombay and they wouldn't understand a word I am saying. While it's time consuming, I just march into my dentist's office each time and say, "fix it now. I only have 5 minutes left on my lunch break!" We shouldn't have to do this, but maybe when the orthodontists and dentists are flooded with fixes, their voice will be heard by Invisilign.

Mark M 9 Feb 2012

I'm on my 3rd week and had a rough start with sharp edges that cause sores on my tongue. Talking was rough and my dentist gave no warning of the issues, neither did Invisalign or their website. Support posts like this did help greatly with the suggestion on dental wax... I have cleaned out a CVS and Walgreens of their supply. Big help and tongue has healed. But the pain is taking them out and then inserting them again with the wax in spots. The nail file does help on the edges, but as someone stated can make it worse with other edges. So easy on the filing. Invisalign could solve this with smooth edge...we can put rovers on Mars, but have these trays with sharp edges...and we insert them into our mouths...logic states it would cause irritation and grief. The dental wax...is heaven sent, not sure what I would have done without finding that solution online. Onward to the next 22 hours....

Barbara R 10 Feb 2012

For reasons unknown, I'm no longer having a problem with sharp edges on the aligners. I'm speculating that one of two things happened: Invisalign read these comments and specifically targeted my aligners order for quality control ... or my dentist ordered her staff to smoothe the edges so I would stop complaining :)

Barbara R 10 Feb 2012

Glad the wax is helping you, Mark. I'm finished with my bottom teeth, but have another six months with my upper teeth. I'm not noticing the sharp edges anymore and I'm wondering if, as the teeth shift into correction, the edges of the aligners aren't digging into my gums. My gums look smooth and healthier as my teeth straighten. Just a thought ... and perhaps a ray of hope for you that it won't always be so painful.

Peggy K, 9 Aug 2012

I am on my first week and my first thought was "Don't these people have any quality control?" It's like putting razor blades in my mouth. I am going to try the dental wax. I have already stocked up on Orajel and Blistex. I get mouth sores very easily and these things are killing me.

Barbara R 10 Aug 2012

Peggy K., I had the same problem early with my Invisalign and I mumbled and groaned for quite a while until ... almost miraculously ... I no longer suffered from sharp edges. As my teeth straightened, so did my gum alignment, if that makes any sense. To put it a different way, when a tooth is positioned the way it should be, the liner no longer "digs" into the gum. If there does seem to be a sharp spot, it's felt by my tongue and not my gums. I've learned that my tongue can smooth out a sharp area just by eating a few meals. [I eat with my liners in] I would suggest that you tell your dentist or orthodontist to find any sharp edges and fix them. My dentist did this with the liners before she gave them to me, probably so she didn't have to listen to me whine about it. LOL

Barbara R 10 Aug 2012

Don't hesitate to complain to your dentist/orthodontist. He/she is being paid by YOU.

Peggy K, 10 Aug 2012

Thanks! I already did complain to my dentist and they tried to fix them. My husband finished his entire Invisalign treatment and never complained about sharp edges. I am trying the dental wax now and it does help with the worst of the sharp edges. It's not digging into my gums that's the problem, it's scraping the insides of my cheeks and lips, which then swell and aggravate the problem. Plus I get cold sores just by scratching or sun-burning my lips or from a normal trip to the dentist. I hate to think of a year with mouth sores.

BAgirl 12 Sep 2011

Ok I get what they are exaining with the machines and all. You know a but is coming... But almost everything today is done by machine from needles to drill bits it's called a debur. I think that would just be a good way invisaline could really improve their product and make I visaline more tolerant. When it comes to a business and competition moves in ( it always happens) brand name AND quality mean a lot. I xo however appreciate all the responses! Thank you

Megan P (Community Manager) 13 Sep 2011

I agree with you, it does seem like it would be a good fix for the company to look into. I guess until then the nail file business will have an entire niche market they could sell to. ;)

Megan P (Community Manager) 9 Sep 2011

I posted this question in the Q&A section to see what the dentists would say. Click here to read their answers.

If you have Invisalign have you found sharp tray edges to be a rare or frequent problem?

Barbara R 17 Sep 2011

I am two liners away from completion of my Invisalign treatment program and have also had difficulty with sharp edges since day one. I developed some sore spots on the inside of my mouth but they eventually went away. If I tried to smoothe the sharp areas with a file, it just created another sharp area. The manufacturer needs to focus on some quality control.

osalo 13 Aug 2012

Yes. for me each set needs this to some extent. Top front teeth. Seems like poor quality control to me. My orthodontist's asistant suggested that I file them down. I've been using lots of wax for braces to cover the sharp edges rather than take a file to my expensive-to-replace braces. I remove and replace the wax every time I eat 'n brush. I don't think it's a good thing to repeatedly injure-and-let-heal the same tissue. Seems Invisalign and the orthodontists wouldn't want to deal with problems arising later on down the road on that. I was told no negatives before I signed up. Seems the doctor with the patient's best interest foremost is going the way of the horse and buggy.