Extractions Before Invisalign Have Me Nervous! -Huntsville, ON

I came across an idea somewhere in my searches to use hydrogen peroxide and water to soak the trays in. (50/50 solution). Does it ever work well! I was soaking in water during meals and brushing the trays with toothpaste and didn't realize that there was a bit of a film on the trays until I did the soak and saw how clear they suddenly were. Highly recommend this . . . and peroxide is so inexpensive. Now I soak the trays in this solution during meals and brush with the solution and rinse well. I brush the trays with toothpaste in the morning after the soak during breakfast and the trays are crystal clear with no funny smells or buildup.

I had my first upper bicuspid's removed 10 days ago, and let me tell you it was not a fun ride. Having had wisdom teeth removed I had some expectations, but I guess bicuspid's behave differently than the wise teeth and wanted to stay put. After a week of non stop advil, homeopathic remedies, baking soda swabs for the outbreak of canker sores and living off yogurt and icecream and soup, I finally got my invisalign trays.

I had my stitches from the extractions taken out and the attachments for the trays put on at the same visit. They snapped the trays in and voila, the games began . . .
At first I thought, this isn't so bad. Yeah, I talk a little funny (especially "th" words) but really my clients and friends couldn't tell they were in! Amazing!

I do have one complaint though. Because of the extractions, there is a space in the upper tray sans teeth. This empty space collects saliva or water when I drink it and I have to be sure to tilt my head back in order to drain them so people won't see the floaty liquid in my teeth holes!! I mentioned this to my orthodontist and he teased me saying the answer to that problem is vodka! I have built in little mini shooters!! Had to laugh! A sense of humor during times of personal humiliation is very important!

The first day I felt incredible pressure, mostly with two teeth, which progressed to one side and now is generally the upper anterior portion of my mouth. There was some wearing to the inner cheeks where the attachments rubbed when eating and where the trays continued this irritation after that. My trick . . . gently file the rough bits of the attachments with an emery board, then when the trays are in at night I use mint dental wax over the the trays along the irritated areas to sooth and give a rest to those spots. I also used the emery board to gently file away any irritating spots along the edge of the trays to stop the rubbing too.

I am now on day three of my first trays and think I am adjusting fairly well. I seem to have a chronic ache to my jaw/ face and still am using advil twice a day only now. An improvement for sure. Eating is a trick as I have pain if I use my front teeth, and with the extraction sites still tender and healing, I am left with only the back molars to work with! I am not starving by any means. After a week of yogurt and soup, I am happy to jaw away at what I can just for a little sustenance.
Overall I would say the experience has been fairly positive. There are sensations and adjustments sure! But big change is happening here people . . . there should be some sensation with it. I will keep you posted and get some pics up so you can see . . .

I'm due to have my two top premolars extracted on Tuesday and am feeling a little anxious about it! You will see the holes when I smile, and I smile a lot . . . apparently my case is tricky with overbite and overjet of 12 mm (crazy eh?) I've compensated for this affliction by smiling warmly and being conscious not to end up in a profile view for fear people would notice. Head on smiles are best is what I learnt as a teen practicing my best face in the mirror. Now it is all about to change.

At 41 the time is right, but am I ready? I spent most of my life hating my smile, feeling awkward in social situations (especially eating out, or dinner parties . . . total stress! I would get migraines) but now that the time is here, I worry about how it will turn out. I'm losing two teeth people!! I can't get those back, I can't go back once the treatment begins. What if the space doesn't close properly? What if I look weird . . . my mouth all saggy, or my bite isn't optimal? What am I trading in this hell for? A new kind of hell?

My orthodontist is old school, been practicing for over 40 years, he sent back my results twice to invisalign because he wasn't satisfied with the results. He is excited by the challenge and wants to put my before and after shots up in the office (just teeth). The clincheck was very interesting and I almost cried when I saw my teeth move back to a normal range. At that moment I would do anything to have that happen to me. The concern is that the space from the extractions will not close all the way with the invisalign trays, so he will put some brackets on at the end and close the gap. 18 months of trays, then tweaking to get things right. He seems genuine and kind and I feel I can trust him because of his experience. So Tuesday I am due to have upper premolars removed then a week later he is setting the attachments and sending me home with my first 3 sets of trays. No easing into this. My appointment is at noon so I guess I will have to stuff my face with food before the appointment in case I can't get the damn things off! Anyone had extractions and used the dental wax as a filler for the space in the trays so it looks like you have a tooth where the holes are? Where did you purchase the wax? I will keep you posted and upload some pics so you can see progress.