Is my Invisalign fitting properly? (photos)

Question

Hi there. I have a fairly complicated case of crowding and crossbite. More so crowding with a cross bite of 2 teeth. I just moved onto my third set of trays - my orthodontist has me changing them weekly since Align Technology came out with the smart track material. Anyway, It looks as though my tray isn't fitting properly over my right canine and also the tray on the bottom seems a little "short" as in it does not go all the way to just above my gum line, but a millimeter or so above. What do you think?

Doug Jopling, DDS · Answer

It looks pretty good if you are newly into this set of aligners. It is important to bite on cotton rolls or a rubber type of device for 15 minutes every day to seat aligners fully and stretch the periodontal ligaments. You can take a rubber wine cork and cut it in half lengthwise and bite on this for this exercise. Bite10 seconds "on" the rest 5 seconds and repeat for 15 minutes once or twice daily. With your advanced crowding, I would recommend twice daily.  This has resulted in success in even my most difficult cases.

Michael Gross, DDS · Answer

Hello, thanks for your questions. Your orthodontist is correct to have you changing trays weekly, this is new (late 2016) protocol from Invisalign Align Technologies. Tray fit and tooth tracking isn't a new challenge with Invisalign. When you place your trays, try biting down on some cotton rolls on both sides to help seat the tray. New trays will always feel tight at first but should start to feel comfortable after wearing them for a while. Invisalign recommends wearing the trays 22 hours a day for predictable results. Sometimes a tooth that is crowded out of the arch stops tracking with the rest of the teeth because it has no where to go (no space). This usually means you need IPR or arch expansion or some combination to create space. This can be done during treatment or during refinement. You're still at the very beginning of your treatment (3rd set of trays) and its likely this is a part of your treatment plan but hasn't been completed yet.

Is my Invisalign fitting properly? (photos)

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Is my Invisalign fitting properly? (photos)

Answers (2)

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Everything you need to know about Invisalign

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.