56 Year Old -- 37 Trays Plus Refinements to Look Forward To! - Danville, IL

Well, my Invisalign treatment has an odd twist and I am needing opinions. My dentist left his practice one month before I was finished with what was to be my last tray. He indicated all along that I would likely need refinements, which would be included in my original cost. (Up to three refinements!) The new dentist just received her certificate to practice invisalign treatments. I was uncomfortable with someone so unexperienced finishing out my treatment. Luckily, that the same dental practice (Family Dental) had another office in town with a dentist who has multiple years of treating invisalign and was willing to pick up my case and continue on. He came highly recommended.

After my last tray and at my first appointment with the new dentist, he claimed that invisalign had done all it could do and that my treatment was complete. He took off my attachments, we discussed a crown replacement, and I was on my way. I was pretty pumped! I had two weeks to wait until my next appointment for the crown work. During those two weeks, I noticed that my bite felt off. I cannot explain it. It is not just my back teeth that feels off, but also my front bite. Even though I didn't cherish the idea of going through more trays I knew that the feel of my bite might bug me forever. So, I explained this to my dentist when I went back in to get a my temporary crown. Again, he looked at my teeth and said that Invisalign had done all it could do and sometimes the bite is off slightly and that his is off a bit too from his Invisalign treatments. He promised that he would do a bit of sanding on my back molars when we are done messing with my new crown and that should help. Here's what really bothers me. To my knowledge, he has not even looked at my Invisalign Clin Check to see my progress from beginning to end. While my bite really feels off and my mouth doesn't have a comfortable resting position, my teeth look OK. It would not be the worst thing in the world to do nothing, but I think my bite would bother me every day to a certain extent. Sooooo, my question is this: Have any of you experienced anything like this? If so, what did you do? Did you eventually get used to the new bite? To Invisalign users who have concluded their treatments - how's your bite? I am torn as to how much of a fit I throw. I'm not really comfortable with confrontation. I go back into the dentist office this Thursday, Dec. 3rd, to get my permanent crown. Should I mention my concerns yet again?

After 37 tray, my dentist says that I'm done. My teeth are not perfect, but they are much, much better. My bite feels a bit off in the back right. I am told he will do some fancy word that I think equates to sanding some of the high spots on the back teeth to make them match up better. My bite is not horrible, but not as comfortable as it was before I started this process. Today I had a crown replaced on one of my 'fangs' with a temporary crown. On Dec. 3rd I get my permanent crown. After a few weeks, I will have my last set of impressions made so that I can have my last set of trays. I am eager to be done with the entire process! I won't lie. It seemed long and I absolutely hated the large button on my fang! Would I do it again? I would. But I still would hate that attachment and the lisp that seemed to come and go throughout the process!

Well, I'm getting closer. Some might see today as a setback aesthetically, but I know it is a necessary evil! I'm actually excited how they look. Now it's possible for those last 8 trays to do their job. No more buck teeth! (Remember that I've been complaining that my teeth have been moving forward a lot. I felt like my teeth arrived minutes before I did when I entered a room!) Hopefully these last 8 trays will do it. Time will tell. The IPR procedure today was a piece of cake! I had six done and was seriously in the chair for less than 10 minutes. Much easier than my first one. I asked why and the hygienist said they had to use a burr file on my first one (at the beginning of my treatment) and these six IPRs required no burr file, just a normal one and that the file was the same size for all six teeth. It feels very odd to have the gaps between my teeth. My friend suggested we have a watermelon seed spitting contest! I'm in! Goal date of last tray: NOVEMBER; and then possible refinements, but the dentist said maybe not. And if I do have to have refinement trays he says it should be less than 10. Doable!